Program Overview

Overview of the Computational Tissue Engineering Program

The goal of this interdisciplinary graduate education program is to define the field of Computational Tissue Engineering (CTE), wherein seamlessly intertwined computational and experimental models will drive the next generation of advances in tissue engineering. Predictive computational models are expected to drive novel experimental analyses of engineered tissues, while the demands of tissue engineering will inspire novel analysis frameworks in computational science. Students will be trained at the confluence of tissue engineering, molecular and cell biology, and computational science.

Program Objectives

Trainees will emerge as the leaders of the trans-disciplinary field of Computational Tissue Engineering, equipped to:

• lead and develop this new field
• have the training to span traditional disciplinary boundaries
• converse in the languages of tissue engineering, molecular and cellular biology, and computational science with ease
• address the current challenges faced by each of these fields.

Program Leadership

• Program director: Padma Rajagopalan
• Program co-director: T.M. Murali
• Program coordinator: Dennie Munson

Affiliated Graduate Degree Programs

• Computer Science
• Biological Sciences
• Biomedical Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology
• Industrial and Systems Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Statistics

Admission Requirements

Students must first be admitted to a degree-granting program before seeking affiliation with this interdisciplinary program.

Degree Options

CTE students obtain their Ph.D. degree from a parent department or program, from among the several that CTE faculty are affiliated with. When applying, select the specific degree program from which to earn a Ph.D.

Faculty and Research Areas

CTE students identify a CTE faculty member during the admissions and recruitment process. After joining Virginia Tech, students can consult the advisor and identify another faculty member to serve as a co-advisor. Students are strongly encouraged to work with advisors spanning at least two of the three areas at the core of CTE (tissue engineering, computational science, and systems biology) and to include committee members in the third area.

Participating Colleges and Departments

• College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
  • Biochemistry
• College of Engineering
  • Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Computer Science
  • Industrial Systems Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
• College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences
  • Science and Technology in Society
• College of Science
  • Biological Sciences
  • Statistics
• College of Veterinary Medicine
  • Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology
• Biocomplexity Institute

Funding and Support

Participating students may receive assistantship support on IGEP funds through the program in their first year of study, through research grants or institutional support for faculty.

Program Expectations and Enrichment Opportunities

• GRAD 5134 course: Required
• Journal club: Optional
• Internship: Optional
• Project & Report course: Optional
• IGEP-focused research experience: Required
• Other program-specific expectations and opportunities:
  • Interdisciplinary research project
  • Mentoring by 2 or more faculty
  • Participation in the NSF COMPASS center activities.