- Upcoming Courses
Advance School of Quantitative Biology Summer Course
Course Details
- Dates: Summer 2027
- Duration: TBA
- Location: UCSB William K. Bowes Jr. CIRM Shared Resource Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology and Engineering
- Cost: Free
- Instructor: TBA
- Capacity: TBA
- Application deadline: TBA
Human iPSC Techniques
Course Details
- Dates: Fall 2027
- Duration: Four Days (10 AM - 5PM)
- Location: UCSB William K. Bowes Jr. CIRM Shared Resource Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology and Engineering
- Cost: Free
- Instructor: Dr. Mika Katsura and Dr. Susanne Meyer
- Capacity: Limited to 9 participants
- Application deadline: TBA
Enhance your skills, resume and research by learning to derive hiPSC research models.
“hiPSC Techniques” provides comprehensive training in validated methods for deriving, culturing and characterizing human induced pluripotent stem cells. Since 2009 Dr. Fox has helped hundreds of scientists from around the world to gain new skills, improve their research outcomes and advance in diverse careers.
Learn validated methods for reprogramming, culturing, freezing, and validating human induced pluripotent stem cells
- iPSC reprogramming (Episomal and Sendai Virus)
- Reagent/medium/substrate preparation
- Feeder free culture (mTeSR, StemFlex & NutriStem)
- Passaging (Colony picking and Enzymatic)
- Characterization / differentiation
- Cryopreservation
- Troubleshooting problems
- Regulatory compliance
- Quality control monitoring
- Electroporation
Course Provides
- Validated protocols and SOPs
- Experienced course instructor
- Certificate of completion
- Cost saving procedures
- Networking opportunities
- Resume builder
- Past Courses
Human iPSC Techniques
Course Details
- Dates: September 22 - 25, 2025
- Duration: Four Days (10 AM - 5PM)
- Location: UCSB William K. Bowes Jr. CIRM Shared Resource Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology and Engineering
- Cost: Free
- Instructor: Dr. Victoria Fox, CEO, Pathways to Stem Cell Science
- Schedule of Class: Link
- Capacity: Limited to 9 participants
- Application deadline: Friday, September 5, 2025
Enhance your skills, resume and research by learning to derive hiPSC research models.
“hiPSC Techniques” provides comprehensive training in validated methods for deriving, culturing and characterizing human induced pluripotent stem cells. Since 2009 Dr. Fox has helped hundreds of scientists from around the world to gain new skills, improve their research outcomes and advance in diverse careers.
Learn validated methods for reprogramming, culturing, freezing, and validating human induced pluripotent stem cells
- iPSC reprogramming (Episomal and Sendai Virus)
- Reagent/medium/substrate preparation
- Feeder free culture (mTeSR, StemFlex & NutriStem)
- Passaging (Colony picking and Enzymatic)
- Characterization / differentiation
- Cryopreservation
- Troubleshooting problems
- Regulatory compliance
- Quality control monitoring
- Electroporation
Course Provides
- Validated protocols and SOPs
- Experienced course instructor
- Certificate of completion
- Cost saving procedures
- Networking opportunities
- Resume builder
Registration is no longer available
Advance School of Quantitative Biology
Physical Principles of Morphogenesis in Plants and Animals
Course Details
- Dates: Summer 2026
- Duration: TBA
- Location: UCSB William K. Bowes Jr. CIRM Shared Resource Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology and Engineering
- Cost: Free
- Instructors: Vanessa Barone (Stanford), Carla Evans (Caltech), Cedric Finet (OIST), Vishank Jain-Sharma (Duke), Alexis Maizel (Heidelberg), Yusuke Mori (Duke), Akankshi Munjal (Duke), Naomi Nakayama (OIST), Nicoletta Petridou (EMBL Heidelberg), Diana Pinheiro (IMP), Anamarija Primc (Heidelberg), Chloe Roffay (IMP), Laura Rustarazo Calvo (EMBL Heidelberg), Jana Sipkova (Hopkins-Stanford), Paul Tarr (Caltech), and Mauar Zimmerman (Cornell)
- Capacity: TBA
- Application deadline: February 1, 2026
Course Subject:
Morphogenesis is the process by which cell growth, division, and differentiation are tightly controlled to form properly shaped, functioning organs. This remarkable control over form, fate, and function is coordinated by a tight interplay of the genetic program of development and physical interactions between cells. How do living organisms reliably build complex structures from single cells, despite the variability of their components and environments? What determines the emergence of organized patterns, the timing of developmental transitions, or the reproducibility of shape across individuals and species? While genetics has revealed many of the molecular players involved, the fundamental principles that govern the transformation from cell to tissue to organism remain elusive. Developmental systems exhibit remarkable coordination across scales—from gene expression to mechanical forces to tissue geometry—but how these levels interact to produce robust morphogenesis is still not well understood. This hands-on research course will integrate laboratory projects, computational data analysis, and mathematical modeling, aiming to achieve quantitative understanding of specific morphogenetic processes in a variety of model animal and plant developmental systems.
Course Structure
The course is 5 weeks, beginning with a one-week bootcamp, followed by two 2-week lab sessions. Each session will consist of about four experimental projects led by instructors and TAs working closely with groups of 4-5 students. The daily routine involves two morning lectures and discussions, followed by lab work in the afternoons until late in the evenings. During the bootcamp, students will acquire skills needed to succeed in research projects, including microscopy, quantitative image analysis, and theoretical modeling. There will also be an introduction to model systems of development and laboratory techniques.
The morning lectures will take place in the context of the parallel running KITP program Geometry and Intercellular Interactions in Morphogenesis of Animals and Plants, providing an excellent setting for discussion and exchange with program participants. The scientific agenda of the program aims to closely study morphogenesis in animals and plants, bringing together these diverse communities with experts in physical modeling of morphogenesis.
The course will study how common physical challenges, experienced by animals and plants are solved. Plant and animal lineages diverged before the evolution of multicellularity, strikingly manifested at the molecular level, where each kingdom separately optimized genetic pathways.
Specifically, the course will seek to develop answers towards these questions:- How are cell behaviors coordinated during development over long ranges?
- How are growing organs divided into distinct zones?
- Are there common organizing principles underpinning regulation of these processes across kingdoms?
- Is there mechanical regulation of growth?
A typical day's schedule includes:
- 2 morning talks at KITP
- Lunch in a dining hall or campus cafe, with other course or program participants
- Afternoon lab work
- Dinner in a dining hall, followed by evening lab work and/or science discussions
On weekends, students can attend program BBQs and self-organize outings to the beach or around Santa Barbara.
