Bioinformatics Research Starter Program (BRSP)

"Thank you, OmicsLite, for providing such a valuable learning experience. I see this experience as a stepping stone that will help me continue exploring bioinformatics in greater depth."

"After joining BRSP (Bioinformatics Research Starter Program), I gained new knowledge about Differentially Expressed Gene (DEG) analysis and learned how to analyse transcriptomics data using R. It was an exciting experience because it opened my eyes to how important genetic data analysis has become in pharmacy and biology for understanding diseases and developing new therapies. It was truly a memorable learning experience!"

"Honestly, joining BRSP was a lot of fun! It gave me a much better understanding of what bioinformatics is really like—and yes, its quite challenging too! At first, I had no idea how to approach the assignments, especially Week 3 when we started using RStudio. I'd never used RStudio before, but after attending the sessions and following the materials, I was able to complete the tasks successfully. I was so happy with what I learned!"

"My experience with BRSP proved that a Computer Science background is an incredible foundation for entering the fields of medicine and bioinformatics. It was extremely rewarding to see my understanding evolve—from simply learning transcriptomics through Big Data and Data Pipeline analogies in the first week to successfully writing end-to-end R scripts for analysing colorectal cancer genomic data by Week 3. Creating publication-ready visualisations such as volcano plots, heatmaps, and KEGG pathway analyses entirely through code was definitely challenging, but the programme's curriculum made the learning process structured and easy to follow. BRSP is a bridge I would highly recommend to anyone who wants to connect the worlds of IT and life sciences."

"I initially joined BRSP because I needed to perform DEG analysis for my final thesis. However, I had no idea who to ask for guidance because bioinformatics is still a very niche field within veterinary science. When I saw that BRSP was open for applications, I signed up immediately, hoping it would help me understand the transcriptomics bioinformatics workflow. Thankfully, the materials were very easy to understand, and the practical sessions were approachable as well. I feel really lucky to have found this programme. Thank you so much to OmicsLite for organising BRSP—I hope even more people discover OmicsLite in the future!"

"The most memorable parts of the programme for me were Assignment 3 and the Capstone Project. These activities allowed me to conduct bioinformatics analyses independently while giving me a deeper understanding of how researchers approach their work. I also realised that real analyses often require adapting methods rather than simply following a module step by step. For example, the appropriate FDR settings differ between human and bacterial datasets. This experience inspired me to explore transcriptomics more deeply, particularly RNA sequencing analysis rather than limiting myself to microarray data."