Computational Genomics and Sequence Analysis for Beginners

The rapid growth of DNA sequencing technology has made computational analysis essential for understanding biological data. This course bridges the gap between biology and computer science, showing you how to process and interpret genetic information. You will gain a solid foundation in genomic data structures and the computational techniques used to solve complex biological questions. By completing this course, you will understand how genomic data is generated, stored, and analyzed. You will learn to work with standard file formats, compare sequences, and identify genetic variations using modern algorithmic approaches. What you'll learn: - Understand foundational genomic concepts, sequencing technologies, and common bioinformatic file formats. - Apply pairwise and multiple sequence alignment algorithms to compare genetic sequences. - Analyze next-generation sequencing data for variant calling and genome assembly. - Practice parsing genomic datasets using basic programming scripts and command-line tools. - Explore database search tools to retrieve and analyze public biological data. The course begins with key terminology and basic concepts, ensuring you understand the structure of DNA and sequencing data before moving into hands-on computational workflows and sequence alignment exercises. It is designed specifically for beginners in bioinformatics, life sciences, or computer science with no prior background in genomics. Start your journey into computational biology today.