MISSION To conduct and facilitate research which examines the genetic bases of individual differences in behavior and to conduct research training in this interdisciplinary area.
RESEARCH Founded in 1967, IBG is one of the top research facilities in the world for genetic research on behavior. Data collection and analysis are ongoing for several internationally renowned studies including the Colorado Adoption Project, the Colorado Twin Registry, the National Youth Survey Family Study, the Colorado Learning Disabilities Research Center, and the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. IBG is home to one of the nation's largest DNA repositories for research on human behavior, as well as housing a wide array of behaviorally and genetically defined lines of selected, recombinant inbred, transgenic, and knockout-gene mice. Current research includes studies of aging, neurodegenerative disease, psychopathology, reading and learning disabilities, cognition, substance abuse, behavioral development, and evolution.
Our faculty direct two major NIH supported research centers: The Learning Disabilities Research Center (P50HD027802) and the Center on Antisocial Drug Dependence (P60DA011015).
FACULTY There are 8 tenured or tenure-track faculty rostered in the Graduate School and based at IBG. In total there are 32 faculty fellows, most of whom hold joint appointments in academic units on the Boulder and Denver campuses. Although Behavioral Genetics can be thought of as the intersection between genetics and the behavioral sciences, our faculty comes from a broader range of backgrounds.
On the Boulder campus: Dept of Psychology & Neuroscience (10 +3 emeritus), Dept of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology (2), MCDB (1), Dept of Integrative Physiology (4), Dept of Sociology (1), Graduate School (2)
At the University of Colorado Denver: Departments of Pharmaceutical Sciences (2), Pharmacology (3), and Psychiatry (2), and the Center for Bioethics and Humanities (1). At the University of Denver: Department of Psychology (1).
In addition to our research mission, faculty on the Boulder campus participate in both undergraduate and graduate teaching.
GRADUATE STUDENTS 21 graduate students mentored by IBG faculty fellows participate in the IBG training program; since we are not a degree-granting institute, all current graduate students are affiliated with academic units on the Boulder campus.
POSTDOCTORAL Approximately 32 postdoctoral fellows, research associates, and senior research associates.
RESEARCH PERSONNEL Approximately 58 PRAs, 13 administrative and animal laboratory staff members. and 31 undergraduate student employees.
RESEARCH FUNDING IBG administers about $50 million in total grant dollars; $10 million per fiscal year. We have approximately 48 research projects that are funded through IBG. We direct three NIH pre- and postdoctoral training grants (from NIMH, NICHD, and NIDA) supporting 13 graduate students and 4 postdoctoral fellows, and we co-direct another training grant supporting 8 postdoctoral fellows (NIAAA)
SPACE IBG occupies 38,500 sf in four buildings on the East Campus of CU Boulder: the IBG building (17,200sf), RL1 (3,600sf), RL4 (7700sf), ARCE (10,000sf). Our goal is to obtain new integrated space, within a life sciences cluster, totaling 70,000sf, to accommodate our growing research and graduate education needs in collaboration with Psychology and Neuroscience, IPHY, MCDB, and ICS.
Prepared by Toni Smolen (Assistant Director) and John Hewitt (Director) (revised 01-2010)
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