Bangalore-based junior bioinformatics associate Costerwell Khyriem on deciphering the complexities of life as a career option
ADVANCEMENTS IN technology supplement advancement in science. Over the past three decades, biological scientists has diverge from a limited based research where they can focus on a few entity of their interest to a massive multiple entity based research. The mammoth quantity of data and information generated from such studies is too vast for humans to analyse. Hence, the requirement of a computer aided fast but robust dissection of the such data.
This approach gave rise to a whole new field in bioscience – bioinformatics and computational biology. It is field with a whole new approach where an aspirant need not perform the chemical mixing portion of the experiment but he/she analyse the data using the quadrangle machine.
Of course, to be a bioinformatician or a computational biologist one must learn how to use the computer beyond typing, clicking and opening applications. One must learn how to write programs and make computers do the work for them. A bioinformatician or a computational biologist is required to learn languages used in giving instructions to computer to make it perform tasks of your desire; C, C++, Perl, JAVA, Shell scripting, SQL and HTML to name a few of those few. Students from diverse background (BSc and MSc in any field ) did find success as computational biologist or a bioinformatician.
Many institutes in India offer diploma ,bachelor’s and master’s degree for students interested the field. The North Eastern Hill University offers a master’s degree in bioinformatics. The Institute of Bioinformatics and applied bioinformatics, Bangalore, however, provides a master’s degree in both bioinformatics and biotechnology. Over a span of two years you will be trained and educated to handle both sides of bioscience. This will definitely give you an advantage over those who has a degree in only one of those fields. An added advantage, IBAB is know to host seminar by world appraised scientists and noble laureates.
Another major advantage of an aspirant in such a field is that he/she will have a footing on the information technology industries. Since learning computer programming languages is a requirement in Bioinformatics. One will have the ability to write tools and softwares. Many individuals from this field have manage to create applications for smart phones (Android , Mac, Windows, JAVA, symbian, etc.). Hence, you will not be limit in your career choice if one chooses.
The computer and biology symbiosis is here to stay. Future scientific progress will depend heavily in the advancement of storage, computing, optical and processing devices.
As in today, the conceptual idea in bioinformatics is a requirement in the syllabus of many biological field like biochemistry, botany, zoology and biotechnology. This is an inkling to the path where the future is heading!