Cores and Core Directors

The Delaware INBRE Core Directors have been selected to represent the INBRE Network based on their proven leadership record and specific experience related to this program.  Progress within the individual Cores will be evaluated during regularly scheduled meetings of the Research Committee.   This will facilitate close interactions between INBRE research leadership and faculty working within the INBRE network and help ensure a successful execution of the Delaware INBRE.

Administration

The purpose of the Administrative Core is to bring together the requisite personnel and resources to ensure that the goals of the INBRE proposal are achieved effectively. The Administrative Core consists of a central leadership team comprised of the INBRE PI and PC with appropriate administrative support, internal and external advisory and evaluation components, an internal Research Committee with an expanded mentoring focus, and a Steering Committee comprised of high-level leaders at the INBRE partner institutions. It is responsible for managing the coordination among the participating institutions, assuring program evaluation, and providing administrative resources to manage program finances and reporting. It will also coordinate with the Research Committee to ensure scientific excellence, and with the Core Directors to manage the individual Cores. The Administrative Core contains an External Advisory Committee, a Steering Committee to coordinate among the participating institutions, a Research Committee to ensure scientific excellence, Core Directors to manage the individual Cores, and a centralized team.

David S. Weir - Chair
Karl V. Steiner

Research

The purpose of the INBRE Research Program is to build the research capability and capacity in cancer, cardiovascular health and neurosciences such that Delaware takes another major step toward the State’s goal of building a biomedical research capability, thereby improving health care and promoting health-based economic development. The Research Program will be expanded to consist of three Research Themes: Cancer, begun under the first INBRE program, and two new Themes – Cardiovascular Health and Neurosciences. Each of these themes will benefit from existing or new Centers that provide a coordinated framework for faculty research.

Ulhas Naik - Chair
Nicholas Petrelli, CCHS, Cancer Focus
Melissa Harrington, DSU, Neuroscience Focus

Mentoring

The Mentoring Program will establish a mentoring plan for the junior investigators by seeking a balance between formal programs and individual guidance, between scientific and career management aspects, and between mentor- and mentee-initiated actions. The Program will work closely with the Research Core and include the mentors outlined by the faculty in their Developmental Research Projects. The achievement of sustainable sources of federal funding is an important objective for faculty in the INBRE program. Mentoring is a critical component of this objective, particularly for junior faculty.

Abraham Lenhoff, UD – Chair

Central Instrumentation

The purpose of the Centralized Research Instrumentation Core is to provide INBRE-affiliated researchers with state-of-the-art instrumentation and highly qualified professional personnel to carry out leading-edge research and thereby improve their capability to win federal grants. The INBRE Renewal program will support the Core Instrumentation Centers through the following four mechanisms: (1) Partial salary support for Core Center staff to ensure the professional operation of the instruments; (2) Instrumentation upgrades; (3) Instrumentation maintenance support; and (4) Core Center Fee Waivers for faculty and students in the INBRE partnership to support the generation of preliminary data for future publications and proposals.

Kirk Czymmek, UD – Chair
Katia Sol-Church, Nemours – Co-Chair

Bioinformatics

The purpose of the Bioinformatics Core is to significantly expand the bioinformatics capability established under the current INBRE. In particular, the expansion plan will include (1) Creation of a new Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Systems Biology; (2) Increase in the number of cyber-knowledgeable faculty and students across the network; (3) Development and implementation of new graduate courses in Bioinformatics and Computational Systems Biology; (4) Integration with the biostatistics resources available the Center for Outcomes Research; and (5) Establishment of an integrated and mutually beneficial cyberinfrastructure in collaboration with Delaware’s IDeA partners in the Northeast region – the Northeast Cyberinfrastructure Consortium (NECC).

Cathy Wu, UD – Chair
William Weintraub, CCHS
Karl V. Steiner, UD

Undergraduate Research & Professional Development Core

The purpose of the Undergraduate Research & Professional Development Core is to further develop a pipeline of capable and competitive research personnel in Delaware with the ability to apply scientific training to improve of human health. The Core focal areas are to (1) Strengthen the scientific literacy and research experience of undergraduate students; (2) Develop new undergraduate-level courses; and (3) Provide professional development opportunities for community college faculty and K-12 science teachers.

Malcolm D'Souza, Wesley – Chair
Jeanette Miller, UD
Joan Barber, DTCC