A.B. or Sc.B Computational Biology

The Computational Biology A.B./Sc.B. at Brown University gives students the opportunity to put their knowledge of biology, computer science, mathematics, and statistics into practice through research and computational projects. Students can work with faculty on research, complete a substantial senior project, and use Brown's interdisciplinary research environment to explore real problems in areas such as genomics, molecular biology, health, and biological data analysis. The Center for Computational Molecular Biology (CCMB) provides a dedicated environment where computational and quantitative approaches are applied to biological and medical research.

Students can gain practical experience through a range of research, computational, and collaborative opportunities:

• Senior Research Capstone: Students complete a senior research project under faculty supervision. They can undertake reading and research through courses such as BIOL 1950/1960, CSCI 1970, or APMA 1970, or choose an advanced Computational Biology course with a substantial research component.

• Computational Biology Research: Through the Center for Computational Molecular Biology (CCMB), students can experience an interdisciplinary research environment focused on using computational, mathematical, and statistical approaches to investigate biological and medical questions.

• Programming and Data Analysis: Students develop practical computational skills through courses such as CSCI 1420 Machine Learning, CSCI 1470 Deep Learning, CSCI 1820 Algorithmic Foundations of Computational Biology, STAT 1510 Principles of Biostatistics and Data Analysis, and STAT 1560 Using R for Data Analysis.

• Genomics and Molecular Biology: Courses such as APMA 1080 Inference in Genomics and Molecular Biology and CSCI 1810 Computational Molecular Biology give students opportunities to apply computational and statistical techniques to genomic and molecular datasets.

• Research Internships: Computational Biology students can explore summer research and internship opportunities, including programmes such as the Broad Institute Summer Research Program, Brown SR-EIP, and Allen Institute ASPIRE.

• Interdisciplinary Research: Students can connect their studies with research in areas such as Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, Biology, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry, giving them opportunities to approach biological questions from different perspectives.

• Dedicated Research Centre: The Center for Computational Molecular Biology provides a specialised academic and research environment at Brown for computational biology. Students interested in research can benefit from being part of a community focused on computational approaches to biology and medicine.

• Research Centres and Institutes: Students can explore research connected to organisations such as the Center for Biomedical Informatics, Center for Computational Molecular Biology, Carney Institute for Brain Science, Center for Biomedical Engineering, and COBRE Center for Computation Biology of Human Disease.

• Student Collaboration: The Computational Biology Departmental Undergraduate Group (Comp Bio DUG) brings together students interested in computational biology, computer science, biology, applied mathematics, and medicine through academic and social activities.

• Biomedical Research Facilities: Brown's BioMed Core Facilities provide access to advanced research instrumentation, technologies, and specialist expertise, supporting biomedical research across the university.

The Computational Biology A.B./Sc.B. at Brown University prepares students for careers that bring together biology, computing, mathematics, statistics, and data analysis. Graduates can explore opportunities in computational biology, bioinformatics, biotechnology, healthcare, technology, and scientific research, while the program's strong research focus also provides a solid foundation for postgraduate study.

Typical career options include Computational Biologist, Bioinformatics Analyst, Research Scientist, and Biological Data Analyst. Students can also move into research assistant, clinical research, data analysis, and other technology- and science-focused roles.

Brown provides several resources and opportunities that can help students turn their academic experience into career and further-study opportunities:

• Career support: Brown's Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Center for Career Exploration provides career advising, workshops, industry experts, career resources, and connections through Brown's alumni network. Students can also use career exploration resources to research internships, jobs, industries, and professional opportunities.

• Strong graduate outcomes: Brown reports that 96% of graduating seniors went immediately into employment opportunities or graduate or professional school in 2021. The university also reports that 88% of undergraduate alumni surveyed 10 years after graduation say Brown prepared them for their current career, showing the long-term value of a Brown education.

• Science and technology opportunities: Brown reports that nearly 10% of graduates move directly into science and engineering careers, while nearly 15% enter technology-related employment. These pathways are particularly relevant to Computational Biology students because of their training in programming, data analysis, biological science, mathematics, and statistics.

• Industry exposure: Brown's career resources connect students with employers and professional opportunities. The university's career pathway data includes 251 different employers on campus, giving students opportunities to explore careers and build professional connections.

• Research-to-career pathways: Brown's Computational Biology graduates have progressed into both industry and advanced research. Recent graduates have moved into computational biology positions as well as Ph.D. programmes in areas such as Bioinformatics and Integrative Genomics, Computational Biology, and Computational Biology and Biomedical Informatics.

• Salary information: Brown does not publish a program-specific average starting salary for Computational Biology on its official pages. For accurate database information, the salary should therefore be recorded as Not Published rather than using a general salary figure from another subject or external source.

• Long-term degree value: Brown identifies Computational Biology as STEM eligible, which can be valuable for students planning long-term careers or further education in STEM-related fields. The program is not an engineering degree, so it should not be described as ABET accredited.

• Graduation and research experience: Students complete a senior capstone involving research under faculty supervision. This gives graduates the opportunity to demonstrate independent research, problem-solving, computational, and scientific skills when applying for jobs, research positions, or postgraduate programmes.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the A.B. or Sc.B., students can continue into master's or doctoral programmes in areas such as Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, Biomedical Informatics, Biological Sciences, Computer Science, Data Science, Genomics, and related life-science fields. The research experience gained during the degree can provide a strong foundation for students who want to pursue Ph.D. study or specialised research careers.