Career Outlook
Our program hosts a career search tool. Also, Texas A&M manages a listing of hundreds of jobs that post each week in computational biology and bioinformatics.
Computational Biology and Bioinformatics are concerned with solving biological and biomedical problems using mathematical and computational methods. They are recognized as essential elements in modern biological and biomedical research. There have been fundamental changes in biology and medicine over the past two decades due to spectacular advances in high throughput data collection in the fields of genomics, proteomics and biomedical imaging. The resulting availability of unprecedented amounts of biological data demands the application of advanced computational tools to build integrated models of biological systems, and to use them to devise deliverable strategies to prevent or treat disease. Computational Biologists inhabit and expand the interface of computation and biology, making them integral to the future of biology and medicine.
Computational Biology is a growing field not only in academia, but also in industry. Major players in computation and medicine have invested heavily in computational biology, including Google, Microsoft, Life Technologies, Lockheed Martin, Roche and Merck. This field has garnered much interest from venture capital and economy watchers. As stated in a recent article published in the journal Science, “Today, job prospects within computational biology -- also known as bioinformatics -- seem strong and appear to be growing, buoyed by pharmaceutical and biotech industries looking to take advantage of reams of genomics data and usher in a new era of drug discovery.”
Additionally, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, fields where computational biologists work, Medical Scientists, Biochemistry and Biophysics, and Computer and Information Research Scientists are all growing faster than average. Median wages in these fields are higher than $75,000 per year.
Carnegie Mellon Resources
During the academic year, opportunities for networking with representatives of company will be available. Students are highly encouraged and given several opportunities to meet with the CMU Career Center and with the MSCB steering committee to discuss their career plans and to get guidance and assistance in all aspects of their job search.
Alumni Positions After Graduation
Median Starting Annual Salaries
