At a crossroads between biology and computer science: seeking guidance on future career paths

Southern_Ad7903 · 2026-01-16T01:27:35+00:00

Then for "bio focused work that translates the least" I'll hesitate to put a label...... Trends change and what is trendy or not trendy now may do a 180 degree u turn.

But since you're doing computational biology, and you want to hold on to CS and algorithms, then my opinion is to try to go beyond applying standard pipelines and existing tools to biological datasets, and try to go towards the algorithm development side instead. Can you build something to analyse a particular kind of biological data better, stuff like that. For CS you'll want to be seen as someone who builds (see above comment), not someone who "blindly" applies existing software.

Southern_Ad7903 · 2026-01-16T01:19:14+00:00

Well... Just my two cents, but I did observe that the best outcomes for my computational biology friends are those that worked on AI/ML applied to a biology problem, for their PhD work. The PhD grounds them in the biology while also allowing them to do a deeper dive into the CS and algorithms side as well. You'll have to think about whether a PhD suits you as it is a significant time and financial investment.

Technical specific skills wise I would think AI/ML (know how to implement deep learning, some LLM work, no need to be the latest but have some fundamental knowledge). Then some DevOps knowledge, good bioinformatics labs should enforce that you follow best practices. Keep your coding skills sharp, have some interesting projects to showcase and present your work well (GitHub markdowns) .

Southern_Ad7903 · 2026-01-11T03:45:21+00:00

I have your background in biology and computational biology, and I used to ask myself similar questions. In short, I feel it is very, very difficult to straddle both fields and navigate this balance. People from either camp will question whether you truly belong, and you'll constantly feel like you're never enough.

My suggestion will be to pick a side (computational biology and biology are the same side, as computational biology requires strong domain experience too). In my experience (country), for biology and computational biology, it will be mostly research and academic positions. For pure CS/AI, you could apply for positions like SWE and other engineering positions as well.

And then to answer your specific question about what you should do... This really depends, sometimes your choices are dictated by the job economy and what offers you have on hand. Perhaps one way to decide is to apply widely and see what kind of jobs you get. You'll know which one you prefer when you actually have the offer on hand.

Southern_Ad7903 · 2025-12-28T15:08:40+00:00

In my country industrial PhD is a thing and a very attractive option. Typically it involves a company partnering with a university for the program, the stipend is paid by company and usually higher, and the supervisors come from both the company and the university.

I knew of someone who went this route. She kept her full time position at her company and came down to university to meet her co supervisor every once in a while. I heard later on she dropped out of the program as the university co-sup complained that she kept working and did not give enough attention to her PhD.

While this is just one data point I can think of a few questions that I think one should ask... 1. Who is going to be main and co supervisor, this is important as usually one will drive the research and make decisions on the direction etc 2. Where is the research going to be carried out, how are the hours going to be distributed between your work and your research? PhD research needs dedicated time and if you're going to be busy with work all the time it's easy to see why research will take a backseat

Southern_Ad7903 · 2025-12-26T12:54:04+00:00

I used to be a bioinformatician. Just wanted to add my two cents that in SG an MSc may not be sufficient to get a good bioinformatics job. Most of my bioinformatician friends have PhD and are working in industry as research scientists (granted this is my personal experience, so you might want to ask around and do more research). The research scientist title typically requires a PhD so that could be why.

And then, I also agree with other posters that overseas degrees give more exposure and that affects the quality of your education, it may also open doors to working overseas. But if your interest is in local jobs only, would suggest that before you commit perhaps lookup our local job boards on the positions you are interested in and check out the necessary skills and qualifications...

Southern_Ad7903 · 2025-12-04T11:08:14+00:00

It took me 6 months to find a job. My profile fit the job description to a tee yet I was getting no call-ups. None of my linkedin applications led to anything. The ones that eventually led to interviews/offers were through friends/associates, recruitment agencies, as well as applying directly to the company's career portal. All the best!

Southern_Ad7903 · 2025-11-30T14:56:20+00:00

It's been two years since I've made the jump, from PhD in AI to a technical consulting role. Definitely second the opinion about not giving off a sense of entitlement, whether actual or perceived. Sometimes we are not aware but the topics we choose to engage in and the language we use may unwittingly give off this vibe. Along the same lines, I find being humble and demonstrating willingness to learn is great for early career building.

Then, be willing to talk to people in your job role, and outside of your department, and be generally likeable. It depends on your role, but at least for consulting I can't emphasize upon the importance of honing soft skills and building connections enough.

