BOL: Related items

Ph.D. student in Computational Systems Biology

Tue, 10 Dec 2013 18:46:05 -0600

Ph.D. student in Computational Systems Biology

Location : The Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) at the University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Deadline for applications : unknown.
Description :

The Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) was created within the Health Technologies Initiative from the Government of Luxembourg as one of the research priorities of the University of Luxembourg. The LCSB is an Interdisciplinary Centre of the University that combines experimental and computational approaches to analyse complex biological systems and disease processes. The Computational Biology Group (CBG) provides the LCSB with a solid infrastructure in developing theoretical framework for computational modeling on biomedical problems, especially in the area of network biology in the context of cellular programming/reprogramming. The CBG group includes researchers with theoretical, computational and wet lab backgrounds, thereby providing an unusually interdisciplinary environment.
The Computational Biology Group seeks a highly-skilled Ph.D. student to work on an exciting project on reconstruction and analysis of an integrated gene regulatory network model to elucidate key mechanisms of cellular reprogramming. The model will rely on the integration and mining of diverse transcriptomics and epigenomics data of different cell types from the Central Nervous System. The Ph.D. student is expected to collaborate with other members of the CBG to develop a computational methodology aiming at designing, in-silico, cellular reprogramming events, with a focus on the nervous system. This project will be carried out in collaboration with Prof. Noel Buckleys lab at Kings College London.
Requirements of the ideal candidate:
Master degree in Bioinformatics, Computer Science, Biology or a related discipline
Prior experience in mathematical modelling of biological networks, especially in network inference and analysis
Excellent working knowledge in English.
.
We offer:
Full contract for Ph.D. student for three years with possibility of renewal
Opportunity to do applied research to medical problems within a highly dynamic research institution (LCSB) and in collaboration with internationally recognized partners
An exciting international environment
A very competitive salary

For further information, please contact:

Prof. Dr. Antonio del Sol
E-mail: antonio.delsol@uni.lu

Applications should contain the following documents:
A detailed curriculum vitae
cover letter mentioning the reference number
description of past research experience and future interests
name and addresses of three referees

All applications should be sent preferably in electronic version until December 31st, 2013 to the following address:

Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB)
University of Luxembourg
7, avenue des Hauts-Fourneaux
L-4362 Esch-sur-Alzette
Tel: +352-466644-6982 (Office)
Email: antonio.delsol@uni.lu
http://www.lcsb.lu

Bioinformatics: The Bridge Between Curiosity and Discovery

BioStar — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 05:16:49 -0600

In the sprawling universe of modern science, bioinformatics stands as one of the most transformative and empowering fields of our time. It is where biology meets computation, where data becomes meaning, and where curiosity becomes discovery. If you’ve stepped into this world—or are considering it—here’s your reminder: you’re part of a revolution.

Why Bioinformatics Matters More Than Ever

Every day, our world generates massive amounts of biological data—from genome sequences to microbiome profiles to real-time pathogen surveillance. Hidden within these datasets are the answers to some of the greatest challenges humanity faces: emerging diseases, antimicrobial resistance, environmental stress, genetic disorders, sustainable agriculture, and more.

Bioinformatics isn’t just a skill.
It’s the language of the future of biology.

By mastering it, you give yourself the power to:

Decode genomes and understand life at its most fundamental level

Identify patterns no microscope could ever reveal

Predict disease outbreaks before they occur

Accelerate drug discovery with computational precision

Contribute to open-source tools that empower scientists worldwide

You don’t just follow science—you drive it.

Every Expert Was Once a Beginner

Many newcomers feel intimidated. Command-line interfaces. R scripts. Python packages. Next-generation sequencing data. Complex machine learning models.

But here’s the truth: every bioinformatician started exactly where you are now—curious, unsure, but excited.

No one writes perfect code on day one.

No one understands genomics pipelines immediately.

What makes you a bioinformatician is not perfection, but perseverance.

When your script throws a cryptic error…
When your data refuses to format…
When your pipeline runs for 6 hours only to crash…

Remember: this is part of the journey.
Every error teaches you. Every retry strengthens you. Every breakthrough energizes you.

