Oden Institute doctoral student Tarini Thiagarajan uses mathematical models and patient MRI data to personalize radiation therapy for glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer. She is the inaugural recipient of the Oden Institute's Pandey Graduate Fellowship.
Cross-
Cutting
Research Area
Modeling the Individuality of Health and Disease for More Accurate Decision Making
A Patient-Centric Approach - Providing Diagnosis and Treatment Tailored to Each Individual
Through its advanced mathematical and simulation approaches, computational medicine can build models of human physiology with unprecedented accuracy - from the cellular level to the entire body.
An Overview: Computational Medicine
What is Computational Medicine?
Computational Medicine uses advanced mathematical and simulation approaches to model the human body in a spectrum ranging from the molecule to the organ to the entire body and ultimately, to the health care system. To accurately represent such complex systems, the models need to capture the individuality of health and disease for accurate decision making at all levels. Ranging from the patient to the policy, these require state-of-the-art computational capabilities to make them a reality. The models can be theory–, knowledge–, or data–driven, or any combination of the three.
Current research areas
Research is multifaceted, ranging from foundational advances in theory, methods and algorithms, to real-world impact in societal grand challenge problems.
Medical imaging
Molecular biophysics
Cardiovascular Science
Neuroscience
Oncology
Genomic dataset analysis
Computational Medicine Portfolio
Portfolio programs promote cross-disciplinary scholarship and study by bringing together faculty and students from a variety of disciplines whose interests transcend the boundaries of traditional academic departments. The Computational Medicine Portfolio will provide an opportunity for UT Austin graduate students to pursue a program of study that will prepare them to interact and collaborate with members of the medical community on interdisciplinary, cutting-edge research.
Working with partners
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Oden Institute’s Center for Computational Oncology, led by Dr. Tom Yankeelov, and TACC are working together to find new cancer treatments through integrating oncological data with mechanism-based modeling techniques. MD Anderson is one of the world's largest and most respected centers devoted exclusively to cancer patient care, research, education and prevention. Read more about our collaborations.
The Willerson Center for Cardiovascular Modeling and Simulation, led by Dr. Michael Sacks, at Oden Institute has been a long-standing partner of the Texas Heart institute (THI). The THI is recognized internationally for research programs in cardiology, cardiovascular surgery, regenerative medicine and pathology. The partnership with the Oden Institute is underpinned by research to advance computational modeling of the cardiovascular system with a view to providing tailored care for each individual patient suffering from heart disease — the number one cause of death worldwide.
Centers and Groups
To learn more about projects and people in Computational Medicine, explore the centers and groups with research activities in this cross-cutting research area.
Center for Computational Oncology
Willerson Center for Cardiovascular Modeling and Simulation
News in brief
News
Aug. 17, 2026
New Faculty Blake Bordelon Joins UT Austin With a Vision to Connect Neuroscience and Machine Learning
New faculty Blake Bordelon will hold a joint position between the Oden Institute and the Department of Neuroscience in the College of Natural Sciences.
Profile
Aug. 12, 2026
Finding the Space Between Medicine and Math - Profile Tarini Thiagarajan
News
April 30, 2026
Casey Stowers Wins 2026 Oden Institute Outstanding Dissertation Award
Casey Stowers wins the 2026 Outstanding Dissertation Award for her research on triple-negative breast cancer.