Advanced Mathematical Bioinformatics

This course begins with a brief review of some of the areas of probability and statistics needed for applications to bioinformatics problems. Typical problems addressed by bioinformaticians are identifying functionally different parts of a genome, searching DNA or protein databases to find sequences which are functionally similar to a given query sequence, or inferring the relatedness of different species by measuring the similarity of their genomes. The course will cover the mathematical theory behind algorithms commonly used by biologists and also give examples of current research. Furthermore, in consultation with the course lecturer, students will (i) select a research topic related to this course, and through reading of professional articles, acquire a fundamental knowledge of that topic. (ii) Write a report (2500 word limit) on the selected topic, explaining fundamental concepts and highlight key questions currently researched in the field. (iii) Demonstrate effective oral communication skills by presenting complex concepts to staff and other students in a 20-minute seminar, based on the report, as well as answer 10 minutes of questions. Note: This course is co-taught with undergraduate students but assessed separately.