Bioinformatics Is Not Just a Career—It’s a Mindset

It’s the mindset of:

Problem-solving.

Continuous learning.

Turning chaos into clarity.

Seeing what others can’t.

Bioinformaticians are detectives of biological complexity. You sit at the intersection of innovation, using tools that can shape public health, medicine, agriculture, and ecology. Few fields give you such direct impact on the world.

Your Contribution Matters

As you work on your script, pipeline, genome, or model, remember:

Somewhere, your analysis might contribute to:

A new therapy

A faster diagnostic test

A better understanding of a pathogen

A more resilient crop

An open-source dataset that helps thousands

A discovery that rewrites textbooks

Your code may be small, but its ripple effect is powerful.

The Future Is Bioinformatics—And You Are Part of It

The world is shifting. Wet labs are integrating AI. Hospitals rely on genomic insights. Farmers use gene-level predictions. Governments monitor disease in real time. Students launch pipelines that become global tools.

This is a golden era—and you are not late.
You are exactly where you need to be.

Keep Pushing. Keep Learning. Keep Discovering.

Bioinformatics is a journey filled with challenges, but also with unmatched rewards.

So the next time you feel stuck, frustrated, or overwhelmed, remember:
You’re building the science of tomorrow.

Be proud. Stay curious. Keep going.
Your work matters more than you think.

Research Fellow @ Mendel laboratory

Tue, 26 Nov 2013 00:07:57 -0600

IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza – Mendel laboratory is seeking one talented bioinformatician (Rome)
Start date: immediate

Duration: 1 year

Funding Source: Institutional
Salary on grant: B2 (€ 22.000/year gross)
Contact Person (Referent): Tommaso Mazza
Ref. E-Mail: t.mazza@css-mendel.it
Tel: +39 06 44160526
Fax: +39 06 44160548

Job Description: The bioinformatics unit at IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza - Mendel laboratory in Rome is looking for one young PhD bioinformatician with specific experience and/or interest in the analysis of transcriptomic data.

The candidate will be mainly in charge of developing research on a range of hot applications and projects, dealing with microarrays, RNA-Seq and miRNA-Seq data. Main activities will be: (i) data analysis (short-reads mapping, variants call and annotation, functional enrichment analysis of gene expression data); (ii) networks analysis and simulation (artificial knockout, redundancy and lethality analysis, gene set essentiality); (iii) developing of ad-hoc software solutions/routines on clusters of CPUs and GPUs.

The correct cultural background (training in Biology / Computer Science / Statistics or a mix of the three) and a strong interest in working with high throughput data analysis will be considered at the same level of specific experience in the above-mentioned fields.
Knowledge of molecular modeling and simulation and one of these languages: python, perl, R, Java, C++, C# is a golden plus. Good knowledge of Scientific English will be positively evaluated for this position, together with good presentation and teamwork skills.

A CV with one professional reference, details on educational background and of the biological and/or bioinformatic and/or data analysis skills and experience should be sent by email for a preliminary selection to: Tommaso Mazza, CSS-Mendel: t.mazza@css-mendel.it

Context
Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza is an Institute for hospitalization, care, and scientific research located in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy. It integrates clinical assistance (with inpatient and outpatient facilities) and research. It has an affiliate institute, CSS-Mendel, located in Rome. Between the two sites, it employs over 100 researchers who focus on genetics. The Center is equipped with state of the art genomics technology (SOLiD 5500XL next generation sequencer, Illumina MiSeq, Affymetrix/Agilent microarray platforms, etc) as well as a dedicated high performance computing facility, a non-conventional workstation of GPUs and a short- and long-term storage disk.

Applications
Candidates should send:
• a cover letter explaining the role they would like to undertake within the Center, even if it is not listed in this job adv, stating clearly why they would be a good fit to the proposed role, and what they would bring to the Center in terms of expertise, ideas, talent;
• a CV including a list of publications;
• List of referees;

More at http://www.css-mendel.it/

Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Tutorials

Jitendra Narayan — Sat, 24 Aug 2013 06:01:37 -0500

Institute of computational biomedicine, Cornell University provide an NGS workshop tutorial at http://chagall.med.cornell.edu/NGScourse/

You can also add your favourite NGS educational material, or workshop tutorial by commenting on this bookmarks for user benefit.

