What Is IMSD at Georgia State?

The Initiative for Maximizing Student Development at Georgia State University is an undergraduate research education and training program grounded in Biology, Chemistry, Neuroscience, and Psychology. Funded through a 5-year institutional award from the National Institutes of Health, the goal of the IMSD program is to encourage students from underrepresented groups to pursue careers in biomedical research, starting with the completion of Ph.D. degrees in related fields. The IMSD program offers an opportunity to develop new or expand existing effective academic development programs, including research assistantships, in order to prepare students for competitive research careers and leadership positions in the biomedical sciences.

At Georgia State, we are well positioned to host a successful IMSD program, given our unique combination of an amazingly diverse and multicultural undergraduate student population, with a strong set of research-intensive academic departments bringing in over $120 million each year in external funding. Georgia State already has unprecedented success rates in graduating students from underrepresented groups, particularly in the sciences, and the IMSD will further enhance our endeavors in this arena.

The IMSD Program at Georgia State targets undergraduates from demographic groups that remain underrepresented in the sciences, including groups based on race or ethnicity, documented disabilities, and socially, economically, or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds (e.g., first-generation college students). The IMSD is designed as a two-year academic, professional development, and research-intensive program that will help guide students through their most formative years as scientists-in-training, all the while preparing them to transition into high-caliber doctoral programs across the nation.