training-program.html

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<header>
  <h1>Graduate Student Training Program</h1>
  <p>Gain leadership and scientific communication skills while contributing to Melbourne Bioinformatics</p>
</header>

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      <a href="#tab-alt-1" role="tab">Overview</a>
      <a href="#tab-alt-2" role="tab">Eligibility and requirements</a>
      <a href="#tab-alt-3" role="tab">Dates and times</a>
      <a href="#tab-alt-4" role="tab">Testimonials</a>
      <a href="#tab-alt-5" role="tab">Further information</a>
      <a href="#tab-alt-6" role="tab">Apply now!</a>
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      <div class="with-figure">
  <blockquote class="right">
Participating in the Melbourne Bioinformatics Training Program has been one of the most transformative experiences of my PhD so far.
    <cite>Renee Papaluca, 2025 cohort</cite>
  </blockquote>

      <h2> Overview </h2>
      <p>The Melbourne Bioinformatics training program is a year-long, paid opportunity for students to
learn about and contribute to the growing field of knowledge in bioinformatics as well as
develop their leadership and scientific communication skills. Students will then be able to
apply these skills as workshop facilitators and leads throughout the program. </p>
      <h2> Learning Objectives </h2>
      <ul>
  <li>
Develop proficiency in programming languages commonly used in bioinformatics (e.g.,
Python, R)
  </li>
  <li>
Design effective learning outcomes and create engaging material for bioinformatics
workshops
  </li>
  <li>
Develop skills in explaining complex bioinformatics concepts to diverse audiences
  </li>
    <li>
Develop project management skills, including planning, time management, and
resource allocation
  </li>
</ul>


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      <h2> Eligibility </h2>


      <ul>
        <li>
      Participants in the program must be current graduate students (inc. Master's by
      coursework students) in good standing and enrolled at the University of Melbourne.
      <ul>
            <li>
      Students who are “at risk” status, awaiting a CAPC meeting, or subject to a
      points restriction on subject enrolments are not eligible to apply.
            </li>
          </ul>
        </li>
        <li>
      Applicants should be available for in person attendance throughout April to early
      December of the application year
        </li>

      </ul>


      <h2> Selection criteria </h2>

      <p> No bioinformatics skills or teaching experience is required for consideration into the program. If
      offered a place in the program, successful participants must submit relevant documents to the
      training lead upon acceptance:</p>

      <p> Current Master’s students must submit a current Statement of Results and, if currently
      enrolled a research project subject, submit written permission from their research
      project supervisor.</p>
      <p>Current PhD students must submit written permission from their primary supervisor.
      Students may submit their thesis during the duration of the program as long as they are able to
      fulfill their obligations to the program. Students must be able to attend in-person workshops
      and meetings throughout the year.</p>




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<h2>Time Commitment</h2>

<p>
  You will be expected to spend between 30-50 hours throughout the duration of the program on
meetings, training activities, and workshop facilitation/leading. The program is designed to be
intentionally flexible to accommodate demands on students’ time from coursework classes,
assessments, research activities and meetings with supervisors. Breaks/holidays can also be
accommodated as part of the program. However, any planned extended break (1+ months)
should be discussed with the training lead.</p>

<p>

Program associates will be expected to facilitate/assist at least 2 workshops as well as lead at
least 1 workshop by the end of the program. The workshop you lead can be content which has
already been developed by Melbourne Bioinformatics or can be developed by you based on your
own research or a relevant area of your expertise. Topics for workshop development will be
discussed with successful applicants.
</p>

<h2>Timeline of Program</h2>

<dl class="timeline">
  <dt><strong>February</strong></dt>
  <dd>
    <p>
      Applications open
    </p>
  </dd>
  <dt><strong>March</strong></dt>
  <dd>
    <p>
      Applications are reviewed and offers are extended
    </p>
  </dd>
  <dt><strong>April</strong></dt>
  <dd>
    <p>
      Program officially starts
    </p>
  </dd>
  <dt><strong>May</strong></dt>
  <dd>
    <p>
      Initial training activities take place
    </p>
  </dd>
    <dt><strong>June</strong></dt>
  <dd>
    <p>
      Facilitation of workshops
    </p>
  </dd>
      <dt><strong>July</strong></dt>
  <dd>
    <p>
      Continured training in workshop development and draft proposals
    </p>
  </dd>
      <dt><strong>August</strong></dt>
  <dd>
    <p>
      Additional facilitation and workshop development
    </p>
  </dd>
      <dt><strong>September</strong></dt>
  <dd>
    <p>
      Training activities and workshop development
    </p>
  </dd>
      <dt><strong>October</strong></dt>
  <dd>
    <p>
      Finalisation of student-led workshops
    </p>
  </dd>
      <dt><strong>November</strong></dt>
  <dd>
    <p>
      Workshops take place
    </p>
  </dd>
      <dt><strong>December</strong></dt>
  <dd>
    <p>
      Program officially ends
    </p>
  </dd>
</dl>

