Dr Imogen Wright is a bioinformatician at the University of the Western Cape. She tells Margaret Harris that if thought leaders educated themselves beyond the confines of their expertise, we would have healthier public debate in the world. Tell me about your work. I'd call myself a bioinformatician, a software developer and an entrepreneur in about equal measures. My undergraduate degree was in physics and computer science, and my masters was in theoretical physics. My PhD, though, was in bioinformatics - a new field, described as a mix of biology, computer science and statistics. Now I've founded a company, Hyrax Biosciences, with my former PhD supervisor, Professor Simon Travers, and two other scientists. We build software that enables HIV and TB drug-resistance testing. Where would bioinformaticians typically work? In front of a computer - either in industry or academia. We work closely with biologists, who give us raw data that's too complex to be handled by noncomputational met...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.