A new Canadian interdisciplinary Ph.D. in computational sciences

Highlights

• We introduce the principles used to design an interdisciplinary PhD in Computational Sciences.

• Rationale for this new degree include the needs of society for highly trained personnel who can handle multiple disciplines and the crossover between disciplines, the appeal of this type of degree to industry where many of its graduates will work (not all in academia), and the strong economic impact of highly trained computational scientists.

• Program characteristics include interdisciplinary strength, flexible admission requirements, short program duration and minimal, flexible course requirements.

Abstract

In response to growing demands of society for experts trained in computational skills applied to various domains, the School of Computer Science at the University of Guelph is creating a new approach to doctoral studies called an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in computational sciences. The program is designed to appeal to candidates with strong backgrounds in either computer science or an application discipline who are not necessarily seeking a traditional academic career. Thesis based, it features minimal course requirements and short duration, with the student’s research directed by co-advisors from computer science and the application discipline. The degree program’s rationale and special characteristics are described. Related programs in Ontario and reception of this innovative proposal at the institutional level are discussed.

Introduction

The School of Computer Science (SoCS) at the University of Guelph is in the process of introducing a new interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in computational sciences. The program is targeted at students and professionals who wish to engage in research that links topics of traditional computer science (CS) with some other discipline. This perspective recognizes that by the 21st century, there is no other discipline like computer science that intersects virtually every other one in the sciences and humanities. All have been “colonized” by computerization.

Their present successes and future advances depend on more and smarter use of software technology. An interdisciplinary degree offers the potential to break down conventional silos of knowledge, and to train “highly qualified personnel” (HQP, in Canadian academic parlance) who are better able to apply computer-based computational techniques to a wide variety of problem areas. This program will be unique in Canada, and will contain features to make it especially attractive to applicants beyond those intending to pursue an academic career. Some applicants may seek this degree program to obtain more marketable skills, as graduates could expect to work in a variety of fields, not only the single field of their doctoral research, and in a variety of academic and non-academic environments.

Our students will have the opportunity to perform research that bridges CS and at least one other discipline such as, but not limited to, biology, engineering, chemistry, physics, mathematics, statistics, geography, economics, English, history, fine arts, psychology, and population medicine. Research topics are potentially drawn from any discipline on campus with a computational component, such as bioinformatics, computational biology, nanotechnology, modeling (developing and using algorithms to predict how real systems behave), simulation, digital humanities (interactive games and multimedia, digital culture, simulating history), health informatics (for both human and animal care), geomatics, embedded systems, artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, data mining, and high-performance computing (developing and using parallel programming languages, libraries, and tools to solve complex problems arising in various disciplines).

From the above, it is evident that we take a broad view of “computational sciences”. “Computational” and “computation” should not be interpreted as simply “number crunching” or “algorithms,” as per convention. Rather, the term is intended in the sense of anything connected with the use of computers, or, colloquially speaking, “Computers AND ___” (fill in the blank). As for the term “science,” it is meant in the sense of “the science of applying computers to various problem domains.” Thus, unlike conventional degree programs in computational science (see Section 2) that focus primarily on traditional computation and algorithm development in the areas of mathematics, computer science, engineering, chemistry, and physics, our new program aims to be as inclusive as possible as it spans 11 academic units at our university.

This paper first describes in Section 2, our rationale for creating the new program and then its detailed characteristics in Section 3. Section 4 shares the experience of attempting this kind of innovation in our institutional setting. The conclusion in Section 5 summarizes our hopes going forward.