There is no doubt that Bioinformatics/Computational Biology is now a vital component of modern biological research, whether this be in industry or academia, in biomedical or agricultural research or in the diagnostic setting. There is still an increasing need for people trained in these areas. This talk will examine some of the many guises of bioinformatics training and careers and try and identify some future trends. This will also involve some reflection of how things have changed over the last 20 years.
Theme Leader, Healthy Development and Ageing, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
Professor Melanie Bahlo is a bioinformatician/statistical geneticist with over 20 years’ experience working on the discovery of the genetic basis of human diseases, with a focus on neurological disorders. Leading the Statistical Genetics laboratory at The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research since 2007, her work combines the development of novel methods and successful applications in monogenic and complex diseases to identify and understand biological mechanisms perturbed in diseases. She co-established the WEHI Population Health and Immunity Division and has recently been promoted to the position of Healthy Development and Ageing Theme Leader.
She has won two Australian science awards including the AAS Moran Medal (2009) and the Genetics Society of Australasia’s Ross Crozier Medal for mid-career researchers (2015).