Cohort Four
October 2021 - January 2022
Participants
Collins Kigen
Bachelor of Science Medical Biochemistry
Jomo Kenyatta University of Science and Technology
The Bioinformatics Incubation and Mentorship program was a huge turning point in my career. First, I gained technical skills in programming and genomics as well as professional skills including communication, presentation, teamwork and leadership. Second, it helped me establish my career path by enabling me to identify my strengths and build on them in order to carve out a niche for myself within the broad line of science. The program was successful owing to the student-centered approach in delivery of the curriculum, and the rounded support from the bioinformatics group at icipe led by Dr. Caleb Kibet. I appreciate Ruth Nanjala, the lead trainer, for her quality and skillful teaching, as well as the postgraduate students who also made a significant contribution to our learning. Last but not least, the peer mentorship that carries on even after the internship has ended has helped me broaden my professional network in the field of bioinformatics. This program is a great opportunity to learn, experience and network.
JB Mugi
Bachelor of Science Applied Bioengineering
Jomo Kenyatta University of Science and Technology
The Bioinformatics Incubation and Mentorship program at icipe is a major highlight in my career so far. Through it's very able and talented team of facilitators led by Dr Caleb Kibet, the programme helped me improve in key areas that are essential in the field of Bioinformatics and Science in general. The practical application of acquired skills to solve real word problems went a long way to lay a strong foundation upon which to build a career in Bioinformatics. The programme also gave a boost to my confidence in my skills bearing in mind that we were learning from the best Scholars and Scientists. Overall, at the end of the internship, I was better at professional and scientific communication, Machine Learning, data analysis and most importantly had a broader network.
Caroline Kogei
BSc. Applied Statistics with Computing
Moi University
The Bioinformatics incubation program provides the much needed platform to kickstart a career in genomics research. Through the well curated programs, I discovered the various opportunities in Bioinformatics. I up-skilled in both hard and soft skills including programming, technical writing, mentorship and presentation skills. I’d like to thank Dr Caleb Kibet, Ruth Nanjala and the entire team for their mentorship in ensuring we become the best version of ourselves.
Joyce Wangari
Bachelor of Science Genomic Sciences
Jomo Kenyatta University of Science and Technology
It is such an honor to have been part of the Bioinformatics Incubation and Mentorship Program at ICIPE. This experience has laid a great foundation for my career in Bioinformatics. The program is well structured and facilitated by a dedicated team of experts. It involves a rigorous training for both technical and soft skills after which one reproduces a scientific paper and works on the mini-project collaboratively, a unique approach to enhance skill retention. In Addition to that, the journal club presentations and weekly code review equips one with writing, communication and presentation skills. The training equipped me with a unique sense of tenacity and diligence to meticulously approach scientific problems through a computational lens and with the necessary soft skills. I am now more motivated and confident to pursue Bioinformatics further. I accord profound gratitude to Dr. Caleb Kibet, Ruth Nanjala, Eric Kariuki, Pauline Karega and the entire Bioinformatics team for their dedication to teach, guide and mentor us through the internship period and even afterwards through the alumni mentorship program.
Allan Okeyo
Bachelor of Science Microbiology
Pwani University
The bioinformatics incubation and mentorship program at ICIPE was a stepping stone into what I have wanted to know and pursue as a career. I gained the confidence to solving errors, which forms the backbone of a bioinformatics pipeline. I did gain skills such as programming, problem solving, critical thinking. My communication, presentation, writing, leadership and collaboration skills improved so well courtesy of this very program. As of today, I'm ready to step up and challenge myself to more technical opportunities to add cement what I learned from this program and possibly make a career out of it, to help improve the community around me and the world.
Nelly Wambui
Bachelor of Science Medical Biochemistry
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
My internship period was one very educative one. Through the tasks given I got to grow in my bioinformatics skills. Our supervisors Dr. Caleb Kibet and Ruth Nanjala and the whole team that took us through the training made it easy to get through every stage of it. I got to practice and improve on various skills such as in my communication, presentation of work, and even collaborative skills. It was a wholesome experience and I am grateful to have been part of it.
Projects
Reviewing 16s Analysis workflows
This mini-project aims to review existing microbiome workflows, identify great ones and extend the workflows where there are gaps, especially...
Insect identification using deep learning
The international centre of insect physiology and ecology is a leading institution in insect research in Africa and the world....
Reviewing Variant Calling Analysis workflows
This mini-project aims to review existing variant calling pipelines, identify great ones and extend the workflows where there are gaps,...