VAI–MSU Graduate School Program

The VAI-MSU Graduate School Program is a collaborative venture through which graduate students in Michigan State University’s BioMolecular Sciences Program (BMS) can conduct their dissertation research in Van Andel Institute laboratories. The BMS program is the gateway for first-year graduate students who will subsequently select one of the following degree-granting departments or programs:

Departments:

Interdepartmental Programs:

Join the program
MSU graduate students interested in rotations in a VAI laboratory should contact the investigator directly to arrange a meeting to discuss their interests.

Financial support

MSU graduate students conducting their thesis work at VAI will be appointed as graduate research assistants through MSU and will be paid the same stipend as their fellow graduate students at MSU. Stipend and tuition will be covered for the full term of the thesis project. Students must meet all the standard requirements of their respective graduate programs for graduation, and they will receive their degrees from the MSU program or department in which they enrolled.

Advisers

Students can choose to have a VAI investigator as their primary thesis adviser or they can have two co-advisers, one from VAI and one from MSU. VAI investigators serving as primary thesis advisers will have adjunct faculty appointments in one of the participating MSU departments.

Current MSU Students in VAI Labs

Student	Mentor
Peter Hsueh	Brian Haab, Ph.D.

Alumni MSU graduates from VAI labs

Student	Mentor
Daniel Barnett	Brian Haab, Ph.D.
Sarah Keaton	Lena Brundin, M.D., Ph.D.
Nanda Kumar Sasi	Michael Weinreich, Ph.D.
Sander Frank	Cindy Miranti, Ph.D.
Arkadeep Sinha	Brian Haab, Ph.D.
Jelani Zarif	Cindy Miranti, Ph.D.
Megan Goodall	Jeff MacKeigan, Ph.D.
Aaron DeWard	Art Alberts, Ph.D.
Chih-Shia Lee	Nick Duesbery, Ph.D.
Charles Miller	Michael Weinreich, Ph.D.
Sebla Kutluay	Steve Triezenberg, Ph.D.
Laura (Gier) Lamb	Cindy Miranti, Ph.D.
Yue Tingting	Brian Haab, Ph.D.
Susan Spotts	Cindy Miranti, Ph.D.
Katie (Sian) Martin	Jeff MacKeigan, Ph.D.
Ying Chou Chen	Michael Weinreich, Ph.D.