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Bioinformatics Technicians

Apply principles and methods of bioinformatics to assist scientists in areas such as pharmaceuticals, medical technology, biotechnology, computational biology, proteomics, computer information science, biology and medical informatics. Apply bioinformatics tools to visualize, analyze, manipulate or interpret molecular data. May build and maintain databases for processing and analyzing genomic or other biological information.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

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

    Skills

    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.

    Abilities

    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.

    Knowledge

    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    Education

    Education
    Bachelor's degree
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    No on-the-job training

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    69690/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    33.51/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    4,900
    Yearly Projected Openings
    300

    Personality

    Investigative: People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Attention to Detail
    • Cooperation
    • Analytical Thinking
    • Achievement/Effort
    • Dependability
    • Initiative

    Tools

    • Computer workstation
    • Deoxyribonucleic sequence analyzers
    • Desktop computers
    • High end computer servers
    • High throughput screening HTS systems in nucleic acid purification
    • Nuclear magnetic resonance NMR spectrometers

    Technology

    • Access software
    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Cloud-based data access and sharing software
    • Customer relationship management CRM software
    • Data base management system software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Development environment software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Enterprise application integration software
    • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
    • File versioning software
    • Geographic information system
    • Internet browser software
    • Internet protocol IP multimedia subsystem software
    • Object or component oriented development software
    • Office suite software
    • Operating system software
    • Presentation software
    • Process mapping and design software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Web platform development software
    • Word processing software