Bioinformatics is a field that is highly suitable for a person with interest towards both life science and computers. In this field there is a great amalgamation between information technology and biology. This field produces substances that are essential for the well-being of human beings and other living organisms.

Government jobs in the field of bioinformatics:

Since a number of government organizations are engaged in research activities in the field of bioinformatics, candidates can get employment opportunities in the bioinformatics research institutions being run by the Government of India and different state governments in the nation. Recently, the government organization that called for applications from eligible candidates for the field of bioinformatics are:

• Scientists & Engineers - National Agro-Food Biotechnology Institute, Department of Biotechnology of Government of India

Some of the notable informatics institutions that are being run by the Government of Indi are:

• Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh

• Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology, Hyderabad

Other institutions like Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Pune University and Jawaharlal Nehru University are also engaged in research activities in the field of bioinformatics.

Courses in Bioinformatics:

UG and PG Courses in Bioinfomatics are available at different universities and institutions in India. Some of the institutions offering bioinformatics courses are Institute of Bioinformatics & Applied Biotechnology, Bangalore, Welingkar Institute of Management, Mumbai, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and NIIT in association with IIT, New Delhi also offers an intensive course in Bioinformatics. In the bioinformatics course, some of the subjects like genomics, bio-programming, drug designing, molecular modeling, biostatistics, biological databases, molecular biology, computational biology and bioinformatics software and tools are covered.

Job prospects in the field of Bioinformatics:

According to the National Association of Software and Service Companies, popularly called as NASSCOM, bioinformatics is one of the fastest growing industries not only in India, but in several other countries as well. Candidates, who have completed their course in Bioinformatics can find job opportunities in two disciplines namely biotechnology and bioinformatics. A candidate with bioinformatics certification from a reputed institution can add weightage to his/her resume since the institution from which the course has been completed also counts in addition to the percentage of marks secured by the candidates in the bioinformatics course. Even bioinformatics professionals can find job opportunities in software field as bioinformationist and this position is available in a number of top organizations in the IT field.

Thus, biotechnology is a field that offers wide range of employment opportunities to the acquiring qualified candidates.