VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE | 25
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE | 25 YEARS 46 2021 VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE GRADUATE SCHOOL, 2021 (CENTER BUILDING PICTURED)
2021 A new chapter for Van Andel Institute Graduate School begins Since its founding in 2005, Van Andel Institute Graduate School has been at the vanguard of training the scientific leaders of tomorrow. The Graduate School’s inaugural cohort, welcomed in 2007, comprised three students. Fifteen years later, the Institute welcomed our largestever cohort: 14 students, and our most diverse yet. Expanding the number of Ph.D. students undergirds the Graduate School’s strategic vision. In recent years, the Graduate School has continually attracted record numbers of applicants for its rigorous, problem-focused Ph.D. program in molecular and cellular biology. As the size of incoming cohorts grew, it was clear the Graduate School needed to “graduate” from its longtime home on the fifth floor of VAI’s Bostwick Avenue facility. In spring 2021, the Graduate School moved into its new home at 234 N Division Ave., directly across from the Institute’s main campus and next to Van Andel Institute for Education. The renovated space includes classrooms and workstations; quiet spaces for students to read, think and study; shared space where students can interact and collaborate; kitchen and lounge areas; and a reading room. The new space allows the Graduate School to comfortably grow into its next chapter while maintaining the characteristics that have long made it attractive to students: innovative approaches to teaching, intimate cohort sizes, access to cutting-edge technology, and guidance by faculty mentors at the top of their research fields. Through the years, several VAI scientists have been elected to prestigious scientific societies. Their membership among these cadres of elite experts reflects their extensive scientific contributions and elevates VAI’s reputation in the U.S. and abroad. American Association for Cancer Research Academy Stephen B. Baylin, M.D. Director’s Scholar, VAI Co-Head of Cancer Biology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University Elected 2014 Peter A. Jones, Ph.D., D.Sc. (hon) Chief Scientific Officer Elected 2013 George Vande Woude, Ph.D. (1935–2021) Founding Research Director Elected 2013 National Academy of Sciences Stephen B. Baylin, M.D. Director’s Scholar, VAI Co-Head of Cancer Biology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University Elected 2017 Peter A. Jones, Ph.D., D.Sc. (hon) Chief Scientific Officer Elected 2016 George Vande Woude, Ph.D. (1935–2021) Founding Research Director Elected 1993 American Association for the Advancement of Science Stephen B. Baylin, M.D. Director’s Scholar, VAI Co-Head of Cancer Biology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University Elected 2020 Gerd Pfeifer, Ph.D. Professor Elected 2015 George Vande Woude, Ph.D. (1935–2021) Founding Research Director Elected 2013 Peter A. Jones, Ph.D., D.Sc. (hon) Chief Scientific Officer Elected 2009 American Academy of Arts & Sciences Peter A. Jones, Ph.D., D.Sc. (hon) Chief Scientific Officer Elected 2017 George Vande Woude, Ph.D. (1935–2021) Founding Research Director Elected 2006 VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE | 25 YEARS 2021 47
