Dr Altan Kara is a Bioinformatics specialist at the faculty of Gene Engineering and Biotechnology Institute at TUBITAK MAM Research Center. His research interest revolves around the cancer informatics and computational aided-drug design. I applaud Dr Altan for clearly setting out both his expectations of people that join his lab/university in addition to listing his responsibilities to his research members at TUBITAK MAM Research Institüte. Hopefully, this interview will prove useful to others in the field, especially to those who are just starting their bioinformatics careers.

You can find out more about Dr Altan by visiting his (well documented) lab page (http://gmbe.mam.tubitak.gov.tr/en) and BOL page http://bioinformaticsonline.com/profile/altan . And now, on to the BOL:“Tryst with a Bioinformatician” interview series ...

• What push you to join Computational Biology/Bioinformatics?

According to me, bioinformatics is the center of modern biological research and if a researcher wants to discover new biological insights by evaluating the globally produced biological data to derivate unified solutions for specific biological problems, learning bioinformatics is the only way to achieve this goal.

• What fascinates you about Computational Biology/Bioinformatics?

It's flexibility. As well known, there are highly diverse and complex biological questions are waiting to be enlightened and it's impossible to bring solutions to this diversity by using similar approaches. Thus, the employed method has to be unique for the targeted biological problem and by using bioinformatics tools this can be easily achieved. 

• What is the one word you would use to describe yourself?

Bioinformatician. :)

• Can you please describe your research work in a nutshell for BOL users.

At my current Institute, I am working in the field of cancer bioinformatics. Briefly, the overall aim of the project which I am working for (AKMARK (Project CODE:5153403)) is, applying a bioinformatics-supported genome, transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome analysis to reveal the molecular profile of the disease through an integrated approach, and to develop an early diagnosis and scanning kit based on this profile. Alterations in the gene, transcript, protein, and metabolite profiles between normal tissue, normal tissue adjoined to the tumor (reactive stroma), tumor tissue, lymph node metastasis, and blood samples taken from the same patient and the reflection of these changes in some other selected body fluids will be revealed within the scope of the project. The molecular structures involved in the development and progression of NSCLC will be determined and relations with the clinical, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging and histology will be made. The development of a diagnostic kit for immediate clinical purposes and an electrochemical biosensor for quick on-site applications are targeted through the development of a number of antibody and aptamer formed against the most specific biomarker selected from the panel.

• Is there anything else we should know about you and your research?

Besides AKMARK, I am also in preparation of having a side project that aims for the development of a computational method to design inhibitors for prokaryotic two-component systems. In this project, I will be in collaboration with Prof. Maria Kontoyianni, SIUE: Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, School of Pharmacy.

• What was your greatest scientific disappointment in life till now?

So far I do not experience any memorable scientific disappointment in my life. :)

• What major research challenges and problems did you face yet? How did you handle them?

The major challenge which I faced so far in my scientific career was predicting the interaction between the prokaryotic two-component proteins. To be able to accurately predict the interactions between these proteins, I create a meta-predictor by using a support vector machine. By using this technique I integrated six different protein-protein interaction methods in a way to cover disadvantage of one method with the advantage of another one. The meta-predictor which I developed during this work is accessible via http://metapred2cs.ibers.aber.ac.uk/ and for more detailed information about the system the articles with the PMID IDs; PMID: 27378293 and PMID: 26384938 can be read.

• What's your all-time favourite bioinformatics package, and why?

For me, the best bioinformatics package is R/Bioconductor. The reason why I like this package is, it provides lots of useful tools for comprehensive analysis and comparison of high-throughput experimental data in an integrated manner and besides lots of the packages it provides, it is open source and also open for development. As a result, it provides strong and flexible ways to do science.

• In bioinformatics, do you see yourself in which of the following roles-scientist, analyst, developer, engineer or pure academician?

Scientist / Developer.

• What will you like to accomplish in next five years / ten years?

For my current research, I would like to design a pipeline to automatically integrate and analyse omics data for cancer research which will be specifically aiming for biomarker and novel drug target discovery. In addition to this, I also like to develop another pipeline for prokaryotic TCS protein structure prediction and inhibitor design.

• When you will be retired, what would you tell next generation bioinformaticians?

Bioinformatics is not all about scripting and researchers who study in this field should never expect a tool to do their analyses for them. Besides computational skills, a bioinformatician must have a strong biological background in his/her research area which will allow them to understand if anything went wrong during their run by only looking at the results instead of just blindly trusting the output of the bioinformatics tools.

• What you always miss in bioinformatics when you will no longer working in this field?

