The VAI-MSU Graduate School Program is a joint program between Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) and the Graduate School of Michigan State University (MSU). Students in one of the five MSU graduate programs below may conduct one of their laboratory rotations at VARI.
Students will have a chance to:
- Attend VARI seminars, lab meetings, retreats and conferences
- Participate in VARI journal clubs
- Conduct research in state-of-the-art laboratories
- Access all the latest technologies in the VARI core facilities
At the end of the rotation, students can decide whether or not they wish to complete their thesis project at VARI.
Fellowships
Four VARI fellowships are being awarded to MSU first-year graduate students interested in cancer research or cell biology. All graduate students conducting their thesis work at VARI 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.
Advisors
Students can choose to have a VARI investigator as their primary thesis advisor or they can have two co-advisors, one from VARI and one from MSU. VARI investigators serving as primary thesis advisors will obtain adjunct faculty status from MSU.
Interested?
MSU graduate students interested in rotations in a VARI laboratory should contact the investigator directly to arrange a meeting and discuss their interests. At least once a year, a seminar and poster session will be held at VARI so that MSU graduate students can learn more about the Institute.
Program Contacts
