Bioinformatics Option

With modern technology generating terabytes of biological data per day for medical, agricultural, and other biological fields, bioinformatics skills are in growing demand. The Bioinformatics Option prepares students with hands-on training to develop quantitative and programming skills for analysis of diverse data types.

The option is suited for students interested in professional or academic careers in bioinformatics, comparative genomics, proteomics, molecular modeling, and biological database analysis and management.

Courses You'll Take

Take a core of basic courses in biology alongside training in computational analysis of large biological datasets. 

Sample courses include: 

• Data Science for Biologists
• Bioinformatic Tools for Sequence Analysis
• Genomics
• Advanced Genetic Analysis

Internships

Gain valuable skills through a co-op internship at local companies. Past students have received internships at companies such as:

• Bristol Myers Squibb 
• Genomic Expression Inc.

Undergraduate Research in Bioinformatics

Earn course credit for research in faculty labs in place of upper-level electives. To learn about research opportunities, contact biology faculty active in bioinformatics research, including: 

• Frederic Chain, Ph.D. (Genome Evolution)
• Hwai-Chen Guo, Ph.D. (Structural Bioinformatics)
• Rachel Melamed, Ph.D. (Cancer genomics, Biomedical Informatics)
• Jessica Garb, Ph.D. (Genomics and Evolution)

Career Options

Bioinformatics is a growing sector in the life sciences, particularly in the Boston/Cambridge area. The high density of research institutions, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and biotechnology companies has increasing demands for big data analytics skills. 

Our graduates have transitioned to bioinformatics jobs in diverse organizations, including:  

• Bristol Myers Squibb
• Harvard University
• BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc.
• Boston University Center for Regenerative Medicine
• Embark