The Path To Becoming A Bioinformatics Scientist

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Data is a trending focus in every work field. Incidentally, we find data in almost every position from sciences, business, IT-sector, finance industries, etc. What is more, the value of data analysis has now become a successful job hub full of opportunities for many people. For this reason, bioinformatics is very demanding in Biology and my peers greatly regard the work of bioinformatics scientists. At this time this is one of the most pursued paths in biology. If you want to examine and understand data from the various areas of biology then this blog will guide you in your journey to become a bioinformatics scientist.

What Are The Advantages Of Becoming a Bioinformatics Scientist?

In order to follow the Bioinformatics Path the student should be aware of some of the benefits of becoming a bioinformatics scientist:

Firstly bioinformatics scientists are in high demand.

Additionally, the job provides security and handsome salaries.

In contrast to other subjects, it is a multi-domain area that allows you to use your skills and knowledge in many ways.

Apart from their role in the lab, they also educate students in this field by teaching.

Besides, by working in the research area, you can help to provide major contributions to the welfare of people.

And more.

What Roles does a Bioinformatics Scientist do?

Overall, a bioinformatics scientist does multiple tasks. To name a few-

Firstly their main role is to examine and solve large data sets from different organisms namely plants, animals, microbes, and more.

Along with this, they play a role in the genetics field of study by finding important genes for clinical, agricultural, industrial, and medicinal uses.

Also by using their computer skills, they can make new tools and software to analyze data. They provide help to wet lab biologists. The use of computers makes this way of solving problems fast and accurate.

Lastly, they help to find the structures of biomolecules and more.

The Road To Become A Bioinformatics Scientist in India

Initially, to become a bioinformatics scientist, make sure of is to design a path that will help you achieve your goal. Here are the steps that can help you to become a bioinformatics scientist.

This will tell you about the eligibility, and other details to become a bioinformatics scientist. Also, you can check the syllabus for the courses can from the websites of the Universities offering the degree.

1. Beginner’s steps to Become a Bioinformatics Scientist.

Initially, to begin with, you must complete school education with PCB or PCMB with at least 50-70%. A background in programming is very useful and helps you to understand things better at the college level.

2. Getting a Bachelor’s degree

Similar to other subjects, firstly a three or four-year bachelor’s program is needed to become a bioinformatics scientist. The degree can be in the following subjects-

Bioinformatics,
biotechnology,
biochemistry,
computational biology
or other related fields.

This will lay the grounds needed to continue your path. Importantly college admissions are based on the university you have applied to and can be based on merit or entrance exams.

3. Continue with a Master’s degree

Following the bachelor’s, the next step involves getting a 2 years Master’s. Additionally, it will allow you to become an expert on the subject. And will provide you with the insight needed to continue the journey.

It should be noted the requirement to get a Master’s in bioinformatics or a related field is to get a minimum of 55% in a bachelor’s degree. Admission is on a merit or entrance basis.

To summarise there are a large number of reputed Universities that offer Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in these courses. Such as:

IIT- Bombay, IIT-Delhi,
DY Patil University,
Lovely Professional University,
Jamia Millia Islamia,
VIT University,
Amity University and more.

4. Become an expert with a PhD to become a Bioinformatics scientist

Without a doubt, a PhD is believed to be the highest degree in any field. Furthermore, in a PhD, a student gets to know all the important research skills that will help them to become a successful Bioinformatics scientist. Also, this is the last and one of the major steps which must be completed in a duration of 3 to 6 years.

Admission to PhD involves taking entrance exams. Many Universities conduct these exams. More details can be checked out from their official websites. Some institutes that offer PhD include- IISc Bangalore, IBAB, CSIR institutes, IITs, and more.

5. Develop Practical and Technical skills and gain job experience

Unquestionably this is the most important step essential to becoming a bioinformatics scientist. Particularly practical insight can be gained from getting into internships training programs and jobs offered by various companies and research institutes.

Some of the skills required to become a bioinformatics scientist include:

Stronghold over subjects especially: Biology, Statistics, Molecular biology, Genetics, Biochemistry, and Biotechnology.

