Welcome to the Department of Systems Biology @HMS

Systems biology is the study of systems of biological components, which may be molecules, cells, organisms or entire species. Living systems are dynamic and complex, and their behavior may be hard to predict from the properties of individual parts. To study them, we use quantitative measurements of the behavior of groups of interacting components, systematic measurement technologies such as genomics, bioinformatics and proteomics, and mathematical and computational models to describe and predict dynamical behavior. Systems problems are emerging as central to all areas of biology and medicine.

To find out more about systems biology, please explore our faculty pages, the Harvard Systems Biology graduate program website and our blog. We interact closely with the FAS Center for Systems Biology and the MGH Center for Systems Biology; please visit them as well for a fuller picture of systems biology at Harvard.

Meet a Systems Biologist

Rishi Jajoo

Graduate Student

Why systems biology: Systems biology allows the “beautiful simplicity” of math to elucidate biological phenomena in new ways. “The key is clever experiments that cut out all the clutter,” Jajoo says. “We are guided by the experimental measurements and want to understand the underlying principles.”