Message from the Director

It is an exciting time to be working in the area of computational biology and medicine. Rapid advances on all biological scales—from the protein level to the organ level—are enabling scientists to understand biology and to impact disease as never before. However, in many areas of biology, experimental approaches are running into roadblocks. Computational and mathematical methods, often in synergy with experimental and clinical research, are overcoming these hurdles and forging new paths.

With this in mind, the Tri-Institutional Training Program in Computational Biology and Medicine (CBM) was created to provide a unique training opportunity that takes advantage of the exceptional educational and research resources of Cornell University in Ithaca, its Medical College in NYC (Weill Medical College of Cornell University), and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. The CBM program is creating a new breed of scientist, one who uses computational and analytical methods to solve complex problems in biology. It is our belief that the development of such a cadre of computational biologists will foster discovery in frontiers of basic biological and biomedical sciences.

Students in the CBM program are diverse in their backgrounds (with undergraduate degrees in, for example, biology, computer science, and physics) and their interests (with research projects ranging from structural biology to cancer biology to organ function). Students enjoy the sense of excitement that permeates the three institutions, environments that foster continuous scientific advances, and which provide for interactions with investigators from around the world.

If the idea of becoming a scientific leader in the area of computational biology and medicine appeals to you, we invite you to explore our website to learn more about this unique graduate training opportunity.

David Christini, Ph.D.