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Ask HN: Bioinformatics - the search for the hacker chemist

1 points by metalacorn ↗ HN
I was chatting with my chemist friend and he mentioned the great need for people in the bioinformatics field that can not only do the programming but can also back-up their understanding of the data they are processing with bench work. I was like "huh - i would need some bio chem" and he was like "huh - i would need some software engineering"...and then we were both like "huh - if we combine our minds there would be no reason why we couldn't get a job in the field today"

Is there anyone that has done something like this, specifically in the bioinformatics field with a partner? I have not heard a lot about this and think it would happen more if chemists and hackers started hanging out more.

Also, where would you find contracting opportunities to try this out?

2 comments

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dalke
I've worked in molecular modeling, bioinformatics, cheminformatics, and related fields. My observation has been that a large percentage of the people in those fields start from the sciences and learn the software development. This likely reflects the length of time it takes to become productive in each field.

I don't do much with bioinformatics these days so can't give you much specifics, but Dan Gusfield at UC Davis is an example of someone who started from algorithms development and (I believe) with collaboration entered bioinformatics. Jim Kent, now at UCSC, was a professional programmer who developed GigAssembler to assemble the data for the public Human Genome Project. But he entered grad school and was working on a PhD in biology before doing that.

But in general there are a number of groups which have people with science and people with programming backgrounds working together, both in industry and academia. The research group I was in in grad school had PIs and students from the physics, chemistry, CS, and math departments. I've worked with a number of companies which have research groups with either direct IT support or they've hired their own software developers.

If you specifically want a company hire the two of you, which means paying two salaries, and there's no history of how well the two of you work together, then I think it's going to be hard to convince them. What's the advantage for them to hire a pair than to hire two people out of the general population, with equivalent backgrounds?