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Computational Biology and Neuroscience Research Faculty in the School of Computer Science are engaged in a wide range of cross-disciplinary research activity in computational biology and computational neuroscience. Some of the work is connected with several joint interdisciplinary Centers between Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh: | |||||||||||||||
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Computational Neuroscience
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James McClelland Dave Touretzky David Plaut Tai Sing Lee Michael Lewicki Tom Mitchell Manuel Blum John Anderson Herb Simon |
Computational Molecular Biology
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Michael Erdmann R. Ravi Andrew Moore Jaime Carbonell Tom Mitchell Raul Valdes-Perez Mark Perlin |
Faculty in allied departments at Carnegie Mellon who are using computational and mathematical approaches to study related biological and neuroscience problems include:
Computational Neuroscience
SynopsisComputational neuroscience, the computatioal study of brain function, has a very strong tradition at Carnegie Mellon. Allen Newell and Herb Simon's ground-breaking work in symbolic artificial intelligence, James McClelland and Geoff Hinton's pioneering work on neural networks and parallel distributed processing are both attempts to understand human intelligence and cognition. Both are grounded in a synergistic marriage between computer science and psychology. The newer generation of CS faculty, fostered by the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, are exploring the use of physiological techniques (electrophysiological and functional imaging) and statistical learning theories to connect the computational study of brain function to neural processes in the brain. The current missions are: (1) to bridge the three generations of computational neuroscience approaches: symbolic processing, parallel distributed processing and statistical learning theories, (2) to bridge the different levels of understanding of brain functions: from genes and molecules, to synapses and neurons, to systems, cognition and behaviors, (3) and to build a new generation of adaptive computers.
Training Programs in SCS
Ph.D. students in the School of Computer Science can engage in computational neuroscience research and study either through the CS-CNBC specialization in the Department of Computer Science or the CNBC track within the Robotics program. Students will be considered for admission to the SCS-CNBC programs only after they are admitted to the CS program or the Robotics program either in the same year or after they have enrolled in the SCS programs.
There is no formal undergraduate CS track in computational neuroscience at present. Undergraduate students can take related courses as elective CS credits.
CNBC offers a NSF sponsored national undergraduate CNBC summer program. 10-12 selected students attend each year.
Courses : CNBC Courses
Computational Molecular Biology
SynopsisComputational Biology is a fast growing field that couples computer science and biology. It includes research in gene sequencing, protein folding, functional genomics and bioinformatics. Two major foci of research and training in computational molecular biology at CMU are the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center and the Department of Biology . A new Merck Computational Biology and Chemistry Program administered by the Mellon Collge of Science of Carnegie Mellon provides undergraduate and graduate fellowships to computer science students to engage in cross-disciplinary computational biology and chemistry research. SCS faculty, particularly the faculty in the Center for Automtic Learning and Discovery, are interested in applying machine learning and data-mining techniques to study computational biological problems.
Training Programs in SCS
Ph.D. students in the Department of Computer Science can engage in computational biology research and study under a SCS faculty in collaboration with faculty in allied departments in the Mellon Collge of Science. There is no formal SCS program in computational biology at present. Undergraduate and graduate SCS students are eligible for the Merck fellowship in Computational Biology and Chemistry in the Mellon Collge of Science. CS undergraduate students can double major in biology.
There is also a BS in Biological Science/Computer Science track administered by the Mellon College of Science.
The Department of Biological Sciences also offers a national undergraduate summer program sponsored by NSF, Howard Huges Medical Institute, Beckman Institute and Merck Company Foundation.
Courses : Department of Biology Courses