Understanding the basics of genome sequencing:

Tutorial by Luke Jostins.

http://www.genetic-inference.co.uk/blog/2009/04/basics-sequencing-dna-part-1/

http://www.genetic-inference.co.uk/blog/2009/08/basics-sequencing-dna-part-2/

A window into third-generation sequencing

http://hmg.oxfordjournals.org/content/19/R2/R227.full.pdf

==============================================

NGS data analysis pipelines

Detecting and annotating genetic variations using the HugeSeq pipeline DOI: 10.1038/nbt.2134
NARWHAL, a primary analysis pipeline for NGS data http://bioinformatics.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/28/2/284?etoc
RseqFlow: Workflows for RNA-Seq data analysis DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btr441
ngs_backbone: a pipeline for read cleaning, mapping and SNP calling using Next Generation Sequence 10.1186/1471-2164-12-285
A framework for variation discovery and genotyping using next-generation DNA sequencing data PubMed: 21478889
SNiPlay: a web-based tool for detection, management and analysis of SNPs. Application to grapevine diversity projects DOI: 10.1186/1471-2105-12-134 Abstract: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2105/12/134/abstract
WEP: a high-performance analysis pipeline for whole-exome data http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2105/14/S7/S11
DDBJ read annotation pipeline: a cloud computing-based pipeline for high-throughput analysis of next-generation sequencing data. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23657089
GATK: a Toolkit for Genome Analysis http://www.broadinstitute.org/gatk/
Metagenomics:http://www.nbic.nl/education/nbic-phd-school/course-schedule/ngsmetagenomics/
RNASeq:http://www.nbic.nl/education/nbic-phd-school/course-schedule/ngsrnaseq/
Bioinformatics and Seq courses: http://www.isb-sib.ch/training/training-activities-schedule/archive-2013.html
Variant Detection (Model organism) Advanced tutorial https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1CuKkKylVDb03tnN7RSWl5EUzleetn0ctjmvaidPKLxM
Variant Detection Introductory tutorial https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1ZRzrjjOCvtAu3m-IKL-rbJ1f4On60dDL_IEwG7oejdI
Microbial de novo Assembly for Illumina Data Introductory tutorial https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1N3AB9ptISUu4zULqe1kXpVF0BDyGb5f5yzxWSJd_WNM
RNAseq Differential Gene Expression Introductory tutorial https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1KbTiBHtvHLfPRZ39AY3uriazrINA8TJzgjjwn1zPP7Y

" Please add your favourite NGS link below in comment section for the benefit of bioinformatics community ".

Address of the bookmark: http://chagall.med.cornell.edu/NGScourse/

Bioinformatics group at Boku University

Thu, 12 Dec 2013 17:53:10 -0600

The Bioinformatics group at Boku University has two main areas of interest, underpinning a common goal, the study of complex systems in living organisms. To overcome the engineered redundancies and combinatorial effects prevalent in higher eukaryotes, novel views augmenting the classical gene by gene approaches are required. We combine

1. Work to establish improved quantitative experimental assays (such as microarrays or differential in-gel electrophoresis) and
2. Development of modern computational methods (such as hierarchical probabilistic models or integration of heterogeneous data sources)

Lab page @ http://bioinf.boku.ac.at/

Scaffolding of a bacterial genome using MinION nanopore sequencing

Rahul Agarwal — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 16:59:25 -0500

Second generation sequencing has revolutionized genomic studies. However, most genomes contain repeated DNA elements that are longer than the read lengths achievable with typical sequencers, so the genomic order of several generated contigs cannot be easily resolved. A new generation of sequencers offering substantially longer reads is emerging, notably the Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) RS II system and the MinION system, released in early 2014 by Oxford Nanopore Technologies through an early access program.

Address of the bookmark: http://www.nature.com/srep/2015/150707/srep11996/full/srep11996.html

Free math books

Manisha Mishra — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 19:38:34 -0600

Bioinformatics require some match skills, therefore I decided to provide this wonderful math eBooks links to the BOL community.

