Bioinformatics Outreach Nigeria (BON)

About

Bioinformatics Outreach Nigeria (BON) is a community-driven initiative aimed at building a critical mass of bioinformaticians skilled in open science within Nigeria. BON provides mentorship, workshops, training programs, and collaborative projects to empower bioinformatics enthusiasts with the tools and knowledge to advance their careers and contribute to the global bioinformatics and life sciences community.

Our Mission

We are building a thriving, collaborative bioinformatics community in Nigeria by leveraging open science principles, nurturing talent, and connecting Nigerian bioinformaticians to global networks.

Bioinformatics Outreach Nigeria aims to:

  • Foster a community of bioinformatics enthusiasts and professionals dedicated to integrating open science practices.
  • Train and mentor bioinformatics beginners and professionals, helping them gain technical expertise and leadership skills.
  • Collaborate with global bioinformatics communities to enhance Nigeria's visibility in bioinformatics research.

BON provides resources, peer support, and opportunities to work on bioinformatics projects, focusing on training, collaborative research, open science skills, and career growth in bioinformatics.

Our Goals

Develop Bioinformatics Skills

Equip participants with essential bioinformatics and computational biology skills through structured training programs.

Promote Open Science

Encourage open science practices within the Nigerian bioinformatics community.

Facilitate Collaboration

Connect Nigerian bioinformaticians with international collaborators to work on impactful projects.

Support Career Development

Create pathways for Nigerian bioinformaticians to advance their careers in research, academia, and industry.

Community Activities

BON provides a range of initiatives and resources, including:

  • Workshops and Training Programs: Hands-on training sessions on topics such as Open science for Bioinformaticians
  • Open Science Advocacy: Promoting transparency, reproducibility, and open data through workshops and collaborative projects.
  • Mentorship Programs: Connecting beginners with mentors for guidance and career support.
  • Hackathons and Codeathons: Opportunities to participate in projects that apply bioinformatics to solve real-world problems.
  • Publications and Outreach: Enabling members to publish research and share insights with the larger community.

Highlights

  • Open Science for Bioinformaticians Workshop: A two-day training session on open science practices in bioinformatics. Materials available on Zenodo.
  • Serving as a Community Catalyst Project: Catalyst Project.
  • Resident Fellowship with Open Life Science (OLS): BON's team lead, Seun Olufemi, serves as a Resident Fellow at OLS to support open science mentorship. Learn more.

Resources

Getting Started

To get involved with Bioinformatics Outreach Nigeria, we love to have interested people who are passionate about Open Science, Community building, and Bioinformatics and who has

  • Basic knowledge of biology, genetics, and data science is beneficial.
  • Familiarity with programming languages like Python or R for bioinformatics analysis skills or interested in learning

Using Resources

BON resources are shared openly (licensed under the CC BY 4.0 and MIT License). Feel free to use those for:

  • Applying Open Sciences principles to bioinformatics through tutorials and example projects.
  • Participating in community events such as workshops and codeathons.
  • Engaging with the open-source community through contributions and discussions.

Collaborators

We are grateful to our community partners, including:

Contact

This website is maintained by Seun Olufemi, who is also one of the project organisers.