r/learnbioinformatics

Hi everyone! I’m a biotechnology undergraduate from India planning to apply for Fall 2027 and would really appreciate some advice on my profile and university shortlist.
Profile:
B.Sc. (Hons.) Biotechnology, 4-year degree
Currently in 7th semester
CGPA: 7.85/10
Previous biotech/bioinformatics-related research/internship exposure
Currently learning Python + bioinformatics tools
Planning to build a small computational biology project and put it on GitHub
Planning a 6-month Bioinformatics/Computational Biology dissertation from Jan–June 2027
No publication currently but im working on one
IELTS planned; GRE not taken yet
Current US shortlist:
University at Buffalo
Case Western Reserve University
Saint Louis University
I’m also considering Canada, Germany mainly looking for good ROI, scholarships/TA/RA opportunities and strong job prospects.
I’d love advice on:
How realistic are my chances at these universities?
Should I choose Bioinformatics/Computational Biology vs Biotechnology?
What other universities would be good targets for my profile?
How much would a GitHub computational project + upcoming dissertation strengthen my application?
Would really appreciate advice from international students who have gone through the same process!

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I am doing an internship this summer as a biostatistician intern and have been processing large vcf files separated by chromosomes. Each file is more than 100 GB.

I'm running everything on a SLURM cluster using Bash and  bcftools for things like:

- calculating VCF statistics

- filtering by rsID, patients, chromosome location

- calculating allele frequencies,

- generating filtered VCFs

Actual difficult part for me is not the commands but it is constantly checking squeue or my email for logs, checking whether an output file was actually created, figuring out whether a job railed halfway through, etc. I feel like I am spending a lot of time towards this.

I am curious how people who have more experience handle this. Do you use any tools/framework that makes that process easier.

I working with SLURM, bash and bcftools on google cloud processing so Im interested to see what people do in similar computing environments.

PS : I have computer science and statistics background so my wording of certain terms may be off.

Hi

I did my msc in biotechnology in 2004 and ever since was busy with kids and house.now I think I can concentrate on my career.i want to do PhD in molecular science and need to make my cv attractive. I have 1year time.which online courses skill should I learn.chat gpt suggested blast python R+ and some other stuff I forgot.where can I learn these for free.also how to use Github to do an independent project.

Thanks

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I've a bachelor's in math with minors in physics and cs. I'm going to do a master's in computer application. How do I get started with computational biology? How do I learn it? Can anyone show me a road map?

Hi everyone!

I’ve recently started my BS in Bioinformatics and I’m trying to figure out how I should actually start learning the subject properly.

I have a basic understanding of biology, but I have essentially zero coding/programming knowledge. I also don’t want to just study enough to pass my university exams — I genuinely want to understand bioinformatics and build useful skills over the next few years.

I’m a little overwhelmed by all the resources available, so I’d really appreciate advice from people who have experience in the field.

Specifically:

- Which books would you recommend for a complete beginner?

- Which websites/courses are actually worth following?

- Are there any good YouTube channels or playlists for learning bioinformatics?

- How should I start learning Python/programming from absolute zero?

- What programming languages/tools should I eventually learn for bioinformatics?

- How should I balance biology/theoretical concepts with coding and computational skills?

- Are there any beginner-friendly projects I could do while learning?

- Is there a particular order/path you would recommend (e.g. biology → Python → statistics → bioinformatics tools, etc.)?

Basically, if you could go back to the very beginning, what would you learn and in what order?

Any advice, resources, roadmaps, or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!