Brown University Center for Computational Molecular Biology

Mission

_______________________________________________________ The Center

The field of computational molecular biology is recognized as a cutting-edge discipline in life sciences research, with potential breakthroughs likely to impact the whole spectrum of biology & medicine. Over the last several decades molecular biology has experienced extraordinary progress, resulting in enhanced understanding of biological processes. The interdisciplinary interaction of biology with computational, and mathematical sciences has already made significant contributions to these understandings, leading to the emergence and recognition of computational molecular biology as an important and rapidly expanding discipline. Moreover, the explosive growth of high dimensional data generated by genomic and proteomic technologies has brought an entirely new data-driven paradigm to the life sciences. The Center for Computational Molecular Biology (CCMB) at Brown was founded in September 2003 with the aim of establishing a world-class center for research and scholarship in this new discipline. CCMB’s central mission is to make breakthrough discoveries in the life sciences at the molecular and cellular level through the creative application of existing data analytic methods, and the development of novel computational, mathematical, and statistical technologies required exploit the opportunities emerging from advances in genomics and proteomics.

To achieve these goals, CCMB will adhere to three overriding principles:

  1. The Center plans to concentrate nearly all its efforts on a small number of fundamental biological themes. Building on current expertise at Brown, these foci will be within the general areas of genomics, functional and structural proteomics, and evolutionary biology.

  2. To achieve international recognition in these areas, the Center requires coherent integration and strong interaction between wet-lab experimental sciences, and the computational, mathematical and statistical sciences. Accordingly, CCMB will focus on building truly interdisciplinary research teams with other multi- and trans-disciplinary centers at Brown (e.g., the newly created center for Genetics, Genomics and Proteomics, and the Brain Science Program), as well as with researchers in the Division of Biology & Medicine, from departments including EEB (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology), MCB (Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry), MPPB (Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology and Biotechnology), and MMI (Molecular Microbiology and Immunology).

  3. Sophisticated computational, mathematical and statistical technologies are imperative for the success of the Center’s goals. The CCMB will develop such technologies in areas of our fundamental biological themes with the aim of generating testable predictions. The Center will capitalize on current expertise in these methodologies in the departments of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science.

_______________________________________________________ The Center

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