Bioinformatics Technicians — Tasks

Task statements

• Conduct quality analyses of data inputs and resulting analyses or predictions.
• Confer with researchers, clinicians, or information technology staff to determine data needs and programming requirements and to provide assistance with database-related research activities.
• Analyze or manipulate bioinformatics data using software packages, statistical applications, or data mining techniques.
• Document all database changes, modifications, or problems.
• Monitor database performance and perform any necessary maintenance, upgrades, or repairs.
• Participate in the preparation of reports or scientific publications.
• Maintain awareness of new and emerging computational methods and technologies.
• Test new or updated software or tools and provide feedback to developers.
• Confer with database users about project timelines and changes.
• Create data management or error-checking procedures and user manuals.
• Write computer programs or scripts to be used in querying databases.
• Develop or maintain applications that process biologically based data into searchable databases for purposes of analysis, calculation, or presentation.
• Enter or retrieve information from structural databases, protein sequence motif databases, mutation databases, genomic databases or gene expression databases.
• Develop or apply data mining and machine learning algorithms.
• Extend existing software programs, web-based interactive tools, or database queries as sequence management and analysis needs evolve.
• Design or implement web-based tools for querying large-scale biological databases.
• Train bioinformatics staff or researchers in the use of databases.
• Package bioinformatics data for submission to public repositories.
• Perform routine system administrative functions, such as troubleshooting, back-ups, or upgrades.