Yet, for many students, biologists, and even computer scientists, the question is: “Where do I begin?” With so many platforms, books, and tutorials available, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.

To make it easier, I’ve compiled 10 excellent resources — ranging from beginner-friendly introductions to advanced computational genomics courses. Many of these are freely available, created by pioneers in the field, and widely used in classrooms and research labs worldwide.

Whether you are a complete beginner or looking to strengthen your foundations, these courses will help you build the skills needed to analyze biological data, design workflows, and think computationally about complex biological systems.

1. HarvardX Data Analysis for Genomics by Rafael Irizarry

From the almighty Rafa, this set of online courses (via edX/HarvardX) is a classic starting point for genomic data science and bioinformatics.

2. Applied Computational Genomics – Aaron Quinlan

Aaron Quinlan (creator of bedtools and many other tools) has made his course materials open. A practical, tool-driven genomics introduction.

3. Bioinformatics Algorithms (Coursera + Companion Book)

Find the highly visual video classes on Coursera, backed by the popular Bioinformatics Algorithms book.

4. The Biostar Handbook

Not a course per se, but a hands-on manual by Istvan (founder of Biostars.org) that’s even used in classes at Penn State.

5. Introduction to Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (by Shirley Liu)

A comprehensive introduction from Shirley Liu’s lab (Harvard DFCI). Covers both theory and computational practice.

6. Data Carpentry: Genomics Workshops

Community-driven training workshops that focus on practical, reproducible research. I was honored to serve as curriculum committee chair here.

7. Computational Genomics: Applied Comparative Genomics

From the Schatz Lab — applied comparative genomics with real-world data.

8. Introduction to Computational Biology (Mike Love, creator of DESeq2)

This course bridges statistics, biology, and computation — a solid primer for anyone entering computational biology.

9. MIT Computational Biology (6.047 / 6.878 / HST.507) by Manolis Kellis

Covers genomes, networks, evolution, and health. A deep-dive from MIT’s OpenCourseWare archive.

10. An Introduction to Applied Bioinformatics

An interactive textbook with Python code, designed for practical applied bioinformatics learning.

Population genetics: A concise guide. John Gillespie.The Johns Hopkins University Press (1997)•

Population genetics. J. S. Gale. Wiley (1980)•

Evolutionary genetics. John Maynard-Smith. Oxford University Press (1998)•

The growth of biological thought. Ernst Mayr. Harvard University Press (1985)•

Guns, germs and steel. Jared Diamond. W. W. Norton (2007)•

Evolutionary theory: Mathematical and conceptual foundations. Sean Rice. Oxford University Press (2004)

Few places in Europe where good (and @some places no tution fees) master bioinformatics courses and recommended are:

KU Leuven, Belgium

http://onderwijsaanbod.kuleuven.be/opleidingen/e/CQ_50269018.htm

ETH, Zurich

http://www.cbb.ethz.ch/

University of Copenhagen, Denmark

http://studies.ku.dk/masters/bioinformatics/

University of Helsinki, Finland

http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/en/mbi/

Stockholm University, Sweden

http://www.sbc.su.se/masters/

Universities in Netherlands

http://www.nbic.nl/education/msc-programmes/

TUM , Munich Germany

http://www.mastersportal.eu/studies/865/bioinformatics.html

University of Bergen, Norway

http://www.uib.no/en/studieprogram/MAMN-INF/BI/plan

Goethe-University in Frankfurt am Main

http://www.uni-frankfurt.de/58444439/mabi

Other links:

http://www.masterstudies.com/Masters-Degree/Bioinformatics/Europe/

https://studyinsweden.se/programmes/?query=bioinformatics&period=ht-2016&level=ma&subject=natural-science&university=#search

Novel diagnostic platform for detection of Osteoarthritis

I invite applications from highly motivated individuals to join my laboratory as a PhD student in Systems Biology at the University of Calgary McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health. This project is aimed at characterizing the networks of physical (protein-protein) interactions underlying inflammatory processes in patients with Osteoarthritis and how this differs from patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis and normal individuals. This work will eventually lead to the development of a novel diagnostic platform for the non-invasive and accurate detection of early Osteoarthritis. The selected candidate will use state-of-the-art computational methodologies to systematically analyze proteomic data, and develop /implement new algorithms to identify protein and functional interaction networks from high throughput experimental data. The individual will also benefit by working closely with experts at the UofC and UofA through an AIHS Alberta Osteoarthritis Team Grant which includes experts from all pillars of health research. The candidate will also be supported to attend bioinformatics workshops and conferences to advance and disseminate their research.
Qualifications: The ideal candidate will have a Master’s degree in Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, or equivalent with strong background knowledge of the Biological Sciences, Biochemistry, and Microbiology. The individual should additionally have experience in handling high-throughput data sets as well as programming skills. The candidate will be registered as a PhD student in Dr. Krawetz’s laboratory, located in the new state-of-the-art Health Research Innovation Centre at the UofC. The individual will have strong verbal and written skills and the ability to work efficiently in a team environment.

