Bioinformatics and computational biology

The graduate certificate in bioinformatics and computational biology is a 12-credit program  designed to complement your graduate degree with interdisciplinary expertise in biology, computer science, mathematics and statistics. You'll complete core coursework in computational biology, molecular evolution and mathematical genetics before selecting advanced electives that align with your research interests and career goals.

View the program handbook  

Explore program courses in the University Catalog

U of I certificate programs are not eligible for financial aid or scholarships. Financial aid and scholarships are available only to students enrolled in graduate degree programs.

For more information or to explore funding options for your education, visit Financial Aid or contact the Financial Aid Office at finaid@uidaho.edu or call 208-885-6312.

Recognized STEM Program

This program is recognized as a STEM program by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and may be eligible for the 24-month STEM optional practical training extension for international students.

Learn more about STEM approved CIP/degree codes

Have questions about the program, research opportunities or the graduate student experience? Connect with our program team for personalized guidance about curriculum, faculty mentorship, application requirements and graduate funding opportunities. 

Biological Sciences department contact:
Paul Hohenlohe
hohenlohe@uidaho.edu

For questions related to admissions, application materials, transcripts or enrollment steps, contact Graduate Admissions: 

Graduate Admissions contact:
graduateadmissions@uidaho.edu
208-885-4001

Interested in research areas or finding a faculty mentor? Explore faculty expertise, research interests and advising opportunities on the department’s faculty page. 

Program Availability

• Semester intake: Spring, Summer, Fall
  • Eligible for out-of-state tuition waiver through the Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) for qualifying applicants
  • Not eligible for international applicants who require F-1 status
• Deadlines: General application deadlines
• Start dates: View the academic calendar to see start and end dates 

University requirements: 

• Education level: Bachelor's degree in a similar or closely related field
  • Transcripts for all post-secondary education will be required. Unofficial transcripts may be used for initial admission review. Official transcripts sent by the issuing institution(s) will be required if admitted. View more information on the Graduate Admissions page. 
• GPA: 3.0 (Applicants with a lower undergraduate GPA who have relevant professional experience in the field, have already earned a graduate degree, or have completed graduate-level credits may still be considered for admission with approval from the academic program.)
• Resume
• Statement of purpose: A Statement of Purpose may be required for applicants whose undergraduate GPA is below 3.0 or whose undergraduate degree is in a significantly different field from the graduate program to which they are applying
• Valid picture ID (required to verify students’ identity and will be kept confidential)
• English proficiency (for applicants whose education was completed in countries where English is not an official language).
  • Accepted tests: TOEFL: 4.5, IELTS: 6.5, Duolingo: 115, PTE-A: 58. Learn what qualifies as proof of English proficiency.  
• Application Fee: $30 

Application and admission process:

Applications are submitted online and are specific to the program and term selected. Applicants seeking admission to multiple programs must submit a separate application for each program.

Before submitting an application, applicants must provide personal and academic information from all post-secondary institutions attended, and their intended program and start term. 

• For new international graduate certificate applicants:
  • International applicants must meet University of Idaho’s English proficiency language requirement.
  • International students may pursue graduate certificate programs either as standalone degrees or as part of a concurrent curriculum with another graduate program. Students enrolled in a certificate program as a standalone option are not eligible for F-1 or J-1 visa status.
• For current University of Idaho graduate students:
  • Fill out a change of curriculum form to add the certificate to your current course of study.
  • Obtain department approval and return the form to the College of Graduate Studies.
• For current U of I undergraduate students:
  • Must have senior standing and a 3.0 GPA to take graduate-level courses.
  • To reserve credits for the graduate transcript, please submit a Credit Reservation Form to the College of Graduate Studies. This form must be signed by your academic advisor.
  • After earning a bachelor’s degree, apply as a graduate certificate-seeking student to complete the program. 

Visit Graduate Admissions to learn more and start your application. 

Paul Hohenlohe, Professor and Program Director

• Evolutionary genetics
• Conservation genomics

Bert Baumgaertner, Professor

• Computational philosophy
• Epistemology
• Mind and language
• Philosophy of science

Erkan Buzbas, Associate Professor

• Metascience  
• Replicability  
• Reproducibility  
• Bayesian statistics
• Computational methods

Erik R. Coats, Sorenson Family Endowed Professor in Water Resources

• Upcycling organic waste streams to high-value commodities
• Microbial wastewater treatment processes
• Biotechnology for producing polyhydroxyalkanoates
• Enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR)

Courtney Conway, Professor and Unit Leader, Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

• Wildlife management
• Conservation biology
• Behavioral ecology
• Life history evolution

Frank Gao, Professor

• Functional analysis
• Probability theory
• Approximation theory
• Deep learning

