Joshua Weitz, Director, Quantitative Biosciences Graduate Program along with School of Biology Program Committee Members Patrick McGrath and Soojin Yi.
The Georgia Institute of Technology announces a new doctoral program that brings the physical, mathematical, and biological sciences together in one Ph.D. The Quantitative Biosciences Graduate Program (QBioS) is now accepting applications from students who want to enter a rapidly emerging field working at the leading edge of research that spans biological scales from molecules to organisms to ecosystems.
The mission of the program is to educate students and advance research in quantitative biosciences, enabling the discovery of scientific principles underlying the dynamics, structure, and function of living systems. "This combination is what is needed from the next generation of scientists if we are to understand principles of living systems and, in turn, tackle global-scale challenges," said QBioS Director Joshua Weitz, associate professor in the School of Biology, courtesy associate professor in the School of Physics, and a member of the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience.
Broadly, QBioS is targeted to two kinds of students: those trained in the physical, mathematical, and computational sciences who have interest in the biosciences and those with experience in the biosciences who have skills in quantitative modeling. "We want all of the QBioS students to develop a strong modeling core and an impassioned understanding for how living systems function,” Weitz said. “QBioS is the kind of training program that serves the increasingly quantitative nature of the biosciences and will be exemplified by the high-quality students who enter this program. QBioS faculty are already engaged in interface research and ready to serve as mentors." The QBioS founding consortium includes more than 40 faculty members from seven schools in the College of Sciences. The diversity of faculty interests is evidenced by their research accomplishments in a range of focus areas including molecular and cellular biosciences, the chemistry of biological systems, physiology and behavior, evolutionary biology, ecology and Earth systems, and the physics of living systems. Graduates of the QBioS program will be prepared for fulfilling careers in academia, government, and industry. Students will have had immersive research experiences in the biosciences, yet also possess the deep technical skills necessary to confront foundational and applied problems, according to Weitz. Students will combine classroom learning with research experiences. The flexible program will include a foundations course in quantitative biosciences, rigorous and personalized quantitative training, research seminars and interactions with faculty, and rotations in computational and/or experimental groups, culminating in a capstone thesis.
Learn more about the program at www.qbios.gatech.edu.
