Education and Training Resources

Biomolecular Engineering and Bioinformatics

The graduate research track in Biomolecular Engineering and Bioinformatics (BMEB) is inter-disciplinary and accepts students from a wide-variety of backgrounds. A typical cohort includes incoming students from molecular biology, genetics, computer science, engineering, and mathematics. The unifying theme of our research training program is using quantitative approaches to addressing fundamental questions in biology and biomedical science. BMEB track coursework is designed to provide the technical skills in programming and other technical skills required for independent and advanced scientific discovery.

The track builds upon UCSC's renowned presence in computational biology and genomics. Graduate students do their thesis training and research in the UC Santa Cruz environment, central hub of collection, aggregation and dissemination of genome-scale data through the UCSC Genome Browser. UC Santa Cruz is also home to unique genome facilities and resources including the UCSC Paleogenomics Lab, the Nanopore Group, the Institute for the Biology of Stem Cells, the Genomics Institute. The BMEB PhD program is supported through an NHGRI Training Grant in Genomic Sciences.

Core BMEB faculty are from the Department of Biomolecular Engineering while affiliated faculty are from many other departments. Their research groups are internationally recognized for their discoveries in genome technology, computational biology tool development, stem cell genomics, and computational methods for vaccine development.

Incoming BMEB students undertake rigorous core coursework, conduct laboratory rotations, and are exposed to a rich environment of regular seminars and group meetings. Students interact closely with BMEB faculty members while undertaking their dissertation research, and have first-hand access to state-of-the-art computation tools and lab facilities throughout their training, including cluster computing and high-throughput sequencing facilities. Students receive financial support throughout their graduate career, contingent upon remaining in good academic standing.

The UCSC BMEB program aims to prepare students for academic or industry careers in research in computational biology. Students become proficient in using computers and technology to address fundamental questions in biomedicine, evolutionary biology, population genetics, and genomics.

Year Program Established: before 1998
Scholarships/assistanceships may be available: Yes
Type of academic terms: Quarter

Average number of applicants per year: 100
Average number of applicants accepted per year: 30
Average number of incoming students per year: 10
Average number of graduates per year: 10

Program URL: https://pbse.ucsc.edu/bmeb/index.html

Contact Person: Theo-Alyce Gordon (thkgordo@ucsc.edu)