Quantitative Biosciences and Engineering

Degrees Offered

• Master of Science in Quantitative Biosciences and Engineering (non-thesis)
• Master of Science in Quantitative Biosciences and Engineering (thesis)
• Doctor of Philosophy in Quantitative Biosciences and Engineering

Program Description

The graduate program in quantitative biosciences and engineering brings together faculty across the Mines campus working on diverse areas of biology to educate students with at least a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering or science in the diverse field of biology. Biology deals broadly with life on this planet, the human organism and its health, and harnessing biological processes to produce fuels, chemicals, and consumer products. Thus, biology in general and human health and well-being in particular are important application areas for virtually all other areas of science, technology, and engineering. This is reflected in the fact that any academic discipline exists today with a bio prefix, such as biophysics, biochemistry, bioengineering, mathematical biology, computational biology, systems biology, structural biology, biomedicine, biomaterials, biomechanics, bioinformatics, biological chemistry, geobiology, environmental biology, microbiology, to name just a few. Similarly, health is included in many labels, e.g., digital healthcare, health economics, and health informatics. Educating students at the interfaces of biology, health, and engineering with other disciplines is a primary goal of this program.

Many departments at Mines jointly administer this cross-departmental program in quantitative biosciences and engineering. The program coexists alongside strong disciplinary programs, in chemistry and geochemistry, chemical and biochemical engineering, physics, computer science, mathematics and statistics, mechanical engineering and metallurgical and materials engineering, civil and environmental engineering, economics, geology, and geological engineering and geophysics, and thus draws from the strengths of these programs through close links and joint courses. For administrative purposes, at the graduate level, the student will reside in the advisor’s home academic department. The student’s graduate committee will have final approval of the course of study.

Fields of Research

Research at Mines in this rapidly growing field currently includes but is not limited to the following general areas:

·        Laser Design and Imaging

·        Biofuels and Metabolic Engineering

·        Omics and Systems Biology

·        Environmental Toxicology and Microbiology

·        Biosensors and Devices

·        Biotechnology

·        Biomechanics

·        Biofluid mechanics

·        Bioinformatics and Computational Biology

·        Tissue Engineering & Biomaterials

·        Physical Biochemistry

·        Biophysics and Analytical Methodology Development

·        Digital Healthcare

·        Mathematical Biology

More than 35 faculty members across the Mines campus participate in this program, which will in the future also involve faculty of nearby collaborating institutions and scientists from the biotech/healthcare industry.

Advising Faculty

Joel Bach, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Cecilia Diniz Behn, Associate Professor of Applied Mathematics & Statistics

Nanette Boyle, Associate Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering

Kevin Cash, Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering

Anuj Chauhan, Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering

Dylan Domaille, Assistant Professor of Chemistry

Christopher Higgins, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Melissa Krebs, Co-Director, QBE Graduate Program and Associate Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering

Ramya Kumar, Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering

Karin Leiderman, Co-Director, QBE Graduate Program and Associate Professor of Applied Mathematics & Statistics

Terry Lowe, Research Professor of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering

David Marr, Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering

Alexander Pak, Assistant Professor, Chemical and Biological Engineering

Steve Pankavich, Associate Professor of Applied Mathematics & Statistics

Anthony Petrella, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Andrew Petruska, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Matthew Posewitz, Professor of Chemistry

James Ranville, Professor of Chemistry

Jonathan Sharp, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Anne Silverman, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering

E. Dendy Sloan, Emeritus Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering

John Spear, Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Jeff Squier, Professor of Physics

Amadeu Sum, Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering

Brian Trewyn, Associate Professor of Chemistry

Shubham Vyas, Associate Professor of Chemistry

Hua Wang, Associate Professor of Computer Science

Xiaoli Zhang, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Teaching Faculty

Linda Battalora, Teaching Professor of Petroleum Engineering

Suzannah Beeler, Assistant Teaching Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering

Christian Beren, Teaching Assistant Professor of Chemistry

Kristine Csavina, Teaching Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Duncan Davis-Hall, Teaching Assistant Professor of Engineering, Design, & Society

Alina Handorean, Teaching Professor of Engineering, Design & Society

Josh Ramey, Director of the QBE Undergraduate Program and Teaching Associate Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering

Justin Shaffer, Teaching Associate Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering

Quantitative Biosciences and Engineering (QBE) Program Requirements

For admission, students may enter with biology or health-related undergraduate degrees or with a technical degree, e.g., in engineering, mathematics, or computer science. 

Current Mines undergraduate students have the option to apply to the Office of Graduate Studies for the combined program while pursuing their undergraduate degree (see information below).

Each of the three degrees (non-thesis Master of Science, thesis-based Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy) require the successful completion of four core courses for a total of 13 credits, as detailed below. 

QBE Graduate Seminar

Full-time graduate students in the QBE program are expected to maintain continuous enrollment in BIOL 590, QBE Graduate Seminar, a 1 credit course. A maximum of 2 credits will be granted toward the MS degree requirements while a maximum of 4 credits will be granted toward PhD requirements, as shown below. Students who are concurrently enrolled in a different degree program that also requires seminar attendance may have this requirement waived at the discretion of the QBE Program Director.

Master of Science in Quantitative Biosciences and Engineering (Non-Thesis Option)

The Master of Science Non-Thesis (MS-NT) degree requires a minimum of 30 credits of acceptable coursework.

*While full-time MS-NT students are expected to maintain continuous enrollment in BIOL 590, the QBE Graduate Seminar; a maximum of 2 credits will be granted toward the MS-NT degree requirements.

Master of Science in Quantitative Biosciences and Engineering (Thesis Option)

The thesis-based Master of Science (MS-T) requires a minimum of 30 semester hours of acceptable coursework and thesis research credits. Students conduct an in-depth research project with one of the participating faculty members who are currently accepting masters degree students. The student must also submit a thesis and pass the thesis defense examination before the thesis committee.

*While full-time MS-T students are expected to maintain continuous enrollment in BIOL 590, the QBE Graduate Seminar; a maximum of 2 credits will be granted toward the MS-T degree requirements.

Doctor of Philosophy in Quantitative Biosciences and Engineering

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)degree requires a minimum of 72 hours of course and research credit including at least 24 credits in coursework and at least 24 credits in research. Doctoral students must also pass a qualifying examination and thesis-proposal defense, complete a satisfactory thesis, and successfully defend their thesis.

*While full-time PhD students are expected to maintain continuous enrollment in BIOL 590, the QBE Graduate Seminar, a maximum of 4 credits will be granted toward the PhD degree requirements.

QBE Elective Courses:

The current list of available electives is shown below. Because course options are continually expanding, additional complementary courses (beyond those listed here) may be approved on an ad hoc basis by the advisor in consultation with the program director. 

Mines' Combined Undergraduate / Graduate Degree Program

Students enrolled in Mines’ combined undergraduate/graduate program may double count up to 6 credits of graduate coursework to fulfill requirements of both their undergraduate and graduate degree programs. These courses must have been passed with B- or better, not be substitutes for required coursework, and meet all other university, department, and program requirements for graduate credit.

Students are advised to consult with their undergraduate and graduate advisors for appropriate courses to double count upon admission to the combined program.