Bioinformatics in "Nature"
by: Ramit Mehr
In the 25 September 1997 issue of "Nature" magazine
there was a special focus on employment in the field of
bioinformatics (pages 417-422 and several pages of
classified ads).
The current definition of this field includes the study
of genomic sequences, protein structures and their relationship
with the sequence on one hand and the function of the protein
on the other hand, and issues of database management that
arise as a result of the fast accumulation of genomic and
molecular data.
A few articles included in this issue may be of interest to
SMB members whose research is related to bioinformatics.
The first article by Diane Gershon reviews present and future
challenges in bioinformatics and the booming job market, both
in newly emerging bioinformatics start-ups and in the
pharmaceutical industry. Additional articles address computational
challenges, internet resources, and a review of the European
bioinformatics market.
A quick review of most (but not all) classified ad pages in this
issue resulted in a few interesting statistics that I would like
to share with you.
First, the number of ads can be broken by the type of job as
follows; it is clear that industry jobs are the leaders:
Academic faculty positions 5 (4 in universities, 1 in a museum)
Post doctoral positions 3
Support jobs in academia 1
Independent research centers 2
Companies 32 (some are for multiple positions)
Second, the locations of institutions/companies that published these
ads are in:
USA 11
Europe 9
(In here I have counted the number of locations rather than the
number of positions advertised.)
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