This is a competitive renewal application of the Mayo Kidney Disease Research Training Program (DK 07013) for four post-doctoral training positions per year. The objective of this program is to prepare biomedical and clinician scientists for independent investigative careers in academic nephrology and basic renal sciences. M.D. graduates who have commenced or have completed training in clinical nephrology and Ph.D. graduates can apply to this program. The major focus is to ensure that the trainees acquire an in-depth education and expertise that combines the study of renal physiology or pathophysiology and the development of skills in basic or applied sciences. To achieve this goal, this training program relies on a multi-disciplinary faculty that consists of 21 nephrology/nephrology research unit (NRU) members (18 NIH-funded, 3 funded by other sources) and 37 members from other divisions or departments (all NIH funded) organized in 11 research units (renal circulation, hypertension and thrombosis; diabetes and nutrition; mineral metabolism; renal cystic disease; molecular genetics and gene therapy; urinary tract neoplasia; transplantation and immunology; mechanisms of acute and chronic renal injury; cell biology and signalling; renal imaging; outcome research and clinical trials). The program has two components, a mentored research training experience and a formalized didactic program. Faculty members serving as primary mentors will be responsible for the day to day supervision of the trainee and will meet regularly with the trainee on at least a weekly basis to provide advice and direction. Depending on the nature of the research project, a co-mentor may be assigned to the trainee to provide additional expertise. The formalized didactic program consists of customized didactic courses, NRU conferences, a nephrology core lecture series, Division of Nephrology conferences (Grand Rounds, journal club, renal pathology, and renal radiology conferences), the visiting faculty programs of the Divisions of Nephrology and Hypertension, the Distinguished Lectures in Medical Sciences program and conferences in the Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Physiology and Biophysics, Immunology, and Pharmacology. In addition to the laboratory-based research training, this program also offers opportunities for clinically oriented research training supported by the Department of Health Sciences Research, the General Clinical Research Center, the Mayo Clinical Research Training Program, and the Mayo Physician's Alliance for Clinical Trials.