Bioinformatics studies the collection, processing, storage, communication, analysis and interpretation of biological information. It is a newly developed interdiscipline formed by combination of life sciences with mathematical science, statistics and computer science. Bioinformatics integrates various tools of mathematics, computer science and biology to clarify and understand the biological significance through large amounts of data. Bioinformatics is the frontier and new direction of biology. The development of bioinformatics has played an important role in some frontier areas, such as genomics, proteomics, genetic engineering, metabolic engineering, drug development, vaccine design and diagnostic reagent development. With the development of Big Data and Cloud Computing, bioinformatics will have a revolutionary impact on traditional biology, medicine, agriculture and other related fields.

The major of bioinformatics in the School of Life Sciences at Lanzhou University aims at educating the students with morality, intelligence and solid theoretical knowledge. The graduated students will have strong biological background with comprehensive quality to meet the needs of scientific institutes, and the industries of life science and informatics. The graduated students can work in data analysis, software development, system management, computational support for the research of life sciences, technology development and management in bioinformatics and related fields.