NRT-HDR: Convergence at the Interfaces of Policy, Data Science, Environmental Science and Engineering to Combat the Spread of Antibiotic Resistance

The world is on the precipice of a post-antibiotic era, with projections that deaths due to antibiotic resistance could surpass those due to cancer by 2050. The antibiotic resistance problem is inherently challenging, as conflicting drivers of the problem must be addressed simultaneously if society is to continue to benefit from these life-saving drugs.

This National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) award to the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) will tackle this problem by equipping the next generation of scientists and policymakers with the technical and professional skills necessary to successfully work in convergent systems and harness the latest advances in data science to inform solutions. The Convergence at the Interfaces of Policy, Data Science, and Environmental Science and Engineering to Combat the Spread of Antibiotic Resistance (CIP-CAR) NRT project addresses a compelling need for training in science-based policy and convergent research across the graduate curriculum at Virginia Tech, nationally, and globally.

The project anticipates training 45 Ph.D. students, including 33 funded trainees, from Policy, Data Science, and Environmental Science and Engineering programs.

The CIP-CAR NRT is a Ph.D.-level program that combines cutting-edge research with four training elements: a graduate certificate in CIP-CAR Science, Technology, and Engineering in Policy (STEP), boot camps and workshops, a field project, and a transdisciplinary dissertation chapter. The graduate certificate consists of 13 credit hours, focused on ethically engaging with stakeholders and the appropriate use of data science to inform solutions, with modules and case studies devoted to antibiotic resistance and other relevant convergent research topics.

Bootcamps will be held annually to orient new students to the NRT. Workshops will be held bi-annually as a forum for trainees to share their research with the CIP-CAR community and to learn and practice transdisciplinary team science, science communication, ethics, and stakeholder engagement skills. Field project partners span a range of rural, urban, and international locales working with communities, wastewater treatment plants, data consulting, and international research labs to provide opportunities to deepen skills in stakeholder engagement and translating research to practice.

At least one dissertation chapter will result from a transdisciplinary team science effort with trainee peers and faculty representing different disciplines. The STEP graduate certificate will be available to all Virginia Tech graduate students (master’s and Ph.D.). This will further broaden the impact and sustain the CIP-CAR program beyond NSF funding.

An inclusive culture will be promoted through a multi-pronged approach to recruitment, mentoring, retention, and training in diversity and inclusion. The intent is that this inclusive culture will measurably increase the enrollment, success, and satisfaction of women and underrepresented minorities in participating degree programs.

The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) Program is designed to encourage the development and implementation of bold, new potentially transformative models for STEM graduate education training. The program is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary or convergent research areas through comprehensive traineeship models that are innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.