Occupation · SOC 15-2099.01
Bioinformatics Technicians
Apply principles and methods of bioinformatics to assist scientists in areas such as pharmaceuticals, medical technology, biotechnology, computational biology, proteomics, computer information science, biology and medical informatics. Apply bioinformatics tools to visualize, analyze, manipulate or interpret molecular data. May build and maintain databases for processing and analyzing genomic or other biological information.
Median wage
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Projected growth
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Annual openings
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per year
Employed (US)
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Job Zone 4
Typical preparation
Considerable preparation
Stackable credential programs
1,051 mapped
Core skills
Reading ComprehensionWritingJudgment and Decision MakingCritical ThinkingComplex Problem SolvingActive ListeningActive LearningSpeakingMathematicsSystems AnalysisMonitoringScienceProgrammingTime ManagementSystems EvaluationSocial PerceptivenessInstructingCoordinationPersuasionLearning StrategiesOperations MonitoringManagement of Personnel ResourcesService OrientationNegotiationQuality Control AnalysisTechnology DesignOperations AnalysisManagement of Material ResourcesManagement of Financial ResourcesTroubleshootingRepairingOperation and ControlEquipment SelectionEquipment MaintenanceInstallation
Knowledge areas
Computers and ElectronicsMathematicsEnglish LanguageBiologyDesignEngineering and TechnologyChemistryEducation and TrainingAdministration and ManagementAdministrativeCustomer and Personal ServiceMedicine and DentistryPhysicsPsychologyPublic Safety and SecurityPersonnel and Human ResourcesProduction and ProcessingMechanicalCommunications and MediaTelecommunicationsSales and MarketingTherapy and CounselingLaw and GovernmentEconomics and AccountingGeographySociology and AnthropologyTransportationForeign LanguagePhilosophy and TheologyHistory and ArcheologyFood ProductionFine ArtsBuilding and Construction
Technology & tools
Apache Subversion SVNAtlassian BambooAvaya Identity EnginesBasic Local Alignment Search Tool BLASTBioconductorBowtieBurrows-Wheeler Aligner BWACC++ClustalWCufflinksCustomer relationship management CRM softwareData visualization softwareEnterprise resource planning ERP softwareEsri ArcGISGENSCANGenome Analysis Toolkit GATKGeographic information system GIS softwareGitHypertext markup language HTMLIBM SPSS StatisticsJenkins CILinuxMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft SQL ServerMicrosoft SharePointMicrosoft VisioMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft WordMySQLOracle DatabaseOracle JavaPHYLIPPerlPythonR
Representative tasks
Working with ComputersProcessing InformationAnalyzing Data or InformationGetting InformationUpdating and Using Relevant KnowledgeMaking Decisions and Solving ProblemsIdentifying Objects, Actions, and EventsThinking CreativelyCommunicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesInterpreting the Meaning of Information for OthersMonitoring Processes, Materials, or SurroundingsDocumenting/Recording InformationOrganizing, Planning, and Prioritizing WorkJudging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or PeopleEstimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or InformationEvaluating Information to Determine Compliance with StandardsDeveloping Objectives and StrategiesEstablishing and Maintaining Interpersonal RelationshipsProviding Consultation and Advice to OthersScheduling Work and ActivitiesTraining and Teaching OthersDrafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and EquipmentCoaching and Developing OthersDeveloping and Building TeamsCommunicating with People Outside the OrganizationCoordinating the Work and Activities of OthersRepairing and Maintaining Electronic EquipmentPerforming Administrative ActivitiesGuiding, Directing, and Motivating SubordinatesInspecting Equipment, Structures, or MaterialsSelling or Influencing OthersPerforming for or Working Directly with the PublicResolving Conflicts and Negotiating with OthersMonitoring and Controlling ResourcesAssisting and Caring for OthersStaffing Organizational UnitsControlling Machines and ProcessesHandling and Moving ObjectsPerforming General Physical ActivitiesRepairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment
Competency framework
Skill expectations by proficiency level.
emerging
Bioinformatics data — retrieve and organize from genomic, protein sequence, or gene expression databases under direct supervision in a research laboratory setting.Statistical software packages — apply to basic bioinformatics datasets following established protocols and step-by-step guidance from senior staff.Quality checks — perform routine validation of data inputs using prescribed checklists to flag anomalies in structured pipeline workflows.Structural and mutation databases — enter and retrieve records accurately using standard query templates in a supervised computational biology environment.Scientific literature — read and summarize relevant papers on emerging bioinformatics methods to support team awareness activities.Existing database queries — execute and document results under guidance to support ongoing sequence management tasks in a shared research environment.File versioning software — use to track changes to scripts and data files following team-defined version control conventions.Research team meetings — attend and actively listen to clarify data needs and programming requirements as directed by project leads.Basic programming scripts — write and test simple code in a supervised development environment to automate repetitive bioinformatics tasks.Draft report sections — contribute factual summaries of data retrieval results to scientific publications under close editorial review by senior researchers.
