Quantitative Bioscience at the University of Tennessee
Pathways to Graduate Study
Associated Faculty Success Stories
UT offers multiple routes for graduate study in the quantitative biosciences to meet the diverse needs of those with varying interests and backgrounds. The following are options for developing your graduate program in quantitative bioscience. For each of these, applications are required through UT's Graduate School. We encourage all interested applicants to contact particular faculty whose areas of research are of interest to you. Whatever graduate program you choose, our objective is to tailor our mentoring to your specific career goals, whether these are academia, industry, non-governmental organizations or government. Graduate support through research and teaching assistantships are offered by each of the following programs. Knoxville is one of the most affordable and culturally-diverse regions in the US. Our students find that the financial support offered allows them to fully participate in the life of the campus and region.
Division of Biology
The Division of Biology offers both the M.S. and Ph.D in the following three programs:
-
Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology
Contact: Hong Guo, Head of Graduate Admissions, hguo1@utk.edu -
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
Contact: Jim Fordyce, Chair of the Graduate Admissions Committee, jfordyce@utk.edu -
Microbiology
Contact: Steven Wilhelm, Associate Head and Graduate Director, wilhelm@utk.edu
Each of these graduate programs include faculty with quantitative bioscience expertise and interest in mentoring students with interdisciplinary interests across the life sciences and quantitative fields. For more information about UT's Biology Graduate Programs, click here.
Department of Mathematics
The
Department of Mathematics offers a traditional MS degree, with an
optional
M.S.
concentration in applied mathematics. Both a thesis and a
non-thesis option are available to MS candidates. The program
requires 30 hours of graduate coursework, and it is normally possible
to finish the degree in two years, possibly including summer courses.
Many students earn an MS as they make progress towards a PhD.
The department includes one of the world's largest concentrations of faculty with research interests at the interface of mathematics and biology. These faculty have extensive experience mentoring students pursuing degrees in math focused on biological applications.
Contact:
Suzanne Lenhart, Chancellor's Professor of Mathematics,
slenhart@tennessee.edu
UT-ORNL Graduate School of Genome Science and Technology (GST)
The
UT-ORNL Graduate School of Genome Science and Technology (GST) is a
Ph.D. program jointly operated by more than 60 scientists at the Oak
Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
A part of the Division of Biology, the program emphasizes research training at the intersection of wet-lab (experimental) and dry-lab (computational) science. Students work in diverse areas of the quantitative biosciences including bioinformatics, mathematical modeling, biostatistics, genomics, and computational structural biochemistry.
Contact: Albrecht von Arnim, Professor and GST Program Director,
vonarnim@utk.edu
Tickle College of Engineering
The Tickle College of Engineering offers several departments with Ph.D. programs at the interface of biological science and engineering. These include chemical and biomolecular engineering; civil and environmental engineering; mechanical, aerospace and biomedical engineering; and biosystems engineering. Biosystems engineering degrees are offered through a collaboration between the Tickle College of Engineering and the Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. For more information, contact cbegrad@utk.edu (chemical and biomolecular engineering); cee@utk.edu (civil and environmental engineering); mabeinfo@utk.edu (mechanical, aerospace and biomedical engineering) and bess@utk.edu (biosystem engineering).
Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education
The Bredesen Center seeks to create opportunities for exceptional students to engage in interdisciplinary research and education with particular emphasis on connections to research being carried out at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Doctoral degrees are offered in the following areas:
-
Data Science and Engineering (DSE)
Contact: Russell Zaretzki, DSE Program Director and Associate Professor of Business Analytics and Statistics, rzaretzk@utk.edu -
Energy Science and Engineering (ESE)
Contact: Suresh Babu, ESE Program Director and Governor's Chair in Advanced Manufacturing, sbabu@utk.edu
Institute of Agriculture
UT's Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) offers a number of master's and Ph.D programs in quantitative bioscience fields. In UTIA's Herbert College of Agriculture, the following departments offer degrees:
-
Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science.
The department offers master's and doctoral degrees in Biosystems Engineering, Biosystems Engineering Technology, Environmental and Soil Science, and Plant Soil and Environmental Sciences.
Contact: bess@utk.edu -
Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology. The department offers a master's degree with concentrations in Entomology; Plant Pathology; and Bioinformatics and Genomics. A Ph.D. degree is offered with concentrations in Bioinformatics, Genomics, and Molecular Interactions; Organismal Biology, Ecology, and Systematics; and Sustainable Disease and Integrated Pest Management.
Contact: Bonnie Ownley, Director of Graduate Studies, bownley@utk.edu -
Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries. The department offers master's degrees in Forestry and in Wildlife and Fisheries. The doctoral program with a major in natural resources emphasizes interdisciplinary research approaches toward the understanding and management of natural resources in a broad context.
Contact: Lisa Muller, Interim Department Head, Professor & Graduate Director, lmuller@utk.edu
In UTIA's College of Veterinary Medicine, graduate degrees with a quantitative bioscience focus are offered through the Comparative & Experimental Medicine Program.
Contact: Stephen Kania, Director of Graduate Studies, skania@utk.edu
NIMBioS
1122 Volunteer Blvd., Suite 106
University of Tennessee
Knoxville,
TN 37996-3410
PH: (865) 974-9334
FAX: (865) 974-9461
Contact NIMBioS
