Bioinformatics course focuses on employing existing bioinformatic resources, primarily web-based programs, and databases to access a wealth of data to answer questions relevant to the average biology and is highly practical.
The eligibility criteria for pursuing BSc in Bioinformatics courses is 10+2 with science subjects mandatory. The applicant must have a minimum of 50% aggregate marks with basic knowledge of chemistry, physics, and biology. For admission to MSc in Bioinformatics courses, candidates must have a bachelor’s degree in respective subjects. For getting admission to Ph.D. in bioinformatics, a bachelor’s and master’s degree is required.
The top universities that offer this career in bioinformatics are Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Calcutta University, Institute of Bioinformatics ( Bangalore), Banaras Hindu University, etc. Admissions to Bioinformatics courses are usually done on the basis of entrance exams like GATE, JEST, Bioinformatics National Certification Exam (BINC) etc. However there are some colleges who grant admissions on the basis of merit as well.
Post completing the course there are various career opportunities available for students of different streams. Job prospects are everywhere from research institutes to industries in biotechnology, biomedical sciences, hospitals, and pharmaceuticals.
2.1 Top Job Profiles
2.2 Top Recruiters
Bioinformatics Scope in India: Pros & Cons
Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary field that deals with the dissemination, acquisition, biological data, and analysis. Bioinformatics brings several benefits to crop improvement, health care, drug discovery, forensic analysis, and many more. Bioinformatics professionals must have a good understanding of genetics and biology and a solid background in computer science.
Some pros and cons of a career in bioinformatics are given below:
Pros of Bioinformatics Courses,
- Bioinformatics professionals are equipped with a wide range of knowledge and skills in biology and computer science to utilize multiple skill sets.
- Bioinformatics graduates can teach in government and private colleges, work in the scientific research institutes and manufacturing units of biomedical products. Biotechnology firms and Biotechnology research centers recruit students from the bioinformatics background for future research.
- Bioinformatics specialists can perform a wide variety of tasks and often have more practical experience writing code than computer science graduates.
- Bioinformatics plays an essential role in biomedical research.
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Bioinformatics specialists are involved in medicine and biological science advancement.
Cons of Bioinformatics Courses
- Bioinformatics professionals, especially scientists, must commit to a long period of education and training.
- Succeeding in this field requires extensive skill, knowledge, and experience.
- Keeping up with the developments in bioinformatics and the latest technologies requires lifelong learning.
- Bioinformatics specialists work long hours, often above 40 hours per week.
Bioinformatics Jobs and Scope
Bioinformatics has become known as an emerging field of science and the career prospects in this field are increasing rapidly. The degree holders can work in the fields of research institutes, pharmaceutical, hospital, biomedical, and biotechnology. Candidates have scope in all industries where information technology of molecular biology is used. The need for medical science is increasing. It has become one of the highest paying sectors and is growing continuously.
Candidates can teach in government and private colleges, work in scientific research institutes and manufacturing units of biomedical products, and biotechnology firms to recruit students from bioinformatics backgrounds for future research.
The starting salary of a bioinformatician can be 2 to 2.5 lakhs in India. Salary increases with experience and knowledge; with 1-2 experience, candidates can get 3 to 4 lakhs per annum package. The average salary of a bioinformatics analyst is 2.5 lakh per annum.
Bioinformatics graduates can work as “bioinformatics” and work in major IT companies.
A variety of career opportunities are available for students of different streams, Phylogeneticist, Scientist Curator, Protein Analyst, Gene Analyst, Research Scientist/ Associate, Computational Biologist, Bioinformatics Software Developer, Database Programmer, Network Administrator/ Analyst, Pharmacogenomics, Cheminformatician, Structural Analyst, Database Programmer, Bio-Statistician, Molecular Modeler, Pharmacogenetician, Research Scientist/ Associate.
There are a lot of scope and job opportunities for candidates as laboratories abroad and foreign firms also hire bioinformatics candidates.
