Computational Biology PhD in a biology vs computer science program

[Ketos]

So I got admitted into Dartmouth's Computer Science program and am anticipating getting into UCONN Health's Biomedical Science program. I'd be doing computational biology research in both. My goal in life is to do awesome research in anti-aging or chronic diseases, hopefully as a lead that sets the project, and to stay as far away as possible from undergrad students. And for various reasons I'd like my work to be done ideally 100% through computers, not wet bench tasks. I'd like to skip the postdoc step as well.

Would getting a CS PhD hurt in this goal? Are the courses I take and program type listed on my degree worth more than the type of research I do? Any other thoughts or advice on the different opportunities each program will give me?

Thanks!

[pterosaur]

I'm not entirely sure what job fits your description - setting the projects, but no undergraduates, and without doing a post-doc.

Which of the programs aligns best with your interests in terms of coursework and research that you'd be doing? It sounds like you prefer the CS PhD but you're not sure if this would be OK with people looking to hire you. My instinct is that it's fine as long as you have the biological background to back it up (maybe taking some bio courses while doing a CS PhD, if the school allows it). On the other hand, if you do biomedical science, your technical/computational background may make you stand out more. I was trying to decide whether to apply for a PhD in neuroscience or biomedical engineering, and my undergrad research advisor suggested that my technical skills (computer science and maths) would make me stand out in a neuroscience career where people tend to lack these skills in favor of the wet lab. Ultimately, though, I opted for engineering as my research interests evolved.

I don't know what's best, but those are some of the things I thought about when deciding. Hopefully some of that's useful for you, too.