Hi! I'm a bioinformatician, AMA!
Channel: Danny Arends
Date: 30/04/2023

In this AMA, the following topics were discussed: Your Portfolio, R vs Python, Large Language Models (LLM / GPT-3), Plant breeding, Drug discovery, A Pure Bioinformatics versus a more traditional Biology Lab environment, Bioinformatics in Sports Science, and Microbiome analysis.

I shared my personal experiences in bioinformatics, including insights about my time working in Germany and my advice for students and professionals. If you're interested in getting started in bioinformatics, I recommends taking the following steps:

- Gain a strong foundation in biology, computer science, and statistics
- Become proficient in at least one programming language, such as R or Python
- Build a portfolio of your work/projects
- Network with other bioinformatics professionals

A portfolio is a collection of your work that demonstrates your skills and experience in bioinformatics. A portfolio is an invaluable tool when applying for jobs or fellowships. The best programming languages for bioinformatics to start off with are R and Python. R is a statistical programming language that is well-suited for data analysis. Python is a more general-purpose programming language that is becoming increasingly popular in bioinformatics. Bioinformatics is a rapidly growing field with many opportunities for growth.

The future of bioinformatics

 believe that bioinformatics will continue to be an important field in the future, especially in the areas of drug discovery, genetics, environmental sciences, and microbiome analysis. Large Language Models (LLMs) such as GPT-3 can be a valuable tool for natural language processing, and will become increasingly more common in Bioinformatics. However, it is important to remember that they do not have domain knowledge or a sense of what is true or false. I provide advice on how to extend research results and the potential impact of chatGPT on bioinformatics in the future.

Some recommendations

I recommend the r/bioinformatics subreddit for community discussion and learning. As a second programming language, I would advice C or C++ for heavy number crunching to supplement R or Python. 

I would like to thank everyone who participated and plan to do more AMA sessions in the future.

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