Skip to content

Computing + Biology

When imagining the future of technology, sometimes all we need to do is look out the window — or into a microscope.

Our researchers take inspiration from nature to redefine what a computer can be, from data storage using synthetic DNA, to sensors modeled on insects and leaves. We also advance technologies to help solve biology’s biggest mysteries, such as computational approaches for understanding the mechanisms of disease and brain-computer interfaces that can restore or augment physical function and mobility.


Research Groups & Labs

Gloved hands piping liquid into a smalll rectangular nanopore device connected to a laptop

Molecular Information Systems Lab (MISL)

MISL explores the intersection of information technology and molecular biology using in-silico and wet lab experiments, drawing upon expertise from computer architecture, programming languages, synthetic biology and biochemistry.

Closeup of AI-augmented headphone on person's ear

Mobile Intelligence Lab

The interdisciplinary Mobile Intelligence Lab builds intelligent systems and tools for tackling hard technical and societal problems, including battery-free computing, medical diagnostics, augmented human perception and more.


Faculty Members

Faculty


Centers & Initiatives

Society + Technology is a cross-campus, cross-disciplinary initiative and community at the University of Washington that is dedicated to research, teaching and learning focused on the social, societal and justice dimensions of technology.

The Institute for Medical Data Science (IMDS) is a joint effort among the Schools of Medicine and Public Health and the College of Engineering, including the Allen School to lead the development and implementation of cutting-edge AI and data science methods in medical data science. By harnessing the power of AI across diverse health determinants, IMDS aims to improve patient health, provider satisfaction, and healthcare operations, particularly in the Pacific Northwest region.

Highlights


Allen School News

In a recent paper, a team of researchers led by professor Matt Golub designed a new machine learning technique to understand how different parts of the brain talk to each other even when some parts can’t be directly observed.

Allen School News

The ACM Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction recognized Fogarty’s leadership and contributions to human-computer interaction research including ubiquitous computing, interactive machine learning, accessibility and personal health informatics.

Allen School News

For her groundbreaking research on explainable AI for biology and medicine, Lee, who directs the UW’s AI for bioMedical Sciences Lab, was named a Fellow of the International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB).