New Computational Biology Track Added to PhD Graduate Program

A new PhD track is being added to the Walter S. and Lucienne Driskill Graduate Program in Life Sciences (DGP) for the 2026 application cycle, to enhance student learning and build community around computational biology and bioinformatics at Feinberg.

The computational biology and bioinformatics (CBB) track in the graduate program will prepare students through coursework and lectures to use modern computational approaches, including machine learning and artificial intelligence, to extract biological insight from large-scale datasets to address complex biological problems.

Feng Yue, PhD, the Duane and Susan Burnham Professor of Molecular Medicine and founding director of the Center for Cancer Genomics at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, is an internationally known computational biologist who has played a critical role in developing this new opportunity for DGP students. He said that this new track will prepare students for the challenges of modern biology, which is data driven and requires sequencing and use of technological tools.

Yue is also the director of the Center for Advanced Molecular Analysis, part of the Institute for Augmented Intelligence in Medicine and a professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics and of Pathology. He said this new track is a community effort and will rely on various faculty to contribute to teaching, but will also become a hub for trainees, staff and faculty across departments through lectures and workshops.

“There is a tremendous amount of public data available, however, the ability to leverage these resources to generate novel hypotheses and address complex biological questions represents a major opportunity for our students and for our broader community,” Yue said.

Examining thousands of genomic datasets to identify novel druggable targets in patients, integrating clinical imaging with DNA sequencing data, and mapping how proteins and DNA interact to drive disease pathogenesis are some examples of how bioinformatics and computational modeling can be applied to complex health concerns.  

“In the era of artificial intelligence, domain knowledge is more important than ever,” said Yue. “Sure, AI can greatly help with data analysis, but we need to understand and validate the methodologies that leads to those results. A key challenge is to learn how to ask the right questions and design appropriate inputs for AI tools, so that the results are accurate, interpretable, and biologically meaningful.”

Dan Foltz, PhD, director of the DGP and professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, said the new track is important and will allow students to receive enhanced training to be competitive in both academic and private sectors.

“Bioinformatics has moved from a niche field to being an integral part of almost every aspect of biomedical research,” said Foltz, who is also a member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University and the Simpson Querrey Institute for Epigenetics.

This addition to the PhD program represents a strategic advancement that reinforces the program’s commitment to comprehensive, interdisciplinary training in life sciences, Foltz said.

“Dr. Yue has been an influential leader within the DGP, spearheading the development of core bioinformatics curricula,” Foltz said. “We are pleased to partner with Dr. Yue in establishing the DGP bioinformatics track and look forward to engaging the broader DGP community as this initiative advances.”

The Walter S. and Lucienne Driskill Graduate Program in Life Sciences is a comprehensive, interdisciplinary PhD program that trains students in biomedical sciences while giving them the flexibility to pursue a variety of research interests, dual degrees and specialized tracks.