Bioinformatics is open to doing multi-discipliner research with scientists all around the world. As a result, while I studying in this field I can interactively learn a lot from wide range research community. I think this is the one thing which I will miss the most.

• If there will be bioinformatics company owned by you in future, What are your company focus and aim?

With the increasing amount of data in databases, there is already a massive need for effective methods to eliminate the manipulated data and reach to clean/useful information. As days pass, the requirement of data mining will be the first step of any research project. For this reason, the major goal of my bioinformatics company will be developing effective tools to eliminate manipulated datasets and information that exist in the literature and provide trustworthy clean information/datasets for researchers.

• How much bioinformatics change in 2050, according to your wild imagination?

Bioinformatics is a field that constantly and dynamically changes. As the bioinformatics progress, new tools and methods become available and they provide a better application of existing methods or totally new methods that offer an alternative solution to various biological problems. A long with these updates, developers also provide easy to use GUIs for most of the tools. Considering this, if the field carries on developing like this, every single researcher with a strong biological background can be able to perform bioinformatics analyses by him/herself without needing a professional help. As a result, almost all of the bioinformaticians will be responsible just for development of new methods/tools.

• What would one piece of advice you give someone who's trying to reinvent themselves and enter into bioinformatics sector?

Bioinformatics is a wide field with a lot of career options. Thus, if a researcher likes to step into this field first he/she should be clear about the branch of the bioinformatics they like to study in. Following to this decision they should first learn at least one programing language and investigate the ways of how other researcher employed that language in their researches and WHY? A researcher, in this field, should never create and use copy paste scripts but always must understand WHY the other researcher worked in that way. Knowing the answer of this question is the only way to learn bioinformatics. Besides, a researcher in the field of bioinformatics (from any branch) must always be good about the environmental control. In other words, one should always easily control input output directories, modify files or directories, annotate and modify employed scripts during the research and should not allow any confusion during the different stages of the research. Finally, they should not blindly trust the output of a tool/software but do a benchmarking test for each of the tools which they decided to utilise in their research. In addition to this, even if the tools pass the benchmarking, researchers should have a good biological background in their field to tell if anything when wrong during the process by only looking the output(s) of the employed pipelines/packages/tools.  

A walk-in Interview for the following position tenable at the Bioinformatics Infrastructure Facility (BIF), Department of Biotechnology, Alagappa University will be held at the Department of Biotechnology, Science Campus, Alagappa University, Karaikudi 630 004 on 03.08.2013 (Saturday) at 12:30 PM. This national facility is funded by the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, New Delhi. The main objectives of the Centre involve teaching and research activities in bioinformatics/biotechnology.

1. Studentship (One Post):

Stipend : Rs. 5000 p.m. (consolidated)

Qualification: M.Sc., in Bioinformatics/Biotechnology/Biophysics/Biochemistry/
Life Sciences

Interested candidates are encouraged to send their Curriculum Vitae by email to alagappauniv.btisnet@nic.in in advance. On the day of interview, the candidates must produce original certificates in proof of their educational qualification and experience and a recommendation letter from the Head of the Department/Institution where last studied/worked. Candidates who have already passed the required Degree alone are eligible to appear for interview. No TA&DA will be given for attending the interview.

Advertisement: http://www.alagappabiotech.org/Notification.pdf

We are now seeking a postdoc scholarship holder with strong background in transcriptomics to use this large collection of data for integrative studies. Focus will be on advanced bioinformatics and statistical analysis of data from high-throughput sequencing including integration with the other platforms.

The scholarship holder must have a PhD with an outstanding research and publication record and will be selected based on her/his excellence and her/his skills. A PhD should have been awarded less than five years before the deadline of the application. The scholarship holder must have a strong background in bioinformatics, computer science, computational biology or equivalent with a profound knowledge about biology and biostatistics.

Your complete application must be received at KTH no later than 2018-01-15.

https://www.kth.se/en/om/work-at-kth/stipendier/postdoctoral-scholarship-in-bioinformatics-with-focus-on-transcriptomics-and-data-integration-1.779571

This course is organized with support from the IAP “Belgian Medical Genomics Initiative”, SymBioSys and the Genomics Core.

For inquiries, please email Ms Narcisse Opdekamp ( narcisse.opdekamp@uzleuven.be ).