Please add ur links/bookmarks in comment section.

Address of the bookmark: http://physicsdatabase.com/free-math-books/

Live Webinar on RNA-Seq Data Analysis on 9 Nov 2016

Strand — Wed, 19 Oct 2016 05:25:27 -0500

Live Webinar on RNA-Seq Data Analysis

Abstract: Strand NGS supports an extensive workflow for the analysis and visualization of RNA-Seq data. The workflow includes Transcriptome / Genome alignment, Differential expression analysis with Statistical approach and Splicing events detection. Strand NGS also supports novel discovery like identification of novel genes, exons and Novel splice junctions, alongside it can also detect gene fusion events. Further downstream analysis such as GO and pathway analysis can be performed on the set of interesting genes. The product has an option to create pipelines for time consuming jobs which automates analysis and leaves more time for end data interpretation. This webinar will give an overview of the features in the RNA-Seq data analysis workflow in Strand NGS and also highlights on parameters within each feature that can be optimized depending on datasets and analysis needs.

Speaker: Mr. Sugandan Sivamani, Senior Application Scientist, Strand Life Sciences

Date: 9th Nov, Session 1 for SAPK/ APFO: 2:30 PM IST Date: 9th Nov, Session 2 for AFO/ EMEA: 9:00 AM PST

Bioinformatics software for biologists in the genomics era

Poonam Mahapatra — Sun, 22 Dec 2013 17:31:05 -0600

The genome sequencing revolution is approaching a landmark figure of 1000 completely sequenced genomes. Coupled with fast-declining, per-base sequencing costs, this influx of DNA sequence data has encouraged laboratory scientists to engage large datasets in comparative sequence analyses for making evolutionary, functional and translational inferences. However, the majority of the scientists at the forefront of experimental research are not bioinformaticians, so a gap exists between the user-friendly software needed and the scripting/programming infrastructure often employed for the analysis of large numbers of genes, long genomic segments and groups of sequences. We see an urgent need for the expansion of the fundamental paradigms under which biologist-friendly software tools are designed and developed to fulfill the needs of biologists to analyze large datasets by using sophisticated computational methods. We argue that the design principles need to be sensitive to the reality that comparatively small teams of biologists have historically developed some of the most popular biological software packages in molecular evolutionary analysis. Furthermore, biological intuitiveness and investigator empowerment need to take precedence over the current supposition that biologists should re-tool and become programmers when analyzing genome scale datasets.

Address of the bookmark: http://bioinformatics.oxfordjournals.org/content/23/14/1713.full

Quick next generation sequencing (NGS) terms definition

Neel — Fri, 09 Jun 2017 04:52:26 -0500

fragment size: the Illumina WGS protocol generates paired-end reads from both ends of longer fragments. The lengths of these fragments are assumed to be sampled from a normal distribution. Therefore, in the absence of structural variants, mapping locations of the paired ends span within an interval [δmin,δmax]. Most (>90%) of paired-end reads are sampled from no-SV regions, therefore the fragment size distribution can be learned empirically for each WGS data set separately.

concordant reads: a read pair is called concordant if they can be mapped to the reference genome as “expected”: (a) mapped to opposing strands where the upstream read is mapped to the forward strand and the downstream read is mapped to the reverse strand2, (b) the distance between ends is between the minimum and maximum expected fragment size.

discordant reads: briefly, any non-concordant read pair is considered discordant. Note that, by definition, the discordant read pairs signal potential SVs. The sequence signature produced by these type of reads is known as read-pair signature.

split reads: a read that can only be mapped to the reference genome by breaking into two sub-reads is called a split-read. These types of reads also indicate a potential SV or a short insertion or deletion (indel).

read depth: number of reads that map within a region of the genome. Overall genome-wide read depth is also referred to as depth of coverage. It is expected that the number of reads that “cover” each base-pair to follow a Poisson distribution. Therefore, if the read depth over a certain region deviates significantly from this distribution, it signals for a potential copy number variation (CNV).