The PhD Degree in Biomedical Informatics
The PhD degree allows graduates to lead research in academic or industry positions. Our faculty and students pursue research across the spectrum of biomedical informatics, from bioinformatics through translational and clinical informatics. All prospective applicants should note that the program in Biomedical Informatics emphasizes research in novel computational methods aimed at advancing biology and medicine. You may want to investigate degree programs from other computational and quantitative graduate programs (Bioengineering, Computer Science, Statistics) and other programs in the Biosciences Programs (such as Genetics, Chemical Systems Biology, or Structural Biology). In contrast to the other computational/quantitative programs, BMI focuses more on informatics issues of knowledge representation and reasoning, data mining and analysis, and machine learning, while in contrast to the Biosciences program, BMI places greater emphasis on method development and evaluation than on basic science. Faculty from many departments have research projects of a computational nature, and in some cases there is considerable overlap, but our applications committee evaluates the fit of your application to our program, so the choice of a home program is an important one.
As befits an interdisciplinary program, our students come from diverse backgrounds and training experiences. Some enter straight from baccalaureate training, while others have pursued advanced degrees, such as an MS, MPH, or MD, or worked in clinical medicine, bioengineering, biotechnology, or software engineering.
Prerequisites
Please see the prerequisites page.
Degree Requirements
The curriculum is described here.
The doctoral program is a full-time, residential, research-oriented program. BMI does not offer part-time or distance education leading to the PhD. However, some students have applied to the part-time distance education MS program, completed that degree, and then submitted a separate application to the PhD program. There is no guarantee that Masters graduates will be accepted into the PhD program.
PhD students start in the fall quarter. They spend an average of five years at Stanford and are expected to undertake significant research projects.
Candidates are encouraged to explore the various research interests of the biomedical informatics core and participating faculty. Lab rotations during the first year expose students to different labs and faculty. Prior to being formally admitted to candidacy for the doctoral degree at the end of the second year of study, each student must demonstrate knowledge of informatics fundamentals and a potential for succeeding in research by passing a qualifying oral examination. Students later complete and defend a doctoral dissertation.
MDs interested in the PhD should contact us as early as possible, especially if you are coordinating the BMI training with further medical residency or fellowship training. It is also important to ensure that appropriate math and computer science prerequisites are completed before applying.
Funding
- The National Library of Medicine Training Grant. BMI supports many doctoral students through a training grant award from the National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. The NLM training grant (and other funds) pay tuition, a stipend, and health insurance. Students on the NLM training grant must be US citizens or permanent residents.
- The Stanford Graduate Fellowship. Stanford University offers the Stanford Graduate Fellowship (SGF). This award is open to all PhD applicants in all departments and programs regardless of citizenship, and is quite competitive. Masters applicants are not eligible. This is major source of funding for international applicants.
- Our students are also eligible for Stanford Interdisciplinary Graduate Fellowships, Stanford BIO-X Fellowships, National Center for Human Genome Research Fellowships, National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowships, and NSF Fellowships, and others.
- Other Sources of Funding. On rare occasions, faculty will express willingness to fund a student directly from their research funds. This generally happens when there is an unusually good fit between the applicant's background and the faculty member's research interests. In those instances when an offer is made, the candidate will be mentored by the faculty for the first year of their graduate career. After the first year, the candidate is free to continue with their original mentor or to find an alternate research mentor. Research funds are tightly restricted and changing mentors may present difficulty.
Application Instructions
Review the information on the Bioscience Application website.
First, complete the Biosciences PhD application online. Note that the Biosciences Program allows you to select up to three department from which you will receive simultaneous consideration. Also note that only one PhD application per academic year is allowed, and that Computer Science, Bioengineering, and Statistics are not part of the Biosciences Program.
Second, fill out the BMI PhD Supplemental Application Form. Once complete, this form must be uploaded with the rest of your admissions materials.
The status of your application can be tracked through the Biosciences site. All applicants will be informed of the final decision by the end of March.
Deadline
Applications are due in early December each year. See the Biosciences Application website, mentioned above, for the exact date each year.
Frequently Asked Questions
See here.
