Bioinformatics Scientists
Conduct research using bioinformatics theory and methods in areas such as pharmaceuticals, medical technology, biotechnology, computational biology, proteomics, computer information science, biology and medical informatics. May design databases and develop algorithms for processing and analyzing genomic information, or other biological information.
Also known as: Bioinformatician, Bioinformaticist, Bioinformatics Analyst, Bioinformatics Associate, Bioinformatics Computer Scientist, Bioinformatics Consultant, Bioinformatics Data Analyst, Bioinformatics Developer, ...
Annual Salary
Median annual wage (May 2024)
Job Outlook
Projected growth, 2024–2034 (Slower than average)
What You'd Do
- Keep abreast of new biochemistries, instrumentation, or software by reading scientific literature and attending professional conferences.
- Provide statistical and computational tools for biologically based activities, such as genetic analysis, measurement of gene expression, or gene function determination.
- Direct the work of technicians and information technology staff applying bioinformatics tools or applications in areas such as proteomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, or clinical bioinformatics.
- Develop new software applications or customize existing applications to meet specific scientific project needs.
- Develop data models and databases.
- Create or modify web-based bioinformatics tools.
- Design and apply bioinformatics algorithms including unsupervised and supervised machine learning, dynamic programming, or graphic algorithms.
- Create novel computational approaches and analytical tools as required by research goals.
- Compile data for use in activities, such as gene expression profiling, genome annotation, or structural bioinformatics.
- Communicate research results through conference presentations, scientific publications, or project reports.
- Manipulate publicly accessible, commercial, or proprietary genomic, proteomic, or post-genomic databases.
- Consult with researchers to analyze problems, recommend technology-based solutions, or determine computational strategies.
- Analyze large molecular datasets, such as raw microarray data, genomic sequence data, or proteomics data, for clinical or basic research purposes.
- Recommend new systems and processes to improve operations.
- Confer with departments, such as marketing, business development, or operations, to coordinate product development or improvement.
- Collaborate with software developers in the development and modification of commercial bioinformatics software.
- Test new and updated bioinformatics tools and software.
- Prepare summary statistics of information regarding human genomes.
- Instruct others in the selection and use of bioinformatics tools.
- Improve user interfaces to bioinformatics software and databases.
Top Skills
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Knowledge Areas
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Education Level Distribution
Percentage of workers in this occupation by education level
Technology & Tools
Software and tools commonly used in this role
In-Demand Technologies
Work Styles
Personality traits and work styles important for this career
Key Abilities
Cognitive, physical, and sensory abilities important for this role
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Activities
General types of job behaviors occurring on this job
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Environment
Physical and social factors that influence the nature of work
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Salary data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024. Outlook data: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license.