BioNexus Hub

Your Bioinformatics Roadmap

A clear path from "I'm curious" to "I can analyze real biological data." No maze, no guesswork - just one step after another, with hands-on lessons you run in your browser or in a free cloud notebook (Google Colab, a free Google account is all you need).

Every hands-on lesson runs free in your browser with Google Colab (just a free Google account). Prefer your own editor? That works too - our lessons simply default to Colab so you can start in seconds.

Stage 1
Learn in the browser with Colab
→
Stage 2
Set up your own pro tools (VS Code, RStudio)
→
Stage 3
Work like a pro (Git, conda)

New or stuck? Help & FAQ →

🗂️ Free cheat sheetsFree quick references: command line & samtools, file formats, conda & Git, stats & DESeq2. Open →

    Where are you starting from?

    There's more than one way in. Pick the door that sounds like you - the roadmap below works for all of them.

    🌱

    Total beginner

    New to both biology and coding. Start at the very beginning and build up gently, one browser-based lesson at a time.

    Start with the Introduction →
    🔬

    Coming from the bench or clinic

    You know the biology - pharmacy, lab, or medicine - but the computational side feels like a wall. You can skip ahead to the data.

    Jump to working with data →
    📈

    Ready for a real project

    Comfortable reading a little code? Jump into a guided RNA-seq project - start on a quick example dataset, then rerun the same steps on a real published dataset for your portfolio. New to code? Begin with the Introduction first.

    Open the flagship project →

    Foundations: set up your toolkit

    Before the science, get the tools running on your own machine. Three short series - each one takes you from install → basics → a real-data project, so every skill lands on something real.

    🐍

    Python

    The most widely used language in bioinformatics.

    📊

    R

    The language behind DESeq2 & Bioconductor.

    💻

    Bash / command line

    How nearly every bioinformatics tool is run.

    🧩 Want a desktop editor to work in? Set up VS Code - an optional workspace that works across Python, R, and Bash.

    The full roadmap

    Seven tracks, sequenced so each one builds on the last. Start anywhere that fits you and follow the line.

    🟢 Beginner 🟡 Intermediate 🔴 Advanced 🌐 No install needed 🐍 Python · 📊 R · 💻 Command line
    ★

    Introduction: "Is this for me?" Beginner

    The on-ramp. Finish feeling capable, not overwhelmed - and write your first 10 lines of code in the browser.

    You'll build: a notebook that reads a DNA sequence and counts its bases.
    1

    Working with biological data Beginner → Intermediate

    The literacy layer: the file formats every bioinformatician lives in, and the tools to read them.

    You'll build: pull a real gene record from NCBI and summarize it in a notebook.
    2

    Genomics & next-gen sequencing Intermediate → Advanced

    The classic NGS workflow, demystified one step at a time - from raw reads to called variants.

    You'll build: a documented variant-calling mini-pipeline (on example data, built to rerun on real datasets).
    3

    Transcriptomics ★ Flagship Intermediate

    Our strongest track, built around RNA-seq from start to finish. Begin with the complete project below, then go deeper.

    You'll build: a complete, portfolio-ready RNA-seq analysis from a public dataset, with a written biological interpretation.

    ✨ The full roadmap is live, beginner through advanced

    The advanced tracks below, RNA biology, statistics, and the reproducibility & career track, are now published in full. New lessons and deeper modules still drop regularly. Want something prioritized? Use the feedback button to tell us.

    4

    RNA biology & epitranscriptomics Advanced Signature

    Deep, differentiated content almost no beginner platform offers - taught from real research expertise.

    You'll build: a CLIP-seq or m6A peak-analysis walkthrough on real data.
    5

    Statistics & visualization Cross-cutting

    The layer everyone skips and later regrets. Short, practical, and threaded through everything else.

    You'll build: a critique-and-fix exercise on a misleading figure.
    6

    Reproducibility & career Professional layer

    What turns a learner into someone employable - especially valuable if you're switching fields.

    You'll build: a polished public GitHub repo showcasing your completed projects.

    Want a focused, professional deep-dive on a single skill? Explore our graded mini-courses, separate from the roadmap above.

    🎓 Browse mini-courses →

    Start with the real thing

    The best way to know if bioinformatics is for you is to actually do some. Our flagship project walks you through a complete RNA-seq analysis in a free cloud notebook (Google Colab), so there is nothing to install on your own machine.

    Open Your First RNA-seq Analysis →