A computational biologist is a scientist who develops and utilizes computational tools to analyze biological data. The Human Genome Project and other large sequencing projects have generated an extraordinary amount of data. Biologists are now faced with the challenge of extracting meaning from linear sequences composed of billions of base pairs. The work of computational biologists is indispensable for this task and for many other biological problems that lend themselves to computational solutions.

A basic knowledge of molecular biology and genetics is important, enabling the computational biologist to understand the issues, to interpret the meaning of results, and to communicate with research biologists who work at the laboratory bench. The actual job duties, apart from proficiency in oral and written communication and reading the literature, are very much centered around working with computers. It is, therefore, paramount that a computational biologist be highly skilled in computer...