Ping Qiu

Anyone considering a career in bioinformatics has to relish change, says Schering-Plough bioinformatics specialist Ping Qiu. "Bioinformatics is a very dynamic field," he says from his office in Kenilworth, NJ. "Every day there are new concepts, algorithms, databases--if you look at the publications, it's growing exponentially."

It's hard to imagine two fields morphing as quickly as either computer technology or genetics, and bioinformatics specialists like Qiu find themselves at the nexus of both.

"We analyze gene sequencing, find gene products and new protein family members like GPCRs, kinases--the kinds of things the pharmaceutical industry focuses on as they try and find new drug targets," Qiu explains. "It's that combo of biology and computers."

After completing both his BS and PhD biology degrees at Nanjing University, China, Qiu made the leap to high-tech, obtaining an MS in computer science in his postdoc years. He first worked at a US biotech firm, now defunct, called Cadus, before joining Schering-Plough as a senior scientist in bioinformatics in 1999.

Now an associate principal scientist, Qiu works independently, analyzing complex trial results via computer to find that elusive gene product or biological point of weakness that could lead to a breakthrough. While a typical workday is 9 to 5, "it's also a scientific discipline, so things tend to hang around after normal working hours," he says.

"When bench scientists do an experiment and it comes up with tens of thousands of data points, they'll come to us to analyze the data and draw some sort of biological conclusions," Qiu explains. "Usually we use algorithms that other people have written, but other times we'll design the algorithms ourselves."

It's rewarding but challenging work, he says, requiring a very specific skill set that's got to be open to change.

"Of course you have to know programming, and that language comes and goes-you constantly have to pick up new computer languages," says the 36-year-old father of two. "And you have to know your biology, because biology is the core here-gene expression, molecular biogenetics, things like that."

According to Qiu, bioinformatics is just now beginning to cool down from the frenzy of discovery following the mapping of the human genome. "It really boomed in the late 1990s because of that," he says. "Now it's plateaued a bit, although there are still new technologies coming out, such as microarray technologies, proteomics. It's a little slower than it was five years ago, but of course that was a time of explosive growth. There's still a lot of demand out there."

The emergence over the past five years of university degree programs specializing in bioinformatics has changed the playing field for newcomers, Qiu adds. "Just computers plus biology doesn't work anymore, it's a much more specialized discipline now," Qiu says. "More people are graduating now from these bioinformatics programs, and if you're not lucky enough to already have work experience, it's a big plus if you have one of these degrees."

But it's exactly that kind of ceaseless change that keeps Qiu interested. In this dynamic environment, he says, "You have to be willing to learn."

-- E.J. Mundell