Master's programme in bioinformatics
Bioinformatics is a new discipline that focuses on developing models, methods and tools of computation for applications in bio-science and medicine. As the research in bio-sciences progresses from studying individual genes to system biology and the body of empirical data constantly grows, the need for bioinformatics experts also increases.
In 2006, the master's degree programme in bioinformatics, MBI, was launched in a collaboration between the University of Helsinki and Helsinki University of Technology. In addition to the Department of Computer Science, other UH partners in the programme include the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the Kumpula campus, the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and the Department of Applied Biology at the Viikki campus, and the Institute of Biomedicine at Meilahti.
The Master's programme in bioinformatics educates high-end professionals for research and development of computational and statistical methods in biology and medicine. The programme also offers an excellent basis for advanced studies in bioinformatics and related method sciences.
The programme partners belong to internationally renowned research groups in the field of bioinformatics, including three of the Finnish Academy 's Centres of Excellence, one of which is the FDK unit at the Department of Computer Science.
Undergraduates in the MBI programme can specialise in such fields as bio-sequence analysis, bio-data mining, gene location, prediction of gene activity, computational system biology, and population dynamics and evolution.
In spring 2006, 12 undergraduates were elected into the programme through separate application. The first international application to the programme will be held in spring 2007.
Contact person: Professor Juho Rousu
Master's programme in bioinformatics: http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/bioinformatiikka/mbi
Helsinki University webpage on bioinformatics: http://www.helsinki.fi/bioinfo/