In addition to the outstanding research opportunities available in this setting, students also enjoy the many cultural and sporting amenities provided in the city of Calgary, and can take advantage of the unparalleled skiing and hiking in the Rocky Mountains that are less than an hour away.

Candidates must be academically competitive and will be expected to apply for external funding. The stipend is $25,000/yr. For outstanding PhD students, internal top-up award opportunities are available on a competitive basis. If interested in joining the lab, please contact Dr. Krawetz directly at rkrawetz@ucalgary.ca and provide the following information:

- Short cover letter explaining your interest in the lab
- Resume
- Scanned copy of transcript or listing of course grades
- Names and contact information for two individuals who will be willing to provide letters of reference

The course topics will include theoretical and practical aspects in:
- Genomes comparisons,
- Evolutionary analyses (orthologs, paralogs and ancestral genomes
inference),
- RNAseq and Next Generation Sequencing (including algorithms, methods
and sequence mapping tools, data analyses and applications).

The course programme will be centred on theoretical presentations
followed by practical sessions. Practical sessions in a Linux
environment will involve Unix shell and Perl scripting. Participants
are assumed to be familiar with this environment.

A series of lectures delivered by prominent scientists on recent hot
topics in genome (Viruses, Prokaryotes, Eukaryotes) studies will be
included in the programme and future research perspectives will be
highlighted.

The topics that will be included in the course programme are similar
to those included in previously organized courses:http://www.pasteur.fr/~tekaia/BGA_courses.html

The course is aimed at motivated Ph.D students and Post-Doctoral
Researchers in Academic Institutions, with background in Mathematics,
Statistics, Biology or Computer Science and who are involved in
Bioinformatics and Genomes studies.

Selection of participants will be based on their background, running
research projects and on expressed motivations.
Selected students will have free accommodation and meals and are
expected to contribute with 200 euros and to pay for their travel
expenses.
All participants (students and invited speakers) will stay in the same
hotel.

Detailed indications are available on the course web site: http://events.embo.org/14-comparative-genomics/index.html

Candidates are advised to complete carefully the application form,
together with an abstract of at least one of their running projects, a
"one-page CV" and a personal Identity Picture (Photo).

The application deadline is March 14, 2014.

The organizers:
Menelaos Manoussakis, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens, Greece.
Evdokia Karagouni, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens - Greece.
Evie Melanitou, Institut Pasteur Paris - France.
Fredj Tekaia ( Institut Pasteur Paris France)
URL: http://www.pasteur.fr/~tekaia/BGA_courses.html

Date: 5 – 17 May, 2014.
More at http://events.embo.org/14-comparative-genomics/index.html
will take place in the ,

Position Paper Submission Extension: October 9, 2014 
Regular Paper Authors Notification: November 3, 2014 
Position Paper Authors Notification: November 6, 2014 
Regular and Position Paper Camera Ready and Registration: November 17, 2014 

Address of the bookmark: http://www.bioinformatics.biostec.org/

.NET Bio

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/msr_er/archive/2011/10/18/microsoft-biology-foundation-evolves-into-new-toolkit-net-bio.aspx

A language-neutral bioinformatics toolkit built using the Microsoft 4.0 .NET Framework to help developers, researchers, and scientists.

AMPHORA ("AutoMated Phylogenomic infeRence Application")

http://wolbachia.biology.virginia.edu/WuLab/Software.html

Metagenomics analysis software

Anduril

http://www.anduril.org/anduril/site/

Component-based workflow framework for data analysis

Armadillo workflow platform

Tool for designing and executing phylogenetic workflows

AutoDock

http://autodock.scripps.edu/

suite of automated docking tools

Biochemical Algorithms Library (BALL)

http://www.ball-project.org/

C++ library and framework for molecular modeling and visualization designed for rapid prototyping

Bio4j

http://bio4j.com/

Bio4j is a bioinformatics platform and graph based database built around most data available in UniProt KB(Swiss-Prot + TrEMBL), Gene Ontology (GO), UniRef (50,90,100), RefSeq, NCBI taxonomy, and Expasy Enzyme DB

Bioclipse

www.bioclipse.net

Visual platform for chemo- and bioinformatics based on the Eclipse Rich Client Platform (RCP).

Bioconductor

http://www.bioconductor.org/

R (programming language) language toolkit

Bioinformatics Learning Tutorial (BLT)

http://sourceforge.net/projects/biotutorial/

Educational interactive tutorials and 3D animations for Replication, Transcription, and Translation

BioHaskell

http://biohaskell.org/

Haskell (programming language)

BioJava

http://biojava.org/wiki/Main_Page

Java (programming language)

BioMOBY

http://biomoby.org/

registry of web services

BioPerl

http://www.bioperl.org/wiki/Main_Page

Perl language toolkit

BioPHP

http://www.biophp.org/

PHP language toolkit

Biopython

http://biopython.org/wiki/Main_Page

Python language toolkit

BioRails

https://github.com/biorails

a data management system designed to support researchers in drug discovery

BioRuby

http://bioruby.org/

Ruby language toolkit

BioSmalltalk

https://code.google.com/p/biosmalltalk/

Smalltalk language toolkit

BioUno

http://www.biouno.org/

BioUno is a project that applies Continuous Integration tools and techniques in Bioinformatics. It uses Jenkins and its plug-in API to create biology workflows and manage computer clusters.

caCORE

ontologic representation environment

caArray

https://cabig-stage.nci.nih.gov/community/tools/caArray

ontologic representation environment

EMBOSS

http://emboss.sourceforge.net/

Suite of packages for sequencing, searching, etc.

