The PhD program in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology aims to train researchers and professionals capable of operating across the diverse fields of these disciplines. Graduates will be equipped to conduct independent research at the highest levels within both public and private sectors, in Italy and abroad, interacting productively and synergistically with experimental research groups.
The program’s strongly interdisciplinary nature welcomes candidates holding a Master’s degree (or equivalent), whether from Italy or abroad, in the biological-medical or technical-scientific fields.
Thanks to a training curriculum tailored to diverse backgrounds, the PhD program offers for those from bio-medical backgrounds the opportunity to acquire solid computer science skills and for those from quantitative or technological backgrounds the chance to deepen their knowledge of molecular, structural, and systems biology.
The goal is to provide all students with the necessary foundations to conduct independent research in the field of bioinformatics. The explosion of genomic and proteomic data—driven by the evolution of sequencing techniques and structural analysis of biological macromolecules—represents both a challenge and an extraordinary opportunity for progress in many scientific areas, including medicine.
The complex information contained within this data, especially when integrated with experimental results, is key to deeply understanding biological systems. This leads to applications spanning industrial, environmental, biotechnological, and clinical contexts, with potentially decisive impacts on the development of new therapeutic strategies for complex pathologies.
The variety of laboratories involved allows for personalized academic paths, modeled on the aspirations and background of each doctoral student. The collaborative structure of the course and the multidisciplinary composition of the faculty provide a wide range of scientific specializations, enabling everyone to find the research area most aligned with their interests.

The PhD program is held in convention with the Italian National Institute of Health (ISS) and CEINGE in Naples, each funding one scholarship. The respective research locations for these scholarships are Rome and Naples.

Main Research Fields

Genomics
Transcriptomics
Analysis of protein-protein interaction networks in prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems
Simulation of biological systems
Drug design and virtual screening
Machine learning and data mining
Integration of omics data for biomedicine
Software development for research
Chemoinformatics