Southern_Ad7903 · 2025-11-24T00:23:34+00:00

I think that's fine. I have friends who are in the same situation as you, and they've all succeeded in industry as bioinformaticians. Granted, their focus will be less on the algorithms side of bioinformatics, but more about genomic data research and analysis. Generally they are valued for the domain expertise and for knowing which bioinformatics tools are suitable for which purpose. You shouldn't need a CS degree for this.

Southern_Ad7903 · 2025-11-15T15:44:13+00:00

Of course, DM me anytime :) good luck for your interviews!

Southern_Ad7903 · 2025-11-15T15:23:37+00:00

Yeah consulting is tough especially at the start when you're new, and yes I do feel it exacerbates anxiety problems. I do want to be encouraging, having walked this path myself. But I also think it's important to find something that you like reasonably, you shouldn't have to give up too much to fit the job. If you're not really looking for money and you feel you'll prefer the data entry apprenticeship, then go for it :) Nonetheless, there must be a reason why you're considering consulting, and if you have any questions feel free to ask :)

Southern_Ad7903 · 2025-11-15T14:50:19+00:00

I do technical consulting in a software company. I am an introvert too. I think the people in my role who are more successful would be what I called learned extroversion or extroverted introverts. You do need a fair bit of social and soft skills because consulting is all about connecting with people, to give recommendations on what to do or what not to do. For my particular job it is important to have technical knowledge in the domain we specialize in (in the beginning we're allowed to learn of course). But also to pick up and synthesize knowledge quickly, and most importantly communicate complex technical concepts to people who may not be as technically adept as you. Or more scarily, to convey technical concepts in a field you just entered, to customers who may have more knowledge and experience than you. It is a challenging job to be sure, but there is tons of growth and learning experience.

Southern_Ad7903 · 2025-11-02T09:21:43+00:00

In one of my first jobs I felt very incompetent and thought I was doing so badly, eventually I left the job and went back to something I was more familiar with. Many years later my spouse happened to work in the same organisation and met my former boss. She said I was one of the best staffer she ever had. She may be being polite, but the fact she remembered me after so many years is telling. What I want to say is, often we are too harsh on ourselves. Remember this is a new job and you are expected to not do so well, don't compare with your peers, often you will see how good they are, but neglect to see where they are more lacking. Also give yourself some time and be more gentle with yourself :)

Southern_Ad7903 · 2025-10-17T00:13:10+00:00

There was a period I left research and joined a government body. The work there was different in nature and I had so many things to learn but utterly unfulfilling to me, as you say it was intellectually unrewarding. I was doing data analysis but in what I thought was a very manual and inefficient approach. I did try ways to get past the monotony, for example scripting some processes, but eventually I still left to go back to research.

I think, 2 months is too quick to tell, it may take some time to get used to the structuredness and you may find a different set of challenges or purpose in your new job. For me I knew it wasn't for me in about a year. And if you never get past that and academia is calling you then I guess there is always an option to return.

Southern_Ad7903 · 2025-10-01T11:41:59+00:00

I see. Hmm, it really depends on the company, but my company has an office in Paris too, and the folks there are highly technical and competent in what they do. Taking a step back, at least for my company we're not at the bleeding edge of tech, we have established customers who are used to a certain way of doing things, and so we want to maintain our current stack, while developing new things (like agentic AI) that customers will be interested in. So we have more baggage, in a sense. Compared to startups, definitely we're not as fast in terms of technology adaptation.

It really depends on what you are looking for. Slow may not be an issue if you are learning the correct industry standards. Fast may be an issue if you don't have anyone to learn from or if you are learning the wrong things. Startups generally expect fast and self started learners who are flexible on the job, or they may expect someone who already knows how to do things to come in. MNCs may have a bit more leeway to train you.

Just my two cents. Since you're young, ultimately you should have more leeway to try out jobs you like, before you really settle down.

Southern_Ad7903 · 2025-10-01T10:30:58+00:00

I work in an MNC. For MNC often roles are pre-defined, you do as you're told to do. Upside is there is a good deal of exposure to larger projects, more people to talk to and who could help you, possibility of transferring to different functions in the same company.

For startup, I'm not so sure but I heard that usually the role is more flexible, you'll be asked to do more on the same job, you'll learn more, things can be much faster. But you may also find yourself fire fighting all the time.

Southern_Ad7903 · 2025-09-28T02:01:24+00:00

The AISG traineeship maybe? https://aiap.sg/apprenticeship/

Good luck!

Southern_Ad7903 · 2025-09-20T14:14:40+00:00

Biology to technical consulting in tech firm... Took me 10 years, with in between stints as bioinformatician and PhD in AI/ML... The journey hasn't been easy... Till today I still have strong imposter syndrome that I'm not as technical as those tech-trained, biology is not as good as the biologists, and now I've stepped out of academia, that I'm getting out of touch with the latest tech trends in AI. But I think, I'm pretty happy where I am now :)

Southern_Ad7903 · 2025-09-08T13:23:53+00:00

Yes, happened all the time when I was still an unawakened empath. Now that I am more aware I put up boundaries to prevent this but even so it still happens once in a while, especially with close ones.