Gaggle

https://www.gaggle.net/

A framework for interoperability between systems biology software

Galaxy

http://galaxyproject.org/

Scientific workflow and data integration system

GenePattern

http://www.broadinstitute.org/cancer/software/genepattern/

Scientific workflow system that provides access to more than 150 genomic analysis tools

GeWorkbench

http://wiki.c2b2.columbia.edu/workbench/index.php/Home

Genomic data integration platform

GMOD

http://www.gmod.org/wiki/Main_Page

Toolkit for addressing many common challenges at biological databases.

GeneProf

http://www.geneprof.org/GeneProf/

A web-based, bioinformatics software suite for the analysis of functional genomics experiments, e.g. RNA-seq or ChIP-seq.

GeneTalk

http://www.gene-talk.de/

Tool for filtering sequence variants in VCF files. Network for scientists and clinicians for expertise and knowledge exchange. Database of annotations aboute sequence variants with clinically relevant information.

GenGIS

http://kiwi.cs.dal.ca/GenGIS/Main_Page

Application that allows users to combine digital map data with information about biological sequences collected from the environment.

GenomeSpace

http://www.genomespace.org/

Centralized web application that provides data format transformations and facilitates connections with other bioinformatics tools

GENtle

http://directory.fsf.org/wiki/GENtle

An equivalent to the proprietary Vector NTI, a tool to analyze and edit DNA sequence files

Integrated Genome Browser

http://bioviz.org/igb/

Java-based desktop genome browser

Integrative Genomics Viewer (IGV)

http://www.broadinstitute.org/igv/

High-performance desktop tool for interactive visual exploration of diverse genomic data

IntAct

http://www.ebi.ac.uk/intact/

molecular interaction database

InterMine

http://intermine.github.io/intermine.org/

Extensive data warehouse system for the analysis and integration of biological datasets

Java Treeview

http://jtreeview.sourceforge.net/

microarray data viewer

LabKey Server

http://labkey.com/

platform for integrating, analyzing and sharing data

OpenClinica

https://www.openclinica.com/

software for capturing and managing data in clinical trials

PromKappa

http://xbioinformatics.wordpress.com/tag/promkappa/

PromKappa (Promoter analysis by Kappa) software program used for promoter pattern generation and promoter analysis.

MeV: Multi-Experiment Viewer

http://www.tm4.org/mev.html

a desktop application for the analysis, visualization and data-mining of large-scale genomic data

PathVisio

http://www.pathvisio.org/

a desktop software for drawing, analysis and visualization of biological pathways

REDCRAFT

software for determining tertiary protein structure given assigned Residual Dipolar Coupling data

SAM Tools

Data format (SAM) and accompanying tool suite, for storing large nucleotide sequence alignments

Staden Package

Sequence assembly, editing and analysis, primarily consisting of gap4, gap5 and spin.

STAMP

Software package for analyzing metagenomic profiles that promotes ‘best practices’ in choosing appropriate statistical techniques and reporting results.

supraHex

An open-source R/Bioconductor package for omics data analysis using a supra-hexagonal map

Taverna workbench

Tool for designing and executing workflows

TGAC Browser

Genome Browser, visualisation solutions for big data in the genomic era

T-REX WebServer

Bioinformatics and phylogenetics webserver (NJ, PhyML, RAxML, MAFFT, MUSCLE, Newick viewer, Horizontal gene transfer detection, Reticulograms, Substitution models)

UGENE

integrated bioinformatics tools

Visomics

bioinformatics tools for omics data

Genome Analysis Toolkit 1.0 (GATK 1.0)

a software package to analyse next-generation resequencing data

• Bioconductor – A plethora of tools for analysis and comprehension of high-throughput genomic data, including 1500+ software packages. [ paper-2004 | web ]
• Biopython – Freely available tools for biological computing in Python, with included cookbook, packaging and thorough documentation. Part of the Open Bioinformatics Foundation. Contains the very useful Entrez package for API access to the NCBI databases. [ paper-2009 | web ]
• Bioconda – A channel for the conda package manager specializing in bioinformatics software. Includes a repository with 3000+ ready-to-install (with conda install) bioinformatics packages. [ paper-2018 | web ]
• BioJulia – Bioinformatics and computational biology infastructure for the Julia programming language. [ web ]
• Rust-Bio – Rust implementations of algorithms and data structures useful for bioinformatics. [ paper-2016 ]
• SeqAn – The modern C++ library for sequence analysis.