Computational Biology Department (Carnegie Mellon University)

The Computational Biology Department at Carnegie Mellon University is part of the internationally-recognized School of Computer Science, and it draws upon the energy and expertise in the entire School. It is an ideal place to be educated in this essential discipline. The approach to computational biology research that we take is unique in several ways, and we convey this approach to our educational programs at the high school, undergraduate, master's, and Ph.D. levels. First, we strongly believe that computational biology has important contributions to make in framing biological problems in computational terms and should not just be focused on helping biomedical researchers “understand their data.” Second, as befits our being in the School of Computer Science, we emphasize the importance of developing computationally rigorous solutions to problems, which goes hand-in-hand with framing those problems well. Third, we provide an important grounding in both natural and computational sciences. The role of computational biologists in framing problems requires knowledge of the fundamental principles of both. Fourth, we believe strongly in the need for computational biology to drive biological experimentation. Finally, a core value of Carnegie Mellon is its collaborative spirit. The Computational Biology Department fosters unique opportunities to students to be involved in such collaborations building on the great tradition of interdisciplinary work at CMU. Together, the embodiment of these principles helps our students develop as independent innovators who will help guide the future of biomedical research.