The Master of Science in Quantitative and Computational Biology (QCB) is a multidisciplinary degree that formally integrates quantitative sciences and applied biology, thanks to the involvement of the following organizations at the University of Trento:
CIBIO, Centre for Integrative Biology
Department of Physics
Department of Mathematics
Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science
The course focuses on a strategic area where technology and methodology enable students to face essential questions at the interface between fundamental research and clinical and pre-clinical areas, through analytical and quantitative approaches.
The course is designed to capture the increasing need for researchers and experts able to transform the enormous amount of biological information ('big data') into knowledge and to gain quantitative insight into the behaviour of biological systems by means of bio-mathematical and bio-physical models.
Key target areas include pharmacogenomics, biotechnology, food science, and precision medicine, which represent applied research fields where the growing availability of multidimensional data demands high interdisciplinarity.
The QCB course is designed to train experts in biotechnology, computational biology, bioinformatics and biological data and systems biology analysis, who will have the opportunity to learn in a multidisciplinary context, interacting with students with different experiences. Strong emphasis will be given to quantitative and computational aspects, with a focus on tools to analyze, model and understand biological systems and phenomena.