PhD Study

Bioinformatics as a Field of Study

Bioinformatics is the application of mathematical and computing tools to molecular biology. To have a good expectation of completing a PhD program in bioinformatics in three to three and a half years you will need to have before you enrol some serious knowledge in all three of the disciplines: biology, mathematics and computing. This will typically involve some private study and work experience to supplement your undergraduate degree.

Graduates with a biology background (an undergraduate degree in biology) who are considering PhD studies in bioinformatics will typically need to gain first an understanding of statistics and mathematical algorithms as applied to molecular biology. The three bioinformatics references below give an idea of the background required. They are in roughly increasing order of mathematical and statistical sophistication.

Students coming from a computing background (typically a degree is computer science or engineering) will likely need to strengthen their knowledge of mathematics and statistics as well as biology. They might like to consult the same references below.

Students coming from a statistical background (a degree in mathematics or statistics) should have excellent computing skills and data analysis experience.

Students from either computing or statistical backgrounds should be highly motivated to learn biology and to apply their skills to biological problems. Have a look at any undergraduate textbook on biology. The three biology references below are classics.

Enrolling at the WEHI

PhD Study

Potential students wanting to enrol for a PhD in bioinformatics at WEHI should know at least the following three things. First, we have only a limited number of places, and seek students with strength in at least two of three areas above, and solid evidence (e.g. job experience) of their commitment to the field. Second, PhD enrolment is with WEHI as a department of the University of Melbourne, and so their application needs to be approved by the School of Graduate Studies there. Indeed their research proposal and WEHI supervisor also need to be approved by the Director of WEHI before transmission to the University, and all of this has to be be completed before the end of October in any given year. Finally, WEHI PhD students need to have their own financial support, typically a Melbourne Research Scholarship, an Australian Postgraduate Award or an International Postgraduate Research Scholarship.

For more information on how you should prepare for an application to study at the WEHI, see the WEHI Information for Prospective Students. For more information about the scholarships which are available and for application forms, see the University of Melbourne Postgraduate Student Information page.

Honours Study

Similar principles apply for Honours study in Bioinformatics at WEHI. We do not offer honours study consisting of a one year research project without course work. Honours students may carry out a bioinformatics research project as part of their Honours year, typically in Computer Science or Mathematics and Statistics at Melbourne University, or through the Department of Medical Biology (WEHI honours year).

UROP (Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program) Work and Summer Vacation Scholarships

The UROP scheme, which is available to members of Bio21, gives talented undergraduates the opportunity to undertake paid work for one day a week in a research setting. We also occasionally admit Summer Vacation Scholars. We particularly wish to encourage Statistics and Mathematics students to apply.

Bioinformatics References

• Higgins, D., and Taylor, W. (eds.) (2000). Bioinformatics: Sequence, structure and databanks. A Practical Approach. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
• Mount, D. W. (2001). Bioinformatics: Sequence and Genome Analysis. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, New York.
• Durbin, R., Eddy, S., Krogh, A., and Mitchison, G. (1998). Biological Sequence Analysis: Probabilistic Models of Proteins and Nucleic Acids. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Biology References

• Bruce Alberts, Alexander Johnson, Julian Lewis, Martin Raff, Keith Roberts and Peter Walter (2002). Molecular Biology of the Cell (4th Edition). Garland Publishing.
• (Read this one first.) Larry Gonick and Mark Wheelis (1991). The Cartoon Guide to Genetics. Harper Perennial.
• James D. Watson, Nancy H. Hopkins, Jeffrey W. Roberts, Joan Argetsinger Steitz and Alan M. Weiner  (2001). Molecular Biology of the Gene (4th Edition). Addison-Wesley Publishing.

Other References

• Wolfsberg, T. G., Wetterstrand, K. A., Guyer, M. S., Collins, F. S., and Baxevanis, A. D. (September 2002). A user's guide to the human genome. Nature Genetics 32 Supplement,1-79. (Online Publication).
  [A guide to the online resources that make sense of annotated genomes.]