The Genome Science and Technology (GST) is a graduate program in the Life Sciences founded on two premises. First, whole-genome sequences and related large-scale datasets have transformed how we perform biological research, a trend that is gathering momentum and is anticipated to frame the way the biology research is accomplished for many years to come. Second, advances in technology, whether at the level of instrumentation, computation, or “wet lab” reagents, have long been a powerful driving force in biology.
GST spans two distinct research environments—the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The program is enriched by the different research philosophies encountered at a university, emphasizing autonomy, and at a National Lab, emphasizing team effort.
The GST program is home to faculty mentors from many walks of life. The virulence factors of pathogenic fungi and the engineering of photosynthetic reaction complexes for bioenergy harvesting are just two examples from the cornucopia of research projects being pursued in GST. Consequently, GST student projects are quite diverse, as indicated by the five themes listed in the GST Research Areas on the left.
Key resources used by GST students include:
- High-performance computing
- Next generation sequencing and metagenomics
- Mass spectrometry, proteomics, and other “omics” capabilities
- Advanced facilities for molecular cell biology
- Comprehensive suite of instrumentation for biophysical chemistry
GST is one of three PhD programs housed in the Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education, part of the University of Tennessee – Oak Ridge Innovation Institute.