More at >> http://gc.uzleuven.be/

1. Accelrys Software Solution Pvt Ltd.
12th Floor, Discover, ITPL, White Field, Bangalore-65.
www.accelrys.com

2. Apticraft Systems (P) Ltd.
142, Electronics Complex, Pardeshipura, Indore – 452010 (M.P.), India
www.apticraft.com

3. Aptuit Informatics
Plot No. 100-103, Export Promotion Industrial Park, White Field, Bangalore-560066
www.aptiuit.com

4. Bigtec
J. K. Towers, 8th Block, Sangam Circle,46th Cross, Bangalore-560082.
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5. Bijam Biosciences Private Limited
Nagarjuna Hills, Hyderabad 500 082, India
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6. Bio Base Databases India Pvt Ltd.
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7. BioImagene India Pvt. Ltd.
4th floor, C-Wing, Godrej Eternia, Shivajinagar, Pune-411005
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8. BioInformatics Institute Of India – Noida
C-56 A/28, Sector -62, Noida – 201 301
www.bii.in

9. CLC bio India Pvt Ltd
#Plot No. 51, H.No. 8-3-214/51, Srinivasa Nagar (West) Ameerpet Hyderabad – 500 038
www.clcbio.com/india

10. CytoGenomics India (P) Ltd.
#3004, 12A Main HAL 2nd Stage, Bangalore 560008
www.silicocyte.com

11. Genotypic Technology
211, 6th Cross, 80ft Road, RMV II Stage, Bangalore 560094
www.genotypic.co.in

12. Genvea Biosciences
Dr. D. T. Singh, CSO, 53, Craig Rd. #04-01, Singapore-089691
www.genvea.com

13. Helix Info Systems
132 A, II Floor, Sterling Towers, IV Cross Street, Sterling Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai.
www.helixinfosystems.com

14. Jalaja Technologies Pvt. Ltd.,
21/1,Victoria Layout, Victoria Road, Bangalore-47
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15. Jubilant Biosys Ltd
#96, Industrial Subrub, 2nd Stage, Yeshwanthpur, Bangalore- 560022
Jubilant Organosys Ltd.
1A, Sector 16A, Noida – 201 301 (India)
www.jubl.com

16. Kshema Technologies
#1, Global Village, Mylasandra, Mysore Road, Bangalore-560 059.
www.mphasis.com

17. LabNetworx
B-704, Gitanjali Apartments, Vikas Marg Extension, New Delhi – 110 092
www.labnetworx.com

18. LabVantage Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
Bengal Intelligent Park, Building C, 2nd Floor, Sector V, Salt Lake Electronics Complex, Kolkata – 700 091
www.labvantage.com

19. LeadInvent, 
2nd Floor, Biotech Centre, University of Delhi, South Campus, Benito Juarez Road, New Delhi 110021, India
Contact no: +91 11 24119241
Email: contact@leadinvent.com
www.leadinvent.com

20. Mascon Life Sciences
B – 8/ 10, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi 110057, India
www.masconlifesciences.com

21. Molecular Connections P Ltd
Kandala Mansion, 2/2 Kariappa Road, Near Krishna Rao Park, Basavangudi, Bangalore – 4
www.molecularconnections.com

22.Novo Informatics Pvt. Ltd.
TBIU, 2nd Floor, Synergy Building, Indian Institute of Technology, Hauz Khas, New Delhi-16.
Contact: 91-11-26581524, 91-11-26581766(Extension: 28)
Email: info@novoinformatics.com
www.novoinformatics.com

23. Ocimum Biosolutions (India) Ltd
6th Floor, Reliance Classic, Road No.1 Banjara Hills, Hyderabad 500 034, India.
www.ocimumbio.com

24. Scube Scientific Software Solutions
613, Hemkunt Chambers, 89, Nehru Place, New Delhi -110 019
www.scribeindia.com

25. Siri Technologies Pvt Ltd.
38/C -23, South End Road, Basavanagudi, Bangalore-56004.
www.siritech.com

26. Strand Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd.
#237, Sir C. V. Raman Avenue, Raj Mahal Vilas, Bangalore 560 080 INDIA
www.strandls.com

27. SooryaKiran Bioinformatics (P) Ltd
TBIC-13, Tejaswini Building, Technopark, Thriruvananthapuram- 695 584, Keralam, India

Ph: +91 471 4060979,+91 9895404104
Email: reachus@sooryakiran.com
http://www.sooryakiran.com

28. Systat Software Asia Pacific
4th Floor, Block 1, Shankar Narayan Building, No.25, MG Road, Bangalore – 560001
www.systat.com

29. ABC Genomics (India) Pvt. Ltd.
Biotech Park, Sector G, Jankipuram, Kursi Road, Lucknow-226021, U.P., INDIA
Tel +91-522-4068579, Email: director@abcgenomics.com
www.abcgenomics.com

30. en-GENE-ier's Core Technology Services,
1/340, Virat Khand, Gomtinagar, 
(Near Maharaja Agrasen Public School)
lucknow-226010, U.P., India.
http://www.bio.egicore.com/

Best of luck for your job hunts :).

