A technical pathway combining scientific research with the virtual world of software and data.
What Bioinformatics Scientists Do
Bioinformatics Scientists are primarily concerned with developing analytical and research tools and software to conduct scientific research.
Bioinformatics Scientists may conduct research, design databases, or develop algorithms for processing and analyzing genomic information, or other biological information.
They typically work in areas such as pharmaceuticals, medical technology, biotechnology, computational biology, proteomics, computer information science, biology and medical informatics.
How to become a Bioinformatics Scientist
Most Bioinformatics Scientists complete an undergraduate degree in biological sciences, health sciences, or biomedicine, with a major in Bioinformatics.
Many choose to pursue postgraduate studies, including a master degree or graduate diploma in computer science or IT, to further improve their technical skills.
Others who already have computer programming skills may work in a laboratory or research environment after graduation from a bachelor’s.
Relevant Tasks
- Develop new software applications or customize existing applications to meet specific scientific project needs.
- Communicate research results through conference presentations, scientific publications, or project reports.
- Create novel computational approaches and analytical tools as required by research goals.
- Consult with researchers to analyze problems, recommend technology-based solutions, or determine computational strategies.
- Analyze large molecular datasets, such as raw microarray data, genomic sequence data, or proteomics data, for clinical or basic research purposes.
Skills
Bioinformatics Scientists require/develop the following valuable skills
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