PhD Genomics, Phenomics, and Bioinformatics North Dakota State University - Graduate School

Genomics, Phenomics and Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary graduate program that involves 27 faculty from six departments and three colleges. The program initially focused on Genomics and Bioinformatics. In 2021, the program underwent a major change. This was prompted by advances in high-throughput phenotyping, and the growing importance of phenomics data and its direct relationship to genes controlling traits. Based on those relations, phenomics was added as another research track.

Students in the program will perform advanced study, training and research in areas that focus on functional genomics, high-throughput phenotyping, and computation analysis of genomic and phenomic data. This will lead to an understanding of the many -omics fields interact to understand how a phenotype is expressed.

The program is designed to provide both M.S. and Ph.D. students the necessary skills and intellectual background to work cooperatively with others in a research areas that take systems-wide approach to the study of the organization and expression of the many genes and their products expressed in an organism. Exposure to modern techniques and instrumentation will prepare the student for success in both industrial and academic careers.

During the first year, the student will form a graduate committee and submit the Plan of Study to the Graduate School. The committee must include the student's major adviser, at least one other faculty member of the Genomics and Bioinformatics program, and a third member from outside the student's home college. For Ph.D. students only, a fourth member of the committee serves as the Graduate School Representative (GSR). The GSR must be a full member of the graduate faculty, AND be either a tenured faculty member outside the committee chair’s/co-chairs' home department(s) OR a faculty member outside the primary college of the committee chair/co-chairs. For this interdisciplinary program, the GSR must ALSO be outside of the program. Additionally, the GSR must be clear of any conflicts of interest with either the student or the committee chair/co-chairs. Examples of possible conflicts of interest may include budgetary relationships, family or financial, personal relationships, or research and/or publication relationships between the GSR and either the student or the committee chair.