First CMU Computational Biology Undergrad Earns Degree

Chaya Wurman has recently become the first graduate of the B.S. in Computational Biology degree as a student in the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon.  She transferred from the Carnegie Institute of Technology in the spring of 2017.

Wurman was eager to combine her interest in biology with the computer science skills that she had obtained since starting at CMU. She cites her time in the Computational Biology Department as a “period of growth and learning that played a tremendous role in where I am today and where I will go in the future”.

She will be beginning a position as a software engineer with Flatiron Health in New York City.  “Flatiron”, Wurman says, is a company focused on innovating in the intersection of technology and oncology, striving to advance cancer care around the country through improved technology and software.”  She was offered positions from some of the better known “tech giants”, but wanted to follow her passion in computational biology.  In Wurman’s words, “Flatiron will allow me to keep growing as a software engineer, and will provide me with opportunities to stay involved within the computational biology field in the future”.

The B.S. in Computational Biology degree is one of three primary majors available to students matriculating in the School of Computer Science (the others being Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence).  Students taking the major learn about the computational approaches that have revolutionized the study of life sciences and medicine.

The Computational Biology Department wishes Chaya good luck in all her future endeavors!