The school cooperates with Keck Graduate Institue of Applied Life Sciences to offer this joint Ph.D. program.

Computational and systems biology are developing fields of endeavor that aim to understand biological systems through mathematical analysis, numerical simulation, data collection, refinement and improvement of models based on comparison with experimental data, and the development of theories to enhance our understanding of biological systems. Fields of modern genetics (including genomics and proteomics) and molecular and cell biology are the current focus of research in systems biology. Myriad computational tools including deterministic and stochastic modeling,Monte Carlo simulations, datamining, and data analysis are needed in approaching these problems. Applied mathematical topics including nonlinear dynamical systems (discrete and continuous), partial differential equations, probability and statistics, linear algebra, network theory, numerical analysis, control theory, asymptotic and perturbation methods provide some of the fundamental tools needed to carry out the requisite modeling and analysis.

The joint doctoral program in computational and systems biology will train scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and/or quantitative biologists via a combination of coursework, independent study, optional laboratory rotations, and individual mentoring that provides a strong grounding in modern biology and genomics as well as in mathematical methods needed for modeling and computational work.