Human beings have always been curious. Through the years we have evolved as a society in developing technology that makes our daily lives easier. One of the disciplines that have come a very long way in this aspect is bioinformatics. The term Bioinformatics was initially coined by Ben Hesper and Paulien Hogewen in 1970 and is defined as the study of the informatics processes in biotic systems. Bioinformatics deals with the collection, storage, analysis, and dissemination of biological data like amino acid sequences and DNA. It is a field of computational science combined with biology. Its main function is to analyze the sequences of biological molecules. It has proven to be extremely useful in broader fields of study like forensics as it compares genes and other sequences in proteins within an organism or between different organisms. It studies the evolutionary relationships between its subjects and using this information, it figures out what their function is. Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary subject that draws from subjects like Biology, Statistics, Mathematics, and Computer Science. Bioinformatics students gain useful practical and theoretical knowledge that they can use in the field of medicine and develop cures for various diseases.
Study Levels
The different study levels that are offered in this sub-discipline are:
Bachelor in Bioinformatics and Genetics
B.Sc Bioinformatics
Bachelor in Bioinformatics
Diploma in Bioinformatics
M.Sc in Bioinformatics
M.Sc Bioinformatics
M.Sc Bioinformatics and Computational Genomics
Master in Life Science Informatics
M.Sc in Applied Bioinformatics
M.Sc in Quantitative and Computational Biology
Masters Programme in Health Informatics
M.Sc in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
Master in Data Analysis
MS in Professional Science: Biostatistics
MS Biosecurity
MS Bioinformatics - IS Concentration
Master in Omic Data Analysis
Specialisations
Bioinformatics is a vast discipline and branches out into further specifications. The methods and study of Bioinformatics are used in various fields of study.
The different specialisations that can be found are:
Students can choose to specialize in areas like:
Biology
Computer Science
Architecture and Content of Genomes
Metabolic Computing
Complex System Analysis
Genetic Circuits
Evolutionary Model Building and Phylogenetic Analysis
Data Mining
Information content in DNA, RNA, Protein Sequence, and Structure
Nucleic Acid and Protein Sequence Analysis
Data Storage and Retrieval, Database Structures and Annotation
Employability
Bioinformatics is a field based on discoveries; it uses the tools of computational and biological advancement to make further biological discoveries and help retrace genealogy. The study of DNA and the process of breaking it down to produce and procure data is also a huge area of study in Bioinformatics. Aspirants of the field need to be well versed with computers as the subject applies computer technology to biological research and management. It is a fast-growing field of study and ultimately its main goal is to uncover the knowledge of biological data which is hidden in the mass and sequence structure of organisms. This information is further used to uplift the quality of life for the human race. There are a plethora of job opportunities in this field.
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- The various career choices include:
Bioinformatics Software Developer
Research Scientist
Network Administrator
Computational Biologist
Database Programmer
Science Technician
Content Editor
Pharmacogenomics
Proteomics
Professor
Bioinformatics Analyst
^
- The various career choices include:
Bioinformatics Software Developer
Research Scientist
Network Administrator
Computational Biologist
Database Programmer
Science Technician
Content Editor
Pharmacogenomics
Proteomics
Professor
Bioinformatics Analyst