Bioinformatics technician

Bioinformatics technicians use information technology to collect, analyse and store biological data. They may develop databases for processing and analysing medical information.

Also known as

Bioinformatician

Work environment

  • Usually work regular business hours but may work weekends and evenings
  • Usually work in offices or laboratories
  • Need to be accurate, methodical and identify and solve problems

Salary information

MOST COMMON
UPPER
LOWER
$51.1K-$87.4K 51066

Typical tasks

  • Collect and organise biological data
  • Use digital tools to analyse biological data
  • Create and maintain large electronic databases
  • Assess data quality
  • Find and fix software problems
  • Develop new ways to manage data
  • Write computer programming code
  • Prepare data reports

Outlook

Bioinformatics technicians are becoming more important as laboratories and research teams rely on digital tools to manage biological data. In New Zealand, genomics is used across health, agriculture, biosecurity and environmental science, creating a need for people who can support data processing and routine analysis. Global growth in sequencing technologies means this work is increasingly connected to faster, cheaper and more automated data systems.

What employers and industry want in graduates

  • Practical skills using bioinformatics software and databases
  • Basic programming or scripting ability, especially in Python or R
  • Good attention to detail when cleaning and checking data
  • Understanding of biology, genetics and laboratory workflows
  • Ability to follow protocols and document work clearly
  • Willingness to learn new tools as technology changes

AUT programmes

The above is a suggestion only and a starting point. You may need to meet other criteria or take additional steps to work in this career.

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This data is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahtu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. Some of the information has been modified by AUT. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this data.