Address of the bookmark: http://readiab.org/

The project involves identification and characterization of transcription factors (TFs) from the Arabidopsis shoot apical meristem stem cell niche using genomic approaches and construction of a gene regulatory network for the identified TFs.

Positions: 1

Duration: 1 year but extendable up to three years based on performance and availability of funds.

Emoluments: As per DST rules.

Essential Qualifications: M.Sc. in any branch of life sciences with excellent academic record with CSIR-UGC NET or DBT-JRF. Candidate having previous work experience in the area of bioinformatics, molecular biology and genetics is preferred, but not required.

How to Apply: Applicants are requested to send a cover letter outlining previous research experiences and reasons for joining this position. Please send your complete bio-data including the cover letter as PDF attachment by email to Dr. Ram Yadav at ryadav@iisermohali.ac.in

Last date of submission is 17.00 IST, August 10, 2013.

Advertisement: www.iisermohali.ac.in/project_openings.html#29

Courses

Old courses (2012-2014)

Metagenomics Workshop

2015 November - Uppsala
2016 November - Uppsala
2017 November - Uppsala

Introduction to Bioinformatics Using NGS Data

2015 February - Uppsala 
2015 May - Gothenburg
2015 September - Uppsala
2015 November - Lund
2016 January - Uppsala
2016 April - Linköping
2016 September - Uppsala
2016 November - Umeå
2017 January - Uppsala
2017 May - Gothenburg
2017 September - Lund
2017 November - Uppsala
2018 February - Uppsala

Introduction to Genome Annotation

2015 April - Uppsala
2016 April - Uppsala
2017 April - Uppsala
2018 May - Uppsala

De Novo Genome Assembly

2016 November - Uppsala
2017 November - Uppsala

RNA-seq course

2015 October - Uppsala
2016 April - Uppsala
2016 October - Uppsala
2017 March - Uppsala
2017 November - Uppsala
RNAseq tutorials

R Programming Foundations for Life Scientists

2016 November - Uppsala
2017 Mars - Uppsala

Single cell RNA sequencing analysis

2017 October - Uppsala

Address of the bookmark: https://scilifelab.github.io/courses/

1. 2 Eggs and 100 Floor Classic Puzzle
2. Five pirates and gold coin Puzzle
3. Six pirates and Gold Coin puzzle
4. Probability of having boy
5. Random Airplane Seats
6. Inverted playing card puzzle
7. Flipping Coins Puzzle
8. Three hat colors Microsoft Puzzle
9. 25 horses 5 tracks Puzzle
10. Gold Bar Puzzle
11. Crossing the Bridge Puzzle
12. Will you accept the bet?
13. The Puzzle of 100 Hats
14. Man fell in Well Puzzle
15. Minimum Number of Weigths
16. One Bulb with 3 Switches
17. Find the minimum number of aircraft
18. Burning ropes to measure time
19. Connect 3 houses with 3 wells
20. Measure 9 minutes from 2 hourglasses puzzle
21. Ant and Triangle Problem
22. The Man in the Elevator
23. Find the survivor
24. Free the prisoners puzzle
25. GREAT STRATEGY CAN ONLY SAVE LIFE

Specially for Microsoft Interview Puzzles, you may refer,
Top 15 Microsoft Interview Puzzles
Microsoft Interview Puzzles

Other MOST COMMON Interview Puzzles-
Top 25 Tech Interview Logical Puzzles

Each of the puzzles got repeated a number of times in interviews even for top tech companies 

4 Programme Officer 1
5 Technical Research Assistant 1

Minimum Educational Qualification, desirable experience and expected duties:

4: The applicants should be Postgraduates with experience in Data collection and Statistics, especially in Biotechnology-related data.

Expected duties: Collection of Biotechnology related information from India, to facilitate the Apex BTIC experts committee review of programmes at centres and R&D programs funded by DBT.

5: The applicants should be Postgraduates in Science with experience in Bioinformatics-related projects.
Expected duties: The candidates will assist the senior staff of the centre in daily activities and help in the preparation of the Annual Training Calendar, seminar and training podcasts/videos, repository of training material and Apex BTIC Newsletter.

Interested candidates should submit their full, updated Curriculum Vitae with a detailed description of relevant experience, along with two references by December 14th, 2018, addressed to, The Chairperson, DBT- Apex BTIC, ICGEB, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110067, Email: abtic@icgeb.res.in, kindly write “Application for DBT Apex BTIC vacancy” in the subject of the email or envelope, if sending by post.

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