Course overview
This course provides the basis of the biology required to conduct bioinformatics research and analysis, presenting biology in the context of informatics problems. Bioinformatics falls within the broader domain of data science; Biology for Bioinformatics introduces students to the structural and functional aspects of biology that impact on approaches to developing solutions to bioinformatics problems. Structural aspects of biology covered will include molecular and informational structure within cells, genomes, organisms and populations, while functional aspects will include the processes involved in replication and transmission of genetic information. The consequences of biological structure and function on error profiles in experimental data will be examined.
Course learning outcomes
- Describe the relationships between underlying biology (structure and function) and error profiles in experimental data.
- Evaluate, select and use appropriate contemporary bioinformatics technologies for a given biological system/bioinformatic problem.
- Analyse an experimental biological system in order to develop an approach to a bioinformatic analysis.
- Evaluate an approach to analysing a biological system bioinformatically given the limitations of the available technology.
- Communicate research findings to an audience of peers.