A new generation of scientists

The Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology (BIB) at the University of Massachusetts Medical School was established in 2008 to address one of the most dynamic and central areas in biomedical research—the ever-increasing quantity of molecular information available to scientists. Rapidly accumulating data on DNA sequences, protein structures and complex signaling networks has created an unprecedented demand for new approaches and a new generation of interdisciplinary scientists.

Under the direction of Zhiping Weng, Professor and Director, the program has expanded to include faculty with extensive expertise in mathematics, computer science, statistics and engineering.  Our mission is to develop and explore computational and quantitative approaches and tools to help the biomedical research community maximize their understanding of the growing volume and complexity of biomedical big data. 

 One overriding goal

This exciting Program has one overriding goal: to educate talented and highly motivated men and women for leadership in the post-genomic era. Research in the Program includes integrative analysis of next-generation sequencing data for understanding the functional regions of genomes, comparative and evolutionary genomics, identification of structural polymorphisms in individual genomes, computational modeling of regulatory and metabolic networks, protein-protein docking, protein design, large scale modeling of biological systems, and computational studies of the genetics and epigenetics of cancer and neurological disorders.

The Program creates an exciting, dynamic environment in which students learn from a team approach that allows them to learn from each other as well as from the faculty. It provides unique interdisciplinary training in the science, engineering, medicine and ethics of 21st century biology.