Foundations of Bioinformatics
Essential Data Literacy for Analysing Your Sequencing Data
Develop practical, research-ready skills to understand sequencing data, organise analysis-ready files, assess sequencing quality and build confidence in planning reproducible bioinformatics workflows.
Build confidence in sequencing data analysis
Modern biological research increasingly relies on DNA and RNA sequencing. Yet many researchers encounter a major challenge after sequencing: understanding what their data represent and how to transform raw files into meaningful biological results.
This micro-credential provides a structured pathway into bioinformatics, beginning with sequencing concepts, data organisation and quality assessment, and progressing into computational environments, reproducible workflows and analysis planning. Participants develop the essential data literacy required to navigate sequencing projects with confidence and communicate effectively with collaborators and bioinformaticians.
Designed for researchers entering bioinformatics
This course is suitable for
- Higher Degree by Research candidates
- Honours and Masters students
- Early career researchers
- Laboratory scientists and research staff
- Researchers beginning sequencing data analysis for the first time
Relevant research areas
- Genomics and molecular biology
- Microbiome and metagenomics
- Transcriptomics and RNA-seq
- Agriculture, environmental and biomedical sciences
Prerequisites
No prior bioinformatics or coding experience is required. Participants are expected to have a basic understanding of biological research and an interest in analysing sequencing datasets.
What participants will be able to do
- Differentiate Illumina, Nanopore and PacBio platforms
- Understand FASTQ files and metadata
- Interpret sequencing workflows
- Use Linux fundamentals
- Understand HPC concepts
- Manage Conda environments and containers
- Interpret FastQC outputs
- Understand trimming and filtering
- Recognise common data quality issues
- Understand workflow logic
- Recognise analysis pathways for different datasets
- Communicate effectively with bioinformaticians and collaborators
Flexible research-focused learning
Duration
6 weeks
Format
Theory + hands-on practical workshops
Commitment
Approximately 2–4 hours per week
Teaching approach
The micro-credential uses scaffolded, research-integrated learning with authentic sequencing datasets and reproducible workflows to develop computational confidence and sequencing data literacy.
Apply bioinformatics concepts to real sequencing data
Participants complete a mini capstone project using their own research dataset or an example dataset to consolidate learning and strengthen research capability.
- Data organisation and metadata management
- Quality assessment and interpretation
- Selection of appropriate analysis strategies
- Workflow planning and reproducibility
- Research communication and collaboration
- Roadmap for subsequent domain-specific analyses
Designed to support research progression
Computational confidence
Develop confidence in understanding sequencing data and bioinformatics workflows.
Research readiness
Build the foundation required for RNA-seq, microbiome, genome assembly and variant analysis projects.
Reproducible research
Learn reproducible approaches that support transparency and long-term research capability.
Who you will learn from
Dr Asad Prodhan
Founder & Academic Lead, BCRTI
Adjunct Senior Lecturer in Bioinformatics,
The University of Western Australia
Dr Asad Prodhan is a molecular biologist, bioinformatician and educator specialising in genomics, practical bioinformatics and reproducible computational workflows.
His own transition from molecular biology into bioinformatics shaped his approach to teaching: complex computational skills become achievable when they are broken into practical, purposeful and reproducible steps. Through BCRTI, he applies this philosophy to help researchers move from learning bioinformatics to confidently analysing their own data independently.
prodhan82@gmail.comExplore the week-by-week program
View the full schedule, modules and structured learning pathway for the Foundations of Bioinformatics micro-credential.