Along with Database Management skills and statistical analysis to store and document information correctly.

Also, develop Programming language skills early in your career.

Such as Python, R, Perl, C++, Java, and Linux in addition to coding skills.

Apart from this learning Machine learning skills like- PyTorch, TensorFlow

NGS as well as Data analysis skills are also very useful.

Besides these, a bioinformatics scientist should be aware of Quality Control.

Thus they act like power boosters to enhance your career as a bioinformatics scientist.

6. Additional courses to become a Bioinformatics scientist

For the purpose of giving a good impression on your resume, these courses can give you an upper hand when looking for employment. It should be noted, that if you are a beginner in this field, it is always good to get started with certificate courses. These courses provide you with an idea of what you are getting into. Especially, if you don’t know a computer science background.

For example- Swayam, NPTEL, Coursera, and Futurelearn are some of the ways that can help you with this task.

The additional courses that can help you on your path to becoming a bioinformatics scientist include-

Certificate Courses in Bioinformatics- are available for all types of students: Beginner, intermediate, and advanced.

Professional certificate courses.

Diploma Courses,

In addition to PG Diploma Courses.

Henry Harvin’s Bioinformatics Course:

When looking for a Bioinformatics Certificate Course the name of Henry Harvin immediately comes to our mind. They have accreditations like MSME, UKAF, UKCert, PMI as well as Ministry of Corporate Affairs and ISO certifications.

In addition to this, they provide more than 7000 classes per month in more than 97 countries.

Certainly, Henry Harvin is one of the top Edtech companies and offers more than 1200 courses. They have won many awards. Along with this, they have partnerships with more than 110 colleges and 180 Corporates.

Without further delay let’s jump into the features of the Bioinformatics course offered by Henry Harvin.

Major Highlights of the Bioinformatics Course-

First and foremost they provide a 9-in-1 course along with Gold membership benefits.
Course Duration- 48 hours
Along with Instructor-led Online classes.
In addition to Self-paced learning – 192 hours.
24*7 help for solving doubts.
Also includes- Graded quizzes, Assignments, mini-projects, and capstone projects.
Job support.
Internship.
Importantly Industry experts and experienced trainers teach this course.
Apart from this, Excellent course materials and syllabi.
Not only this they also cover many important skills and tools.
Last but not least on course completion they provide a Globally recognized certificate.

Finally, some of the tools and skills this course covers are:

Search tools- NCBI and PubMed
BLAST, FASTA
Sequencing and Alignment.
Phylogenetics
Gap penalty and more

Course fee– Online live: INR 39,500

Self-paced: INR 35,500

Therefore with all these benefits and features, Henry Harvin is undoubtedly an excellent choice to enroll in. Indeed the course will provide you with a competitive edge. And will help you in your journey to become a bioinformatics scientist.

For more details and courses check out their official website!

Conclusion

Bioinformatics is a broad domain that combines the understanding of Biology and Maths in addition to Computer and IT skills. Hence, becoming a bioinformatics scientist can open the door to multiple career opportunities for the student. The work applications of bioinformatics scientists are found in the medical, agricultural, and industrial sectors.

Bioinformatics is a quickly developing area.

It is a subject of the future with many prospects. Therefore, becoming a bioinformatics scientist will give you an agreeable future.

FAQs

1. Which subject students can become a Bioinformatics scientist?

Those children who have Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. Also, those with Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Maths.

2. Is Bioinformatics a difficult subject to study?

This subject requires knowledge of many fields but with some effort, one can study it without difficulty.

3. Should I learn other skills to become a Bioinformatics scientist?

Yes. A student should have the following additional skills –

Communication skills,
Creative thinking and critical thinking,
Time management,
Problem-solving,
Lifelong learning skills.

4. What are the wages of Bioinformatics scientists?

They are provided a good salary that can be up to Rs. 8 lakhs to 9 lakhs in a year.

5. How long is the time of the Bachelor’s program?

If you are a PCB and doing a BSc then the time is 3 years. On the other hand, if you are a PCMB and you want to do a B.tech degree then it is 4 years.