Bioinformatics And Computational Biology (msc) in University College Cork, Ireland

Bioinformatics And Computational Biology (msc) in University College Cork

The MSc in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at UCC is a one-year full-time (or two years part-time) taught masters course commencing in September. Bioinformatics is a fast-growing field at the intersection of biology, mathematics and computer science. It seeks to create, advance and apply computer/software-based solutions to solve formal and practical problems arising from the management and analysis of very large biological data sets. Applications include genome sequence analysis such as the human genome, the human microbiome, analysis of genetic variation within populations and analysis of gene expression patterns.

Major research efforts in the field include sequence alignment, gene finding, genome assembly, protein structure alignment, protein structure prediction, modelling of DNA and protein evolution, analysis of genetic variation in populations, and analysis of gene expression, protein-protein interaction and protein mass spectrometry data. Another emerging area within bioinformatics is systems biology, which examines how individual biological components (e.g. metabolic pathways, genes, proteins, organelles, cells, physiological systems, organisms) interact in a network to produce observable phenotypes of a whole organism or body system.

As part of the MSc programme, students carry out a three-month research project in a research group in UCC or in an external university, research institute or industry. The programming and data handling skills that you will develop, along with your exposure to an interdisciplinary research environment, will be very attractive to employers. Graduates from the MSc will have a variety of career options including working in a research group in a university or research institute, industrial research, or pursuing a PhD.

Placement or Study Abroad Information

As part of the MSc programme, students will carry out a three-month research project in a research group in UCC or in an external university, research institute or industry. This will provide the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills in bioinformatics to a cutting edge research question.

In principle, placements abroad to execute the research project can be facilitated subject to approval. 

Skills and Careers Information

Graduates of this course offer a unique set of interdisciplinary skills making them highly attractive to employers at universities, research centres and in industry. Many research institutes have dedicated bioinformatics groups, while many 'wet biology' research groups employ bioinformaticians to help with data analyses and other bioinformatics problems. Industries employing bioinformaticians include the pharmaceutical industry, agricultural and biotechnology companies. For biology graduates returning to 'wet lab' biology after completing the MSc course, your newly acquired skills will be extremely complementary and useful. Non-biology graduates seeking non-biology positions will also find that having acquired interdisciplinary skills is of great benefit in getting a qualified job in many sectors due to being able to adapt knowledge across a broad range of disciplines.

Working in the field of bioinformatics is both a challenging and satisfying job, which often involves problem solving, programming, statistical analyses of large data sets, and mathematical modelling of biological phenomena. It is possible for a bioinformatician to work on many different biological questions and types of data sets, making this an interesting and exciting field to work in.

A bioinformatician’s day-to-day work can involve studying many different fascinating and important biological questions, such as:

• What are the genetic differences between the DNA of humans and chimpanzees?
• How many genes are there in the human genome, and can we identify them all?
• What differences exist in the DNA of different people, and how does that affect their health, appearance and behaviour?
• Is it possible to create a computer program to analyse the DNA sequences of 1000 different individual humans, and to reconstruct their genetic history (see http://www.1000genomes.org)?
• What are the differences between cancer cells and healthy cells?
• How do new drug-resistant strains of malaria evolve from existing strains, and can we predict what strains will emerge in future?
• What bacteria are present in different environments, such as different parts of the human body in people of different ages, populations and health?
• How are different animal groups (eg. humans, flies, jellyfish, earthworms, etc.) related to each other, and when and where did they evolve from a common ancestor?
• How can ‘omics’ data from e.g. metabolomics, genomics, transcriptomes from case and control subjects/animal be integrated and relevant information be extracted and interpreted?
• And many other interesting and important questions

The MSc programme will train participants to an advanced level in bioinformatics theory and applications. Graduates of the programme will:

• have a solid background in the theory behind bioinformatics methods and tools so that they can critically evaluate research in bioinformatics
• be able to use existing bioinformatics methods and tools and rapidly learn to apply new methods and tools
• be able to organise, process and analyse large data sets generated by genomics and systems biology approaches
• be able to program and create scripts for parsing various formats of biological data within a command-line computer environment
• understand the role of modelling and simulation of biological systems
• have a deep knowledge of the aspect of bioinformatics in which they carried out their three-month research project (as part of the MSc programme). This experience will prepare them for a future research career in the bioinformatics field.

Where Have Graduates Of The Programme Gone?

Our programme has now been running since October 2009, and graduates to date are working here in UCC and other academic institutions in Ireland or abroad, some are working in Teagasc, some with computing multinationals in Ireland, and some have moved further afield to the Netherlands, Austria, U.S.A and New Zealand to mention a few. There are many opportunities for bioinformaticians in many countries worldwide, as the skill is always in short supply. This MSc qualification is recognised worldwide, and graduates will be able to work in any country for which they have the appropriate working visa.