With the advent of multiple genome sequences, biological research has become much more quantitative, using tools from physical, mathematical, and computational sciences to generate and analyze large-scale datasets in an attempt to understand the behavior of biological systems. The highly interdisciplinary field of bioinformatics has developed around these new approaches.

The mission of the Institute of Bioinformatics is to educate and train graduate students in bioinformatics research and its applications, so that they can attain mastery and leadership in this new interdisciplinary field. Graduate students pursue research-oriented programs of study leading to a degree or certificate. The Institute offers three options:

• Ph.D. degree in bioinformatics
• M.S. degree in bioinformatics(with thesis and non-thesis options), and
• Graduate certificate in bioinformatics

Students matriculating in this program will be directed and mentored by faculty members from multiple departments and disciplines. The bioinformatics graduate program consists of faculty members whose research interests cover a wide spectrum of bioinformatics research in the areas of microbial, fungal, plant, and animal genomics, structural genomics, biomedical (e.g., cancer) genomics, glycogenomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, and pharmacological informatics, using computational, statistical, and experimental technologies. Students should refer to the detailed research descriptions of the faculty members in the Institute of Bioinformatics.

Applications for Admission to the Bioinformatics Program

The candidates for the graduate program must apply to the Graduate School and meet its admission criteria. Admissions decisions for qualified applicants will be made by the Graduate Admission Committee of the IOB. Successful applicants will be expected to have mastered one or more of the disciplines that serve as a foundation for bioinformatics research, including the biological, mathematical, computational, and physical sciences and engineering. Mastery will be demonstrated by coursework equivalent to an undergraduate major in at least one such area.

To apply, the applicants should send the following information to

The Graduate School Admission Office
320 E. Clayton Street, Suite 400
Athens, Georgia 30602-4401
U.S.A.

• Completed graduate application form (Online)
• Official transcripts from the attended colleges
• GRE test scores
• Application fee
• TOEFL test scores (for international students)

Detailed graduate admissions information may be found at Graduate School Admissions. In addition, the applicants should request that three letters of recommendation be sent to

Graduate Coordinator
Institute of Bioinformatics
B118 Life Science Building
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia 30602-7229
U.S.A.

Applicants should also mail the following documents to the above address:

• a personal statement describing the student's interest in bioinformatics, and
• curriculum vitae

The deadline for receipt of admission materials for Fall Semester is January 1 for both the M.S. and Ph.D. programs. Applications for Graduate School competition based awards for fall semester is December 1. We will not accept spring applications after Spring of 2010.

While in the program, students will fulfill all the requirements of the Graduate School for the graduate degree. Student progress in the program will be monitored by the Graduate Coordinator and the IOB Graduate Affairs Committee. Upon arrival at the university, students will be assigned a curriculum advisor for guidance and mentoring. Because this program is interdisciplinary, students will be required to take prerequisite courses in areas where they do not have the necessary background. Students will select their major professor and establish an advisory committee by the end of their first year in the program.

The advisory committee will meet with the students no less than once a year and will be responsible for mentoring the student's research and training, approving the student's program of study, administering the written and oral comprehensive examination, approving the subject for the dissertation, approving the completed dissertation, and approving the student's defense of his or her research.

Ph.D. students will take a comprehensive examination at the beginning of their third year under the supervision of the major professor, following the Graduate School guidelines. Successful candidates for the PhD degrees will then typically concentrate on their research projects. After completing their research, they will write a dissertation and defend it at a final oral examination.

M.S. students with the thesis option are required to conduct a research project and to write a thesis based on it. An oral exam will be conducted by the advisory committee during which the student will defend his/her thesis. For the non-thesis option, the student will prepare a technical report on a research project in bioinformatics under the direction of a designated member of the IOB faculty. The technical report must be approved by a committee including the project director.

All students will receive training and experience in written and oral communication skills and training in the responsible conduct of research.

The details of the graduate program can be found in the Bioinformatics Graduate Student Handbook

Graduate Assistantships

Each year, a number of graduate research and teaching assistantships from the IOB will be available to the new Ph.D. students admitted to the Bioinformatics Graduate Program. Such assistantships are usually only available for students entering in the fall semester but individual faculty members may offer assistantships in either of the semesters. Students applying for the assistantships should send a brief letter of interest to the Graduate Coordinator and may include additional credentials of academic and/or industrial experience to support their application.

GRADUATE RECRUITMENT OPPORTUNITIES (GRO) ASSISTANTSHIP: The Graduate School's Office of Recruitment and Retention (ORR) has developed a new program called the Graduate Recruitment Opportunity (GRO) Assistantship. This Program is designed to be inclusive such that any entering graduate student who is considered first generation, educationally or economically disadvantaged, or has some aspects of a uniquely diverse background to add to their discipline of study may be nominated from graduate programs at The University of Georgia. If your application is approved and you wish to be considered for this Assistantship, please email sharon49@uga.edu. (Applicants must write an ADDITIONAL one-page essay explaining why they qualify for this assistantship and submit it with this application.)