Justine and Jim Mullen ’80 Fund RPI Projects in Computational Biology

Source Domain: news.rpi.edu

Justine and Jim Mullen ’80 have generously donated to RPI in support of several research projects and a workshop in computational biology, with emphases in artificial intelligence, and quantum computing—all priorities outlined in the RPI Forward strategic plan.

“Funding computational biology research at the place where I began my education, and ultimately my life sciences career, seemed like a full circle moment — giving to an area and place where it all started for me,” said Jim Mullen ’80. “Justine and I are thrilled to support research in an industry I built my career on. We hope this gift, which supports a key priority at RPI, will fuel the future of the biopharma industry and serve as a catalyst for faculty and student research.”

Breakthroughs in fundamental science often occur at the interface of broadly different research areas. Enabling life sciences with high performance and quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and machine learning will lead to the next generation of research and training in computational biology. While RPI remains at the forefront of these significantly advancing technologies, this commitment will continue to accelerate RPI’s important work in these areas.

“We are so grateful for the support from Jim and Justine, which will allow our faculty and students to remain at the forefront of rapidly growing fields in computational biology,” said Robert Hull, Ph.D., vice president for research at RPI. “In addition to applying computational methods to biological research, these projects focus on global issues that affect humanity.”

This contribution supports seven research projects and one workshop, led by eight faculty members working with six graduate students and one post-doctoral researcher. The Mullens’ investment further supports the Institute’s priorities in both scaling research excellence by empowering graduate student research, and in strengthening and extending education.

“This gift from Jim and…

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