Introduction to Computational Biology

Course Code

BIOS 11141 97

Course Description

What can a person’s genome reveal? Could it predict the diseases they may develop? Modern biology produces vast amounts of data, and analyzing this data requires mathematical and computational approaches.

The first part of the course is devoted to biological information and the models and computational techniques used to make sense of it. Major advances in understanding how life works at the molecular level have revolutionized biology. The interactions of large molecules (macromolecules) produce functioning organelles and cells, and molecular mishaps lead to disease.

The second part of the class is devoted to the structure and function of macromolecules and the computational models to visualize and quantify the properties of these molecules. Students will learn how to apply cutting-edge high performance computation to analyze biological adat. The primary assessment in this course centers around a final project. Students will use our in-house supercomputer to process and analyze genomics data with a specific focus on identifying variants relevant to disease. The culmination of the course will involve writing a report on their findings and analyses.

Course Criteria

Instructor(s)

Esmael Jafari Haddadian

¹ UChicago students can self-register.

² Visiting students and pre-college students apply through the same application.