Sometimes I interact with people from many countries around the world and help to decide on the methods of analysis for their data and interpretations in different scenarios. This communication with others often occurs during my work for a N.I.A.I.D.-backed pandemic preparedness program called PREMISE (Pandemic REsponse REpository through Microbial and Immune Surveillance and Epidemiology).
What is your favorite part of your job? What are your job's biggest challenges?
SS: My favorite parts about being a bioinformatician are that it’s intellectually stimulating and allows me to collaborate with people from many different backgrounds. Bioinformatics is a rapidly evolving field, and many projects I work on can be very different, which keeps the work engaging. Additionally, I get to work with other scientists from various disciplines, which provides opportunities to learn from others and gain an understanding of different perspectives.
In some cases, however, aspects of my job can be quite challenging. Since bioinformatics is a rapidly evolving field, it requires the use of complex and sometimes novel software tools. As a result, it can be time-consuming to deal with technical challenges in setting up, running analyses, or debugging code. I also often work on multiple projects at once, so time management can be challenging, but it is essential in order to prioritize tasks to meet project deadlines.
SG: I like to work with my team. They have expertise in different areas of research.
