QCB Certificate Program Description
The program in Quantitative and Computational Biology is offered by the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, and its affiliated departments throughout Princeton University. It is designed for students with a strong interest in multi-disciplinary and systems-level approaches to understanding molecular, cellular, and organismal behavior. The curriculum introduces the students to experimental and analytic techniques for acquisition of large-scale quantitative observations, and the interpretation of such data in the context of appropriate models. Strong emphasis is placed on using global genome-wide measurements (e.g. microarray gene expression, sequence, phenotype) to understand physiological and evolutionary processes.
Examples of ongoing research include: organizational principles of metabolic networks, quantitative modeling of cell-biological processes, mapping the genetic basis of complex bacterial behavior, comparative genomics analysis of regulatory networks, the genetic basis of quantitative phenotypic variation, and genomic plasticity and mechanisms of phenotypic adaptation.
At the core of the curriculum is the Project Lab, a double course, taken during the fall of junior year, where students participate in the design, execution, and analysis of experiments. The required courses provide a strong background in modern methodologies in data analysis, interpretation, and modeling. Courses are chosen with the help of advisors in Molecular Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science, and other related departments. A certificate in Quantitative and Computational Biology is awarded to students who successfully complete the program requirements.
Students are admitted to the program after they have chosen a concentration and consulted with the Program Committee in May of their sophomore year. The Program Committee will also assist students in selecting a laboratory for their junior independent and thesis work. Admission requires the completion of prerequisites listed below. The course of study is structured upon department concentration, plus junior and senior independent work in genomics or quantitative and computational biology. Electives are chosen in consultation with the advisor.
Information about the graduate program in Quantitative and Computational Biology, which is distinct from this undergraduate program, can be found here.