Applied Science

Interdisciplinary graduate programs in Applied Science leading to M.A., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees are offered by the faculty of Applied Science with participating faculty from the Departments of Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics, and Physics and with adjunct faculty from the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC), the DoE Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab), the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), and industry.

The Department has state-of-the-art facilities in:

• theory and computational design of materials and systems;
• materials synthesis and characterization;
• modification and evaluation of interfaces;
• processing control of materials and surfaces; and
• imaging technology and theory.

Applied Science also has research laboratories in the Applied Research Center (ARC).  In addition to William and Mary, the ARC is home to industrial, university, and Jefferson Lab researchers who collaboratively develop new technologies and processes.  Click here to view William and Mary's characterization of laboratories in the ARC.

Bioinformatics

W&M, a bioinformatics company named INCOGEN, and the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech are focusing collaboratively on three interrelated research areas:

Pending standard approvals, the department of Applied Science at W&M will launch an undergraduate minor in Applied Science targeting biology and chemistry majors. Currently available undergraduate courses at the Sophomore and Junior level mean that this minor can be introduced with a relatively small number of new courses. As the program matures, W&M will explore the possibility of expanding it into a full undergraduate concentration. In addition, W&M will create a Bioinformatics Ph.D. track within Applied Science. Applied Science currently has approximately 50 Ph.D. students and anticipates expanding into biomaterials, imaging, and bioinformatics.   

• the development of accurate, reliable and efficient models and algorithms for the analysis; representation, communication and interpretation of data in the life sciences;
• software that is intuitive and easy-to-use, and that hides the complexities of managing and mining huge databases across the Internet; and

• experimental, computational and theoretical aspects of cell biology including the simulation and modeling of dynamical phenomena in cell biology. This research area will extend the interpretation and study of genomic, functional genomic (transcriptional level), proteomic, and metabolomic information to a larger scale by exploring interactions at the cellular level. 

 Life Sciences

William and Mary maintains a comprehensive program in the life sciences, with strong faculty and student scholarship and graduate research in the areas of Biology, Chemistry, Applied Science, and Marine Science. These departments and schools, working independently and in collaboration, have developed a program that advances key fields of research in the life sciences and human health research.

Conducting hands-on research with faculty mentors is an integral part of William and Mary's science program. Our biology and chemistry students work one-on-one with our entire faculty, including several who have been recipients of national awards. For example, in 1995, President Clinton named biology professor Margaret Saha a Presidential Faculty Fellow - an award which was accompanied by an unrestricted $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation which has supported her research efforts in developmental biology and neurobiology.

Marine Science

The School of Marine Science/Virginia Institute of Marine Science (SMS/VIMS) is the third largest marine research and education center in the country. The school and the institute have a mandate from the Commonwealth that gives them a unique place in higher education as proactive research labs and scientific advisors on marine issues in Virginia. The School awards both Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. Graduate studies are offered in five areas: Biological Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Fisheries Science, Physical Sciences, and Resource Management & Policy. Students participate in graduate studies at an active, year-round research facility with approximately 300 scientists, support technicians and staff.

Research at VIMS extends from inland watersheds to the open ocean with a primary emphasis on coastal and estuarine science. VIMS research is based in five academic departments and several major research units, including:  

• Aquaculture Genetics and Breeding Technology Center (ABC);
• Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Virginia (CBNERRVA);
• Center for Coastal Resources Management (CCRM);
• Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program (MAP); and 
• Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV).

The mission of the Aquaculture Genetics and Breeding Technology Center (ABC), our molecular genetics group, is to develop, adopt, and maintain an array of innovative and applied technologies for genetics and breeding of aquaculture species in service to industry and science of the state and region. ABC's activities include genotype investigations including analysis of DNA and its organization on chromosomes. For example, genes are arrayed on chromosomes in a linear fashion. Geneticists can construct road maps locating these genes and in turn, this provides information on the overall organization of related groups of genes. ABC, headed by Dr. Kim Reece, is endeavoring to produce a map of the American oyster, Crassostrea virginica. A "medium density" genetic map of the oyster genome is one of ABC's principal goals for the next several years.

Psychology

The wide range of courses offered by the Psychology Department reflects the diversity of the discipline as well as the interests of our faculty and students. Classes cover topics as different as neuropsychology, the intellectual history of psychology, lifespan from infancy to old age, people as individuals and as members of a group, and both adaptive and maladaptive behaviors. In addition to traditional academic offerings, the department maintains active ties to local human service institutions and organizations. Many of the department's faculty members are licensed clinicians with considerable practical experience.

The Department of Psychology has 18 full-time and 5 part-time faculty for over 350 students. The Department offers a masters degree at William & Mary and a Psy. D. in Clinical Psychology through a consortial program sponsored by W&M, Eastern Virginia Medical Authority, Norfolk State University and Old Dominion University. The program is administered by the Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology (VCPCP), a program fully accredited by the American Psychological Association.

Thomas Jefferson Program in Public Policy

Faculty, students, and staff of the Thomas Jefferson Program in Public Policy and its research arm, the Center for Public Policy Research, conduct numerous evaluation studies related to health services and the delivery of health care. Research has focused on broad national health policies and the delivery of health care services within the Commonwealth and its localities. The Program has investigated both public and private sector issues in the delivery of those services and has developed recommendations to improve their availability and quality.

The Center also has the capability to evaluate science and technology programs. For example, Center faculty have evaluated the NASA Langley Research Center's Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR). This research examined and evaluated several outcomes and patterns of SBIR awards and awardees, including commercialization, financing issues, and the degree of customer satisfaction. Center faculty and staff have also worked with Sandia National Laboratories in developing performance measures for the U.S. Department of Energy and reviewing cost-benefit studies.

Mason School of Business

The College of William and Mary was one of the first schools in the United States oriented toward business, beginning with the use of Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations as a test in political economy in 1798. The formal study of business was initiated in 1919 and a graduate degree program was established in 1967. Today the Mason School of Business offers graduate programs including a resident MBA program, an executive MBA program, and evening MBA program, a joint MBA/JD program, a joint MBA/MPP program, and an undergraduate BBA program.

Faculty in the School of Business Administration actively engages in research in operations management, information systems, marketing, finance, economics and accounting. The School sponsors two centers to provide specialized business and technical assistance to outside organizations, primarily serving private sector and government clients - Center for Operations Management, Process Engineering, and Technological Expertise (COMPETE) and the Bureau of Business Research.