The Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (C2B2) is an interdepartmental center within the Columbia University Department of Systems Biology whose goal is to catalyze research at the interface of biology and the computational and physical sciences. We support active research programs in a diverse range of disciplines, including computational biophysics and structural biology, the modeling of regulatory, signaling and metabolic networks, pattern recognition, machine learning, and functional genomics.

Research

We use advanced computational methods to investigate a wide range of biological phenomena. A key focus is the use of computational and experimental approaches from the fields of systems biology and structural biology to dissect, model, and interrogate the molecular interaction networks that give rise to physiological and pathological cellular phenotypes. Other research areas include:

• Prediction of protein structure, function and localization
• Study of protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions
• Gene expression analysis and prediction of regulatory network structure
• Study of complex inherited traits
• Image analysis and interpretation
• Biomedical ontology development
• Knowledge extraction from scientific literature and medical reports
• Evidence integration

C2B2 Faculty

Our faculty constitutes an interdisciplinary community of investigators who share a common interest in studying key biological problems from a quantitative, computational perspective. Researchers have primary appointments in departments located on Columbia's Morningside Heights and Medical Center campuses, facilitating university-wide knowledge exchange and the integration of advanced computational perspectives into a wide range of biological research. Click here for a list of C2B2 faculty.

Education

C2B2 provides graduate education and mentorship through a special track within the Integrated PhD program in Cellular, Molecular and Biomedical Studies. We also participate actively in other PhD programs around the university in order to provide a community for students pursuing education in systems biology. Learn more about graduate education in computational and experimental systems biology.

Infrastructure

As a center based within the Department of Systems Biology, C2B2 makes use of the high-performance computing infrastructure managed by Department of Systems Biology Information Technology (DSBIT).

Research Software and Resources

In conjunction with the Center for Multiscale Analysis of Genomic and Cellular Networks (MAGNet), members of C2B2 maintain research software, databases, and other computational tools developed within the Department of Systems Biology. We have developed an online platform called geWorkbench, which serves as a portal to Columbia’s resources in computational biology.