For Scientists
SIB courses are targeted to PhDs, postdocs, technicians and researchers, from the Swiss and international scientific community. SIB courses are mostly in a face-to-face format with an emphasis on practical learning, and several of them exploit SIB's free access e-learning modules on basic bioinformatics topics.
The SIB training portfolio is composed of a wide range of courses and workshops covering several bioinformatics-related fields, such as computational biology methods, statistics and biological data analysis, and computing techniques. It is continuously evolving to meet the needs of life scientists, clinicians and bioinformaticians, from academia and private companies, and to ensure the scientists make the best of bioinformatics resources.
SIB Training relies on an extensive combination of experts and expertise from the various SIB groups, as well as national and international speakers.The SIB Training group coordinates the SIB training courses, and collaborates in pan-European and international training courses and projects with partners such as ELIXIR, ISMB and GOBLET.
For PhD Students
SIB runs the SIB PhD Training Network, a community support for PhD students carrying out their research in bioinformatics or computational biology in Switzerland. The network fosters interactions and exchanges among SIB PhD students and trains them in the most up-to-date methods necessary for their doctoral research.
PhD students working in a group that is member of SIB and who have been announced to SIB, are automatically regular members of the SIB PhD Training Network. PhD students not working in an SIB group can apply for membership.
At the end of their PhD, members can This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. attesting their participation to the SIB PhD Training Network programme, given that they have attended at least one annual retreat, one annual general meeting and one training activity.
Questions or suggestions regarding the SIB PhD Training Network can be addressed to the Network coordinator Gregoire Rossier (SIB Training group), or to the Network delegates Aiswarya Prasad (Lausanne / Geneva / Fribourg area), Fritz Bayer (Basel / Bern / Neuchatel area), and Tülay Karakulak & Aashil Batavia (Zurich / Ticino / Davos area).
PhD positions in bioinformatics are posted on the Jobs list. Prospective students can directly contact the Group Leaders.
The SIB PhD Training Network is collaborating with the ISCB Regional Section Group of the Student Council in Switzerland (RSG-CH).
PhD Training Network activities
The members of the SIB PhD Training Network (TN) can benefit from the following activities:
- International seasonal schools: Each year, the TN teams up with another PhD doctoral institution to treat a cutting-edge topic of common interest. Taking place in the Swiss mountains, the events promote interaction among the students and the internationally renowned speakers.
- Retreats: these annual meetings, reserved to the TN members, combine interactive sessions in which the students can both present their work as well as network with their peers.
- SIB Days: TN members are encouraged to attend the scientific meetings of SIB, intended to foster scientific as well as social interactions between SIB members. The annual general meeting is usually organized during this event.
For most activities, our members can benefit from preferential conditions, such as free or discount registration, travel reimbursement, etc.
Opportunities to get experience as a trainer
For SIB Training courses, we frequently recruit co-trainers or helpers who could assist in the practical sessions, particularly for courses in programming languages (e.g. R, Python) and data analysis (e.g. NGS). This is an excellent opportunity for you to be part of the SIB community of trainers, acquire more experience, or learn new teaching skills. If you are interested, don't hesitate to contact Gregoire for more information.
Admissions
The SIB PhD Training Network offers networking opportunities and cutting-edge training events to PhD students doing their research in bioinformatics or computational biology.
- Automatic membership: a PhD student from a SIB group automatically becomes a regular member of the PhD Training Network, once he/she has been announced to the SIB administration by his/her group leader or administrative staff. As a regular member, you are expected to participate actively in the programme and to attend the yearly SIB PhD Retreat and at least one summer or winter school during your PhD studies.
- On-request membership: If you are PhD student at a Swiss University or ETHZ/EPFL but not supervised by an SIB member, you can also become an member of the SIB PhD Training Network under certain conditions.
Fellowship programme
For companies
To meet the fast-evolving data science challenges of the commercial sector, SIB provides the necessary services and resources to life scientists and bioinformaticians, in fields such as genomics, proteomics and systems biology. In particular, SIB offers high-quality introductory and advanced data science training to help researchers develop expertise in a specific area.
Discover our specific courses for companies:
- Programming and data analysis using R or Python
- Statistics and machine learning
- Genomics, transcriptomics and drug design
- Handling data, files and file versions
Find the complete list of upcoming training events here.
The course portfolio can be tailored to the needs of your company and can be offered as on-site or online private courses. Find out more in the brochure.
SIB training would be happy to discuss in person any bioinformatics training you may require; simply contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The following companies have trusted SIB to support their technical and scientific training:
For clinical bioinformatics
Medical practice is undergoing a revolution around precision medicine, driven by the development of high-throughput technologies like next-generation-sequencing (NGS).
In this rapidly challenging and evolving field, SIB Clinical Bioinformatics, in collaboration with SIB Training, has started offering training courses shaped with and for clinical stakeholders, that integrate as much as possible into their continuing education programs. These courses aim at empowering clinical professionals (medical doctors, clinicians, clinical or medical laboratory professionals...) to better understand the essential bioinformatics concepts underlying the analysis, interpretation and management of molecular data and their implications in clinical routine.
Upcoming courses:
- Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Personalized Molecular Oncology in collaboration with Basel and Lausanne University Hospitals and Basel University (more information).
- NGS bioinformatics quality control and variant annotation for cancer diagnosis (previous session).
How to become a Bioinformatician
- Bachelor in Computational Sciences (University of Basel)
For students with a strong interest in computer science, but who want to specialize in computational biology from their early stages in the university. This 3-year bachelor's degree in German has 4 major tracks: computational biology, computational mathematics, computational physics and computational chemistry. - Master in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (Universities of Bern and Fribourg)
For students who have completed a Bachelor of biology, computer science, mathematics, or equivalent. It is a full-fledged master's degree in 1.5 years and is very much focused on the practical application of bioinformatics to biology. - Master in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (ETH Zurich & University of Zurich & University of Basel)
For students who have completed a Bachelor of biology, computer science, mathematics, or equivalent. It is a full-fledged master's degree in 2-years and it focuses on concepts, algorithms, and developments. - Master in Molecular Life Sciences specialization in Bioinformatics (University of Lausanne)
For students who have completed a Bachelor of Biology (or equivalent), and want to continue through a Master of Biology with a major track in Bioinformatics. This Master's degree takes 1.5 years and the specialization is very much focused on the practical application of bioinformatics to biology. - Master in Biology specialization in Bioinformatics and Biological Data Analysis (University of Geneva)
For students who have completed a Bachelor of Biology (or equivalent), and want to continue through a Master of Biology with a minor track in bioinformatics and data analysis. This Master's degree takes 1.5 years. It has only a few courses since it is a research project-oriented master.
All upcoming training events
Sign up to remain informed about the training activities at the SIB here.