Top Job Profiles
| Job Profile | Job Description | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Bioinformatics scientist | The major responsibility of bioinformatics scientists is to develop software applications and databases to analyze biological data. | INR 2.5 |
| Bioinformatician | Bioinformatics typically analyzes and calculates data and builds customized algorithms and program pipelines based on the data. | INR 6 lakh |
| Bioinformatics Analyst | Bioinformatics analysts build databases on bioinformatics to help researchers find cures for diseases as well as ensure that the database is organized and up to date. | INR 8 Lakh |
| Application Scientist | Application scientists work in the field where they help clients do their jobs and work on collaborative projects. | INR 5 lakh |
| Research Associate | A research scientist is primarily tasked with gathering knowledge and understanding research | INR 3 lakh |
| Associate Research Scientist | They perform various laboratory tests and analyze project information, research may include a medical test with laboratory equipment. | INR 15 Lakh |
| Bioinformatics Trainer | Bioinformatics trainers train graduate and postgraduate students using bioinformatics tools, methods, online software, theory in areas such as CADD, biotechnology, data analysis, computational drug discovery, pharmaceuticals, proteomics, computational biology, and next-generation sequencing. | INR 1 lakh |
| Medical Coder | Medical coders Work for health facilities where they convert patient information into standardized codes that are used for documentation for health insurance claims and databases. | INR 2.5 Lakh |
| Bio-Statistician | Bio-statistician design biological experiments in the agricultural and medical industries. They gather, evaluate, and translate raw data into significant information that can be used for research purposes. | INR 7 Lakh |
| Clinical Bioinformatician | Clinical Bioinformatician designs, evaluate implements and report findings on aimed statistical research studies. | INR 2 Lakh |
| Team leader, IT | A team leader supervises, directs, motivates, and monitors the performance of a group of people. | INR 9 lakh |
| Bioinformatics Developer | Work efficiently with production teams and stakeholders to implement database updates | IN9R lakh |
Top Recruiters
Many reputed companies attract the best talent and offer jobs. Some of the best organizations offering the best placement opportunities are as follows:
| Biscon | Accelrys | Strand Life Sciences |
| Jubilant Life Sciences Limited | IBM Life Sciences | Tata Consultancy Services |
| Wipro | Satyam | Ranbaxy |
| Torrent Pharmaceuticals | Reliance | Silicon Genetics and Tessela |
| CLC Bio India | Ocimum Biosolutions | Biobase Database India Private Limited |
Bioinformatics Scope in India: FAQs
Ques. What are some of the popular colleges in which we can pursue bioinformatics?
Ans. Some of the popular colleges in which candidates can pursue bioinformatics are:
- Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi
- Miranda House University, Delhi
- Netaji Subhas University of Technology, Delhi
- Lovely Professional University, Delhi
- Universal School of Biosciences, Delhi
Ques. Which are the entrance exams conducted for admission to the bioinformatics course?
Ans. The top entrance exams which are conducted for admission to the course in India are JNCASR (Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research Entrance Exam), GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering), JEST (Joint Entrance Screening Test), and CSIR UGC net exam.
Ques. Who can study this bioinformatics?
Ans. Candidates who have passed 10+2 in science subjects can do bioinformatics at the bachelor’s degree level. And candidates who have done bachelor’s degree in bioinformatics are eligible to do Master’s level and Ph.D. at Indian and foreign universities.
Ques. what are the top abroad colleges or universities offering bioinformatics?
Ans. The top abroad colleges or universities that are offering bioinformatics are the University of Queensland, Harvard University, University of Copenhagen, Stanford University, and University of New South Wales.
Ques. Is NEET necessary for Bioinformatics?
Ans. In some universities, there is a requirement for the writing of their entrance exam or any other entrance test like NEET. In the case of students from a non-medical background, admission is given based on their JEE ranking. Only those candidates who have bachelor’s degrees in computer science, bioinformatics, or biotechnology will be considered.
Ques. Is the bioinformatics course available online?
Ans. Yes, you can learn about bioinformatics courses online. “Coursera” is one of the known sites to apply for an online course for free of cost. Candidates can search for Bioinformatics algorithms on the Coursera site.
Ques. What are the Bioinformatics specializations?
Ans. There are many bioinformatics specializations available for candidates other than generic bioinformatics.
- Architecture and content of genomes
- Data mining
- Information content in RNA, DNA, protein sequence, and structure
- Complex systems analysis or genetics circuits
- Nucleic acid and protein sequence analysis
- Metabolic computing
- Evolutionary model building and phylogenetic analysis
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Data storage and retrieval, database structure, annotation
Ques. What are the job offers after completing M.Sc in bioinformatics?
Ans. There are many job offers after completing a master's in bioinformatics such as sequence analyst, computational chemist, data mining in charge, information developer, database maintenance manager, and many more.
Ques. What is the fee structure of B.Sc in bioinformatics in RGIIT?
Ans. First-year fees of B.Sc in bioinformatics in Rajiv Gandhi of Information Technology and Biotechnology is INR 70,000. It is a three-year course so its total fee is INR 2.10 lakh.
Ques. Which books and Study materials can we refer to for this course?
Ans. A list of some books and study materials that you can prefer for bioinformatics are following:
- Bioinformatics: Genes, Proteins, and Computers (by C.A. Orengo, D.T. Jones, J.M. Thornton)
- The Ten Most Wanted Solutions in Protein Bioinformatics (by Anna Tramontano)
- Algorithms in Bioinformatics (by Marcel Turcotte)
- Bioinformatics: A Practical Guide to the Analysis of Genes and Proteins (by Andreas D. Baxevanis, B.F. Francis Oullette)
- Bioinformatics and Protein Database Concept (by IIT Bombay)
- Bioinformatics Basics (by Hooman Rashidi, Lukas K. Buehler)
- Structural Bioinformatics (by Graham Kemp and Pre-GeorgNyholm)
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Introduction to Bioinformatics: A Theoretical and Practical Approach (by Stephen A. Krawetz, David D. Womble)
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