School of Engineering

Research Experience for Undergraduates

Analysis & Design of Complex Biological Systems using Data Science

May 29 – August 7, 2019

Students enrolled in Tufts University's REU program will learn and develop data science approaches to analyze and design complex biological systems. In keeping with this interdisciplinary theme, faculty mentors are drawn from multiple departments and research areas across life sciences and engineering, including Chemical and Biological Engineering, Microbiology, Nutrition, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Computer Science. The research projects deal with the collection, analysis, and modeling of biological datasets to understand or design a system of interest, ranging from microbial communities to bioreactors.

The research activities are supported through workshops that provide a hands-on introduction to modern data analysis, modeling, and visualization tools. Students will be provided training in responsible conduct of research and ethics through seminars and group discussions led by faculty mentors. Students will learn how research is conducted, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences. The students will learn about different STEM learning styles of K-12 students, and be presented opportunities to engage in K-12 outreach.

To see photos from the 2017 REU program poster session, visit Facebook.

Projects

  • Host-microbe interactions in health and disease
  • Stem cell biomanufacturing
  • Computational design of biosynthesis pathways for cell-based and cell-free production of chemicals
  • Machine-learning for image processing
  • Interactive visualization of data in repositories

Workshops

  • Data visualization
  • Image processing
  • Statistical design of experiments
  • Computational modeling

How to Apply

Apply by March 4, 2019. Students must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are enrolled in an accredited undergraduate institution. Candidates should have a strong academic record. We especially encourage applications from women and minorities, as well as students from community colleges and other institutions that do not traditionally offer research opportunities.

For the application, you will need to submit:

  • An official or unofficial transcript
  • A 1000-word essay describing your goals for this REU program, prior research or project experiences, and your career goals
  • Name and contact of up to two recommenders