Bioinformatics

Career prospects

Bioinformatics graduates are very much in demand, both in the academic world and in industry. A recent report by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) estimated that the Netherlands will need thousands of bioinformatics specialists over the next five years. This is because recent and ongoing breakthroughs in biotechnology and medical and genomic technology have generated vast quantities of genetics data. All this information is of little use unless subjected to biological and/or medical analysis.

Employment prospects are excellent and appear to be relatively independent of economic conditions. Bioinformatics is a wide-ranging subject and you can put it to use in many ways.
As a Master of Science in Bioinformatics, you can move straight into the pharmaceuticals or food industry, or become an expert at a biomedical laboratory. You will be strong in data analysis, for example, a skill you can apply to great effect in sectors outside Life Sciences as well, such as banking.

A job as a tools user
Industry, genomics/biomedical labs and hospitals all require bioinformaticians with Master’s degrees. These graduates are able to carry out analyses of newly measured data combined with existing genomics data covering many organisms. The results of such comparative analyses can lead to the development of new medicines, a novel soil remediation strategy, the discovery of a new bacterial gene, etc. As a bioinformatician, you are often at the heart of important new projects thanks to the integrative nature of the field.

A job as tools creator
As a Master of Science in Bioinformatics you can become an expert at creating a bioinformatics infrastructure or a genomics analysis pipeline in industry or academia. Existing software is often combined with newly developed analysis or prediction techniques to generate a high-throughput analysis or production pipeline.

A job as researcher
Thinking about going on to earn your PhD after completing your Master’s? If you have the right skills, then you are sure to find a good position. But the prospects are just as favourable if you are looking for a career in business or in another related sector.

Continuing your studies
Each year the VU Integrative Bioinformatics Institute and its member faculties offer a number of PhD positions. Graduates with excellent grades are invited to apply for these positions. A PhD position is normally awarded for four years, during which the student is expected to complete a dissertation. Master's graduates in Bioinformatics also have a good chance of being accepted for PhD projects in associated areas such as Molecular Biology, Genomics and Biophysics.