Computational biology and biomedicine

The master's degree program in Computational Biology and Biomedicine follows a bachelor's degree in the same field, deepens the biological, mathematical and informational knowledge of students and enables them to further focus on one of two specializations. The first of the specializations is epidemiology and modeling focused on the explanation and modeling of factors related to characteristics and behavior of individuals, populations, and communities, and on modeling based on data from biomedical and environmental sciences. The second specialization is biomedical bioinformatics focused on the analysis of complex genomic and proteomic data.

During the study course, students will extend their theoretical knowledge and application skills concerning, in particular, the computational aspects of mathematical methods, analytical procedures and algorithmization used in the analysis of biological and clinical data. Within both specializations, practical sessions and diploma theses are focused on application of methods in solving specific problems and projects. Students’ collaboration on projects and the systematic education in research techniques and analysis of biological and clinical data using modern methods will prepare students for independent research and professional work as data analyst or data scientist.

While other universities focus on the education and training of engineers (FEEC VUT in Brno, FBMI CTU), which are applicable mainly to the positions of non-medical health care professionals, Computational Biology and Biomedicine study program produces graduates able to use their knowledge of natural sciences, and targeting professions not only in health care, but also in the academic sector, the public sector and the pharmaceutical industry. The Biomedical Bioinformatics specialization answers the urgent need for experts that would be able to analyze data from omics technologies in basic and applied research in biology and medicine. In comparison to similar study programs at Masaryk University or other Czech Universities, our specialization is not oriented at structural bioinformatics or pure algorithmic approaches. In contrast, our specialization, being part of the Computational Biology and Biomedicine study program, offers an interdisciplinary education in five basic fields – biology, chemistry, (bio)informatics, mathematics and statistics, with a special accent on complex analysis of data from omics technologies. The study plan follows the bioinformatics curriculum as recommended by the Educational Committee of International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB) (Welch et al., 2014, PLoS Comput Biol. Mar 6;10(3):e1003496).

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• describe the types of relationships between individual and/or population characteristics of interest and mechanisms for their assessment;
• explain advanced methodological principles of bioinformatics processing of high- throughput molecular experiments in biomedicine;
• explain both fundamental and advanced theoretical and methodological principles in mathematics, statistics and data science;
• solve given problem concerning biological and medical data and design the experiment according to primary hypothesis of the study;
• select appropriate mathematical, statistical or analytical methods to solve the given problem, or propose and implement their modification if necessary;
• use stochastic methods for evaluation, modeling and prediction of causality and other relationships between phenomena in biology and medicine;
• choose and apply software tools for the selected mathematical or analytical methods and algorithms under specified conditions and data characteristics;
• design methods and create algorithms for data management and data analysis;
• formulate and present in both written and oral form conclusions of a particular solution to the given problem;
• formulate hypotheses for further research based on the results of data analysis.

The master's degree program is designed to provide fundamental and advanced knowledge in the fields of biology, mathematics and computer science. Students are encouraged to independently solve analytical tasks in epidemiology, population modeling or bioinformatics, including methodological and software development, as well as interpretation and publication of results. Therefore, graduates of the program may find a job in the academic sector (Czech and foreign universities, clinical research centers, the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic) or in public and private sectors, especially in the health care (public or private hospitals), pharmaceutical and life sciences industry (e.g. in pharmaceutical companies and contract research organizations), in the field of environmental protection, and also in marketing research.

Practical training is not an obligatory part of the study program.

The aim of the master’s thesis is to get oriented in the particular research area, to demonstrate the ability to elaborate a written work on a given topic, to clearly explain the relevant background and to put the results and conclusions into context of the published literature. The work contains literature review on the given topic as well as a practical part. The ratio of these two parts may vary depending on the research topic, however both parts must be included. The student should select, introduce and apply the chosen method or algorithm, while understanding its mathematical principles at the appropriate level. The work usually consists of chapters including introduction to the problem, description of methods of data management and analysis, results, their evaluation and interpretation with regard to the suitability and limitations of the applied methodology. Discussion of the results in context of the information presented in the introduction as well as the conclusion with a summary of the most important findings are obligatory parts of the thesis.

The minimum size of master's thesis is 50 pages, the recommended range is 50 to 70 pages according to the given topic of interest. The compulsory parts of the work are governed by the respective faculty legislation (Dean's Act No.5/2014).

After completion of the master's degree, the student can continue in doctoral studies in any PhD program (after satisfying the admission requirements), e.g. at the Faculty of Science or the Faculty of Medicine of MU.

Graduates can also proceed in the field of Computational Biology and Biomedicine with acquiring the academic degree "Rerum Naturalium Doctor" (abbreviated as "RNDr." before the name). The state examination includes oral defense of the Rigorous thesis and oral exams in biology, mathematics and computer science.