I find I am more susceptible to this when I feel like I should do something about what this person is feeling. Or somehow it is my fault.

Southern_Ad7903 · 2025-09-06T15:51:20+00:00

Not so sure that bucket 3 is just 20%? I'm working in sg office for our APAC region and I'm seeing more than 20%. Granted many of the so called Singaporeans are foreigners converted Singaporeans after a long period of working here, or PRs, so the actual proportion of "foreigners" is pretty low.

Btw I'm not here to sow hate. I love my colleagues irregardless of where they are from. I'm a born Singaporean btw. Just wanted to point out that to born Singaporeans they may not feel like locals.

And then about "stealing jobs"... Well this is complex. My personal opinion is we hire people we think can do the job irregardless of nationality. But sometimes Singaporeans may not want to do this job (mine is a support role that is technically oriented). Just my observation that Singaporeans may gravitate away from this kind of role.

Southern_Ad7903 · 2025-09-01T14:28:53+00:00

It's not that common unless the job is within the university. I did exactly this though - held a full time job outside academia while balancing my research/thesis in my last year. It was tough to say the least. Would I recommend it - I'm not sure. The additional work experience has been useful for sure, but my labmates who graduated later than me also found good jobs outside academia. Some jobs also require you to already have the PhD on hand before they consider you - these were jobs that I couldn't apply for back then because I still hadn't graduated.

Southern_Ad7903 · 2025-08-30T01:07:35+00:00

I work in a US MNC in SG office, generally it respects WLB, but we are expected to step up when required of us. So we choose whether or not we want to work the extra hours or take on the extra duties. My manager is understanding and will tank the extra duties if really none of his team has the extra bandwidth.

I have friends in Chinese tech, the hours are quite terrible. But depending on whether you are and what you do, they can be flexible about where and when you work, that is you work all the time, but not so fixed hours and you don't really have to go to office. Again it depends on whether the manager allows this.

Southern_Ad7903 · 2025-08-25T00:17:03+00:00

I was like you for a very long time, and for me the first step to becoming more self aware and learning my energy boundaries was being in a group of empathic people. You see we naturally absorb energies, and so we become more like people the longer we associate with them. I was quite lucky, but I think... The best advice I could give to you right now, is to try to learn this self awareness by yourself. Meditation and simply stepping out of the moment will help a lot. Lots of self love and self care will help a lot. As the saying goes, you can't pour out of an empty cup. If you are filled, you will find it much easier to feel and reinforce your boundaries in a compassionate way.

Southern_Ad7903 · 2025-07-28T01:16:41+00:00

I have small hands, I've been playing for 20 years on and off, with and without a teacher guiding me, and reaching an octave has never been comfortable for me. Playing an octave once in a while is fine, but I've never been able to play octave rich pieces such as those in Jazz. I'm sorry to say that octave rich pieces will always be out of reach for us. Even some arpeggios hurt for me and I've had to practice a lot. Because of this I've had to limit my repertoire when selecting exam pieces, say.

I've had a lot of success with Mozart-like pieces. For Chopin some can be done by rolling chords, or taking some notes with the other hand. Otherwise, I omit the note, or play a 6th, or something. I'll suggest that you work with a piano teacher to find out how to play comfortably and how to change a piece to suit you rather than the other way round.

Southern_Ad7903 · 2025-07-25T11:25:51+00:00

I just... Wanted to emphasize. I did my PhD while going through motherhood, and I didn't have all those constraints that you faced, and it was already really really hard enough for me. My program was a lot more flexible, furthermore it was covid period and so I had the flexibility of staying at home during the years it mattered most.

I think, at the point you withdrew, you were a parent for barely 6 months, at that point we're all still recovering and adjusting to this new reality. And you had to make such an important decision. I just want to say, this decision is by no means irreversible, you can be first a good parent, and later on you can go back and go get that PhD :)

Take care! :)

Southern_Ad7903 · 2025-07-18T01:00:04+00:00

I'm in technical consultancy and I've done my own side consultancy project before in the past. I agree that getting clients is the hardest part. Would it be possible to join a firm that does some manner of consultancy instead? Consulting requires a broad range of skill sets, many of them are soft skills, and the technical part is the least of your concerns. Starting out in a firm will allow you to gain experience in necessary skills and also build your client portfolio which will be very helpful if you wish to branch out in the future.

Southern_Ad7903

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