<p><i>Note: dates may be subject to change year-to-year</i></p>


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    <h2>Testimonials</h2>

<h4>Find what our most recent (2025) cohort had to say about their experience in the program below:</h4>


<div class="grid grid--cols-1">
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    <br>




        <p class="card__description">
The training program has been incredibly fruitful.
The program lead and all staff involved have put in their best
efforts to ensure that everything ran smoothly and was as educational
as possible. I gained many valuable skills throughout the program.
For instance, it helped me further develop my skills in R, Unix
command line tools, and Git. Even when I encountered tasks I had
never done before (such as workshop rendering), I was able to receive
timely support from the program lead and staff to ensure that I stayed
on track. One of the most rewarding parts of the program was meeting
like-minded peers and having the opportunity to deliver a final workshop
to participants ourselves. This experience helped strengthen my confidence
and allowed me to understand bioinformatics concepts from a new perspective.
I learned many other valuable things through this program, but to keep it
concise, I can confidently say that it is absolutely worth joining.
It not only broadens your academic and technical skills, but also helps y
ou develop strong transferable skills. Special thanks to Emma, Steven,
Tristan, Vini, and all my fellow co-trainees for making this a memorable
and meaningful experience.
    </p>
        <p class="card__description">
    <b>Raymond Zhao</b>
    </p>
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</div>

<div class="grid grid--cols-2">
  <div class="card card--outline card--outline-alt">
    <br>
    <p class="card__description">
Participating in the Melbourne Bioinformatics Training Program has been one of the
most transformative experiences of my PhD so far. Coming from a wet-lab background,
I entered the program with limited computational training, and MBITE
provided exactly the structure, support, and confidence I needed to
bridge that gap. I came in as someone who was “bioinformatics-curious”
but intimidated by coding, and I’m leaving with confidence, practical skills,
and a genuine excitement for computational biology. The trainers created
such a supportive environment - patient with every question, generous with
their time, and always encouraging us to explore and problem-solve.
I especially loved how the workshops built progressively so I never felt truly lost,
just steadily more capable. I now use R and pathway analysis tools routinely in my PhD,
and I can’t believe how far I’ve come in a few months. I would recommend this program
to any student wanting to build real, usable bioinformatics skills.
    </p>
    <p class="card__description">
      <b>Renee Papaluca</b>
    </p>
  </div>
  <div>
    <img alt="Group picture"
class="figure__content" src="/img/trainers_group_photo.png">
  </div>
</div>

<div class="grid grid--cols-1">
    <div class="card card--outline card--outline-alt">
    <br>
<p class="card__description">
  As a bioinformatics student, Melbourne Bioinformatics
  workshops has given a fun and hands-on way to dive
  deeper into topics outside of class, and helped me meet people
  who share the same interests. I was really grateful to join the
  Train-the-Trainer program as it gave me the chance to see how
  everything works behind the scenes and to give back to the community
  that supported me when I was first learning. During the program,
  we picked up lots of useful skills, like how to design engaging
  workshops and how to use templates such as the Carpentries Workbench t
  o develop fun and interactive workshop material. We also got the
  chance to help facilitate a couple of workshops before
  eventually running our own. As someone who always gets
  nervous giving presentations, the program really helped to
  boost my confidence and I felt supported every step of the way.
  </p>
  <p class="card__description">
    <strong>Susan Si</strong>
  </p>
  </div>
</div>

<div class="grid grid--cols-2">

  <div class="card card--outline card--outline-alt">
    <br>
    <p class="card__description">
     It’s an amazing program! I gained a better understanding of different
     bioinformatics tools that would significantly enhance my research!!
    </p>
        <p class="card__description">
    <b>Kezia Giatreja</b>
    </p>

  </div>
  <div class="card card--outline card--outline-alt">
    <br>
    <p class="card__description">

Through the Training Program, I gained valuable skills in science communication
and advanced my programming knowledge. It was great to become
more familiar with the staff and resources available at Melbourne
Bioinformatics. The time commitment was very manageable, I would
definitely recommend any student completing a bioinformatics PhD to apply!
    </p>
        <p class="card__description">
          <b>Julia Broadbent</b>
        </p>
  </div>
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<p>For more information, please contact us via the information available on the Melbourne Bioinformatics main page:</p>

<p>
<a href=https://mdhs.unimelb.edu.au/melbournebioinformatics/about-us/contact-us>
      <button class="button button--secondary" type="button">Contact us!</button>
</a></p>

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      <p>Please note that you must be logged into your University of Melbourne account for form access.
      If you are associated with an affiliated institute, you may not be able to fill in the form if you are not logged in to your university student account.
      Log out of your institutional account and login via your student email account for form access. If you are still encountering an error, please email our training email for further assistance.</p>

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<h3> Special thanks </h3>

<p> This program has been funded by the MDHS Graduate Research Development grant. </p>

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