COMPARATIVE GENOMICS

Graduate Education at the University of Arizona supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation
program for Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeships (IGERT)

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Research in the biological sciences has changed dramatically in the last decade. The first complete sequence of a free-living organism (Haemophilus influenzae) was published in 1995, followed by the complete sequence of the human genome in 2001. Genome sequences have allowed biologists to shift their focus from studies of individual genes to those involving the functions and interactions of multiple genes, or even the complete genetic information of an organism. The new fields of comparative and functional genomics are having a profound impact on agriculture, medicine, and engineering, and are providing insights into the relationships among living organisms and the origins of biological innovation and complexity.

The University of Arizona is ideally suited to train students in genomics, with a large, strong and diverse faculty in the biological and computational sciences. IGERT fellows must be admitted to a Ph.D. program at the University of Arizona and work in functional, evolutionary or computational genomics. Fellowship support is only provided to United States citizens or permanent residents and includes a competitive annual stipend, out-of-state tuition, health insurance, travel allowance, and research funds.

This program involves multiple interdisciplinary activities, including a lecture and laboratory course integrating evolutionary, functional, and computational aspects of genomics, a research course focusing on problems in genomics, teaching and outreach, biweekly discussion groups, interdisciplinary internship projects, and visiting scientists with expertise in diverse aspects of genomics.


PROGRAM DESCRIPTION & REQUIREMENTS

COURSES

FACILITIES