Chris Hamilton, Associate Professor

• Systematics – araneae, predominantly tarantulas; lepidoptera, predominantly silkmoths
• Phylogenomics using anchored hybrid enrichment
• Geometric morphometrics – analyzing size and shape
• Machine learning – species identification and discovery

Luke J. Harmon, Professor

• Phylogenetic comparative methods
• Adaptive radiation and diversification
• Macroevolutionary dynamics
• Computational evolutionary biology

Esteban Hernandez-Vargas, Associate Professor

• Mathematical immunology
• Control theory
• Machine learning
• Applied mathematics

Hasan Jamil, Associate Professor

• Knowledge representation and reasoning
• Smart information processing
• Data science, bioinformatics and health informatics
• Educational and learning technologies
• Human computer interactions

Adam G. Jones, Distinguished Professor

• Evolutionary biology
• Genomics
• Bioinformatics  

Alexander Karasev, Distinguished Professor

• Basic and applied research in plant virology
• Virus-host interactions and pathogenicity factors in plants
• Virus diseases of importance in major Idaho crops
• Virus detection strain differentiation and control
• Potato, legumes, sugar beet, cereals and grapevine

Christopher Marx, Professor

• Experimental evolution of microbes
• Evolution of metabolic networks
• Microbial physiology and ecology
• Systems and quantitative biology

Mark McGuire, Distinguished Professor and Associate Director of COBRE

• Hormones and endocrinology
• Lactation
• Livestock and animal science
• Biological science
• Biomedical engineering

Michelle (Shelley) McGuire, Distinguished Professor, Director of Margaret Ritchie School of Family and Consumer Sciences and Director of COBRE

• Maternal/infant nutrition
• Human milk composition
• Breastfeeding  
• Milk microbiome
• Mastitis
• Women’s health

Brenda Murdoch, Professor

• Genomics tools and resources for livestock
• Molecular genomic and biotechnology
• Genetic improvement of livestock
• Genome sequencing and assemblies
• Cattle and sheep GWAS

Scott Nuismer, Professor

• Theoretical evolutionary biology
• Coevolution and species interactions
• Mathematical modeling of disease
• Viral spillover and emergence

Christine Parent, Professor

• Evolutionary biology on islands
• Speciation and adaptive radiation
• Galápagos land snail evolution
• Experimental evolution and modeling

Matt Powell, Associate Dean of Research and Director of Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station

• Biological science
• Animal science
• Bioinformatics
• Veterinary medicine

Chris Remien, Associate Professor

• Mathematical biology
• Bioinformatics

Benjamin Ridenhour, Associate Professor

• Biomathematics
• Biostatistics

Barrie Robison, Professor and Director, Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences  

• Evolutionary and behavioral genomics
• Genetic architecture of traits
• Fisheries biology and domestication
• Science-based video game design

Terry Soule, Professor

• Evolutionary computation
• Machine learning
• Game design

John “Jack” M. Sullivan, Professor

• Phylogenetic theory and methods
• Speciation/introgression genomics in chipmunks
• Predictive phytogeography with machine learning

Klas Udekwu, Assistant Professor

• Microbial population biology
• Pharmacodynamics, ecology and evolution of genotypic and phenotypic antimicrobial resistance
• Mathematical and experimental modeling of bug/drug interactions
• Built environment microbiology

James Van Leuven, Assistant Professor

• Microbial interactions
• Ecological processes
• Animal health
• Evolution of life
• Genome sequencing data

Andreas E. Vasdekis, Associate Professor

• Biological physics
• Microfluidics
• Optofluidics  

Lisette Waits, Distinguished Professor

• Conservation biology
• Conservation genetics
• Molecular ecology
• Landscape genetics
• Endangered species ecology and management

Holly A. Wichman, Distinguished Professor

• Experimental evolution with viruses
• Evolutionary theory and genomics
• Bacteriophage biology and evolution
• Transposable element evolution

Min Xian, Associate Professor

• Trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI)
• Machine learning (ML) and deep learning
• AI/ML applications in critical areas
• Biomedical image analysis
• AI-aided materials characterization and modeling

Colin Xu, Assistant Professor

• Statistical modeling to understand mood and anxiety disorders
• Predictive modeling of psychiatric treatment outcomes
• Aggregation of epidemiological and treatment trial data
• Modeling the processes of change over the course of treatments for depression

Tiantian Yang, Assistant Professor

• Generalized distributions
• Mathematical statistics

Fan Yi, Assistant Professor

• Image monitoring
• Statistical process control (SPC)

F. Marty Ytreberg, Professor and Director, Institute for Modeling Collaboration and Innovation

• Computational molecular biophysics
• Protein evolution
• Intrinsically disordered proteins