developing
Bioinformatics data pipelines — analyze and manipulate datasets using statistical applications and data mining techniques with reduced oversight in a production research environment.Existing software programs and web-based tools — extend functionality as sequence management needs evolve, applying object-oriented development practices in a collaborative lab setting.Genomic and protein sequence databases — query and cross-reference multiple repositories independently to retrieve information relevant to ongoing research projects.Data quality analyses — conduct systematic assessments of inputs and model predictions, documenting findings and recommending corrective actions to project supervisors.Searchable bioinformatics databases — develop and maintain applications that process biological data for analysis and presentation in a multi-user research computing environment.Computational methods literature — monitor and evaluate new tools and technologies, summarizing implications for team workflows in regular knowledge-sharing sessions.Researchers and clinicians — confer with to gather data requirements and translate them into database schemas and analytical scripts within an interdisciplinary project team.Analytical or scientific software — configure and calibrate for specific biological analysis tasks, troubleshooting unexpected outputs in established pipeline contexts.Scientific reports and manuscripts — prepare structured drafts of methods and results sections, incorporating statistical outputs and database citations for peer review.Development environment software — manage project dependencies, testing environments, and code repositories to support reproducible bioinformatics analyses across team members.
proficient
Complex bioinformatics datasets — design and execute end-to-end analytical workflows using advanced statistical applications and custom data mining approaches across the full project lifecycle.Custom software extensions — architect and implement modifications to existing platforms and interactive web tools to address evolving sequence analysis requirements without external guidance.Emerging computational technologies — critically evaluate and pilot new methods, producing formal assessments that inform technology adoption decisions for the research group.Multi-source data quality assurance — lead rigorous validation of heterogeneous biological data inputs and predictive model outputs, resolving discrepancies through root-cause analysis.Enterprise bioinformatics database applications — develop, optimize, and sustain production systems that integrate genomic, expression, and mutation data for cross-functional analytical use.Cross-disciplinary stakeholders — independently facilitate technical consultations with researchers, clinicians, and IT staff to align data architecture with complex scientific objectives.Non-routine analytical problems — diagnose and resolve novel computational or data integrity challenges by applying deductive and inductive reasoning within high-stakes research settings.Scientific publications — lead the writing and revision of methods, results, and supplementary computational sections for submission to peer-reviewed journals.Systems analysis — evaluate end-to-end bioinformatics workflows to identify bottlenecks, redundancies, and failure points, implementing evidence-based improvements in production environments.Mathematical and statistical models — apply advanced quantitative reasoning to interpret biological data patterns and validate model assumptions within genome-scale analytical projects.
advanced
Organizational bioinformatics strategy — define and champion a multi-year computational roadmap aligned with institutional research priorities and emerging life-sciences technology trends.Bioinformatics competency development — mentor and evaluate technicians and analysts across all experience levels, designing training curricula that build organizational analytical capability.Enterprise-scale data architecture — oversee the design and governance of integrated genomic, proteomic, and expression database ecosystems serving institution-wide research and clinical programs.Cross-functional innovation initiatives — lead cross-departmental teams to pioneer novel computational methodologies, translating research insights into scalable bioinformatics products and services.Research computing investments — advise executive and funding stakeholders on technology acquisition, tool prioritization, and resource allocation for large-scale bioinformatics infrastructure.Quality and compliance frameworks — establish organization-wide standards for data quality, reproducibility, and regulatory compliance across all bioinformatics pipelines and publications.Strategic partnerships — cultivate collaborations with external research institutions, technology vendors, and funding agencies to advance the organization's computational biology capabilities.High-impact scientific publications — direct and contribute expert authorship to landmark manuscripts, reviews, and data resource papers that shape the field's methodological standards.Systems-level risk evaluation — assess institutional vulnerabilities in computational workflows and data security, designing mitigation strategies that safeguard sensitive biological research assets.Thought leadership — represent the organization at scientific conferences, expert panels, and policy forums, shaping community standards for bioinformatics practice and data sharing.
Also known as
15 alternate job titles map to this occupation.
Bioinformatics AnalystBioinformatics Research TechnicianBioinformatics SpecialistBioinformatics TechnicianBiometrics TechnicianBiotechnicianData AnalystData TechnicianDatabase TechnicianField Data TechnicianLog Data TechnicianMuseum Informatics SpecialistResearch ScientistScientific Informatics AnalystSubmission Technician