The interface between bioinformatics and biophysics (with the possibility of bioengineering)

Question

[silentio]

I have just been accepted into a PhD program in Computational Biology. Previously, I was particularly interested in applying the computational methods to the study of ncRNA and cancer. However, while reading intensively the works of the faculty in my program in order to select rotations for the first year, I began to develop some interests for biophysics (as in structural biology) and bio-engineering (as in nanoparticles growth and bio-molecular assembly) .

I would love to seek your advice on this matter: which sub-field of study will most likely contain the intersection of all of the above fields? I know that I am very greedy here, but I just want to fully utilize the strengths of these departments and the plethora of opportunities around to form a good thesis.

Thanks for the help.

Answer 1

[Ying W]

I am not very familiar with the topic of bio-engineering but one possibility for structural biology that comes to mind is the structural prediction of ncRNAs and identifying protein domains where ncRNAs are likely to interact with. This would use both biophysics and your interest in ncRNAs and you could tie in cancer by focusing on a ncRNA that's overexpressed in cancer.