8 weeks · 0 milestones
Conduct a real bioinformatics analysis on a named publicly available genomic dataset from NCBI, Ensembl, or equivalent open repository: sequence alignment using BLAST, multiple sequence alignment (MUSCLE or MAFFT), phylogenetic tree construction (PhyML, IQ-TREE, or equivalent), variant annotation (Ensembl VEP, ClinVar), or RNA-seq differential expression analysis (DESeq2, edgeR). Document the complete methodology: dataset accession numbers, software tools with version numbers, parameters with rationale, and biological interpretation of outputs. The proof is the documented methodology, submitted code or pipeline, output files, and written interpretation of the biological significance of the results. All tools named are free and widely used by professional researchers — bioinformatics is among the most accessible postgraduate-level research skills available. The submitted code must be independently runnable. Reviewed by a geneticist or bioinformatician who examines the parameter choices and asks why specific settings were chosen over alternatives — requiring methodological understanding, not just tool operation.