The Applied Bioinformatics and Genetic Epidemiology program is ideal for graduates from life sciences, mathematics, or computer sciences disciplines. The program provides individuals with the skills and knowledge of computational and statistical biosciences necessary to prepare them for a challenging career in academic research, biotechnology, or the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries.
The field of study known as bioinformatics utilizes computational tools to understand biology. Genetic Epidemiology, on the other hand, focuses on how genetic factors contribute to determining health and disease, and how they interact with the environment. In addition to developing core skills in computational and statistical biosciences, students in this program will also concentrate on gene discovery approaches, including GWAS, as well as explore copy-number variation (CNV) analysis and post-GWAS approaches such as pathway/network, gene-set, and polygenic epidemiological methods.
This program has been designed to meet the increasing demand from academic research, biotechnology, and the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries for skilled informaticians with bioinformatics expertise. Students will receive instruction in computational and statistical biosciences and will also develop the additional complementary skills necessary to effectively work within a multidisciplinary bioinformatics arena.