The Philippine Genome Center (PGC) is inviting college students in science and engineering for an internship program in bioinformatics.
PGC’s Core Facility for Bioinformatics which started as a capability-building project funded by Philippine Council for Industry, Energy & Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) has been servicing researchers in Next Generation Sequence (NGS) data analysis, providing technical support, and giving training courses to further increase awareness in bioinformatics since its public launch on April 2014. Besides commissioned/in-house training programs for researchers, the bioinformatics team has been training undergraduate students through this annual internship program to further increase local talent pool in bioinformatics.
The Bioinformatics Internship Program now on its second year is a 6-week program that provides interns with an opportunity to hone and develop their bioinformatics knowledge and skills in a collaborative and multidisciplinary environment. PGC’s bioinformatics team welcomes incoming senior BS students in biology, molecular biology, mathematics, statistics, computer science, and related fields particularly those who are keen on pursuing research careers in bioinformatics and computational biology. Accepted applicants will receive training in introductory biology, genomics, and bioinformatics; and will be given projects related to research or infrastructure development in computational genomics. Students seeking to fulfill a midyear internship requirement for graduation will be given priority. Accepted students are expected to provide their own travel funds and subsistence allowance.
Eligibility Requirements:
• Incoming senior students enrolled in a science or engineering course
• Familiar with the Unix/Linux command line environment, including basic bash scripting
• Proficient in at least one programming language (e.g. Python, Java, R, etc.)
• Minimum of 3 units in biology, molecular biology, or a related field
• Self-motivated to study and learn about multiple disciplines
• Excellent English written and oral communication skills
• Strong teamwork and collaboration skills
Application process:
Interested applicants may email a letter of motivation and curriculum vitae to bioinformatics@pgc.up.edu.ph, with the subject line “Application for Internship”
The deadline for application is May 21, 2018 and accepted applicants will be notified by May 28.
The internship program will be held on June 6 to July 18, 2018 at the 2nd floor, Left Wing, Philippine Genome Center Building, A. Ma. Regidor St. University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City
ABOUT BIOINFORMATICS AND COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY
Bioinformatics and computational biology are rooted in life sciences as well as computer and information sciences and technologies. Both of these interdisciplinary approaches draw from specific disciplines such as mathematics, physics, computer science and engineering, biology, and behavioral science. Bioinformatics and computational biology each maintain close interactions with life sciences to realize their full potential. Bioinformatics applies principles of information sciences and technologies to make the vast, diverse, and complex life sciences data more understandable and useful. Computational biology uses mathematical and computational approaches to address theoretical and experimental questions in biology.
[Above working definition of bioinformatics and computational biology were developed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Biomedical Information Science and Technology Initiative Consortium (BISTIC) Definition Committee and released on July 17, 2000.]