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About BCB

A Diverse Program for Meeting Diverse Challenges

Bioinformatics & Computational Biology (BCB) students benefit from a truly interdisciplinary program of study—rather than merely a concentration within a traditional biology program. Recognizing both the direction in which the field is evolving—and where the most critical needs will be for scientists, mathematicians, and engineers—WPI in 2010 became one of the very few universities to offer such a program.

BCB comprises three affiliated academic departments—Biology, Computer Science, and Mathematics—and provides opportunities for advanced course work and research for highly qualified students. So when our graduates enter the working world or pursue further study, they are fully capable of speaking the language of all these disciplines and will have an expertise in at least one.

BCB faculty members provide students with the resources to perform innovative scientific research. The diverse learning environment that characterizes BCB promotes easy exchange of ideas, access to all the necessary resources and encourages creative solutions to pressing scientific questions.

See Also

Faculty Profile

Name: Matthew Ward
Department: Computer Science
Title: Professor

Ward, the director for the Bioinformatics and Computational Biology programs, focuses his research in the area of information visualization-communicating information in a visual way.

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Faculty Profile

Name: Emmanuel O. Agu
Department: Computer Science
Title: Associate Professor

Professor Agu is currently working on an NSF research project that will design and develop a mobile application for advanced diabetes and wound care management for users with foot ulcers.

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Faculty Profile

Name: Joseph B. Duffy
Department: Biology & Biotechnology
Title: Associate Professor/Interim Department Head

Duffy joined WPI in 2006. He was lead author of the paper “Kekkon5 is an extracellular regulator of BMP signaling," published in the journal Developmental Biology.

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Faculty Profile

Name: Mohamed Eltabakh
Department: Computer Science
Title: Assistant Professor

Professor Eltabakh’s work is in the areas of query processing and optimization, indexing techniques, scientific data management, and large-scale data analytics.

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Faculty Profile

Name: Bob Kinicki
Department: Computer Science
Title: Professor

Professor Kinicki’s teaching is focused on computer networking, and he finds it rewarding to prepare students to handle the complexities of modern computer networking.

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Faculty Profile

Name: William Martin
Department: Mathematical Sciences
Title: Professor

Professor Martin was recently awarded a grant to investigate problems in algebraic combinatorics with applications in digital communications and quantum information theory.

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Faculty Profile

Name: Sarah D. Olson
Department: Mathematical Sciences
Title: Assistant Professor

Professor Olson enjoys teaching all courses fundamental to applied mathematics, scientific computing, and modeling, as well as mentoring students at all levels.

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Faculty Profile

Name: Samuel M. Politz
Department: Biology & Biotechnology
Title: Associate Professor

Politz worked with assistant professor Reeta Prusty Rao to develop a model system to study fungal infections. It can be used to screen potential drug targets for hard-to-treat conditions.

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Faculty Profile

Name: Reeta Prusty Rao
Department: Biology & Biotechnology
Title: Assistant Professor/Graduate Program Coordinator

Prusty Rao worked with Politz to develop a model system to study fungal infections. This system can screen potential drug targets for hard-to-treat conditions.

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Faculty Profile

Name: Carolina Ruiz
Department: Computer Science
Title: Associate Professor

Professor Ruiz investigates and develops data mining algorithms for genomics and for clinical medicine. She is an active member of WPI’s bioinformatics and computational biology program.

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Faculty Profile

Name: Elke Rundensteiner
Department: Computer Science
Title: Professor

Rundensteiner, who won the 2010 Chairman’s Exemplary Faculty Prize, works on managing and processing continuously streaming data, her efforts are redefining data management.

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Faculty Profile

Name: Elizabeth F. Ryder
Department: Biology & Biotechnology
Title: Associate Professor

In March 2010, Ryder received a three-year, $228,000 NIH award to study how nerve cells develop from a fertilized egg and then begin forming an organism’s nervous system.

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Faculty Profile

Name: Brigitte Servatius
Department: Mathematical Sciences
Title: Professor

Professor Servatius appreciates any and all questions her students ask. She believes every question is worth asking and investigating, and WPI encourages this innovative way of thinking.

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Faculty Profile

Name: Dalin Tang
Department: Mathematical Sciences
Title: Professor

Highlighted by the NIH, Tang leads the research group developing diagnostic tools to help identify plaques at risk of rupture, the leading cause of heart attacks and stroke.

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Faculty Profile

Name: Luis Vidali
Department: Biology & Biotechnology
Title: Assistant Professor

Vidali joined WPI in 2009. His research, which garnered a major award from the National Science Foundation, focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying plant cell growth.

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Faculty Profile

Name: Zheyang Wu
Department: Mathematical Sciences
Title: Assistant Professor

Professor Wu's research interest lies in applying the power of statistical science to promote biomedical researches.

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