The Marine Biological Laboratory — located in Woods Hole, Massachusetts — offers Advanced Research Training Courses in specialized topics each summer. Dr. Lindsey and Dr. Phil Cleves are co-directors of the Molecular and Cell Biology of Symbiosis course — open to trainees at the PhD student level and up, and typically scheduled for 4 weeks in the July/August time frame. The course costs, including full room, board, and tuition for the course students, are generously supported by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

Each week of the course a new team of 3-4 faculty plus TAs (typically graduate students or postdocs in those faculty’s labs) lead students in hands-on, research-based explorations of symbiosis. Our mornings start with a lecture and discussion, and the rest of the time is spent in the lab! Experiments leverage a wide range of symbioses and involve training in a breadth of molecular and cell biology techniques, including advanced microscopy methods – a major strength of MBL.

SYM 2026

The course is scheduled for Jul 17, 2026 – Aug 15, 2026. Applications are due March 4th. Please see the course website for additional details, or reach out to Dr. Lindsey or Dr. Cleves with any questions.