Bioinformatics

The Bioinformatics degree program is an interdisciplinary program, involving the departments of Biology, Biochemistry, Computer Science, and Mathematics & Statistics

The field of Bioinformatics developed during the exponential growth in molecular biological knowledge in recent years, thanks to genome sequencing projects and technologies for determining gene expression and protein-protein interaction. The tremendous volume and complexity of data has necessitated the development of specialized computational techniques for storing, visualizing, and analyzing them. Certain technologies also require computational techniques in the derivation of data. All such techniques fall into the realm of Bioinformatics.  It requires knowledge from the domains of biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, and probability and statistics.

One major or ultimate goal of bioinformatics is to accurately predict organism-level characteristics from genomic information. This will require the characterization of very complex systems, from atomic to cellular and organism levels.

Resources

Administrative Committee

  • A. Kusalik (Computer Science)
  • Y. Luo (Biochemistry)
  • I. McQuillan (Computer Science)
  • D. Konkin (External)
  • C. Todd (Biology)
  • S. Ritchie (Industry)
  • J. Liu (Mathematics & Statistics)
  • E. Quinlan (Dean's Representative).
For more information, contact Program Director Dr. Anthony Kusalik.