After 10 years as the Program of Systems Biology under the co-directorship of Marian Walhout, PhD, and Job Dekker PhD, in 2021, the Program was elevated to full departmental status, with Marian becoming the inaugural chair of the Department of Systems Biology (DSB). The DSB is a vibrant community comprised of nine faculty members, postdoctoral associates, graduate, undergraduate and high school students, research staff as well as several associated faculty members. Members of the Department are highly collaborative both within the Department as well as with other programs and departments across UMass Chan Medical School.
Research in the DSB encompasses an array of topics including genome structure and function, antibiotic function and resistance, mechanisms of cell death, metabolism, gene expression regulation, host-microbial interaction and pathogenesis, chromosomal aberrations, cancer etiology and cellular survival and adaptation under harsh conditions all studied at the systems level. Researchers use both experimental (molecular biology, genomics, imaging…) as well as computational approaches (quantitative modeling, AI, bioinformatics…) to study these processes in a variety of model organisms and cell types. All research programs integrate high-throughput experimentation and quantitative data analyses to study how biological systems behave, respond, adapt and evolve in both natural and disease states. Wide overlap of interests as well as complementary expertise fosters a strong collaborative environment.
The Department hosts outside speakers through its yearly seminar series. Additionally, trainees are encouraged to present their work in weekly research-in-progress talks. Throughout the year social outings as well as an annual retreat bring the community together in informal settings.
The DSB is located in the Albert Sherman Center, a state-of-the-art research and educational facility designed to promote collaboration and communication.
Please reach out with any questions. For further information about the graduate program please see our Education page.
