Robert Alexander Koetsier

Background

About Robert Alexander Koetsier

Dedicated MSc graduate with a passion for bioinformatics/data analysis. I help researchers exploit the full value of their biological data. The gained insights can be used for innovation or scientific publications, as was the case with my master thesis: R, Python, Bash (Linux & Command Line), GIT, Docker, interacting with remote servers (tunneling etc.), web-development Here are a few examples of my work: • During the research practice of my MSc I developed a web application that creates visualizations and analysis results for phenotype- and transcriptomic data obtained from maturating seeds [I will post the link here once the website is made public, after publication of the related paper]. This application allows seed biologists to quickly check results by using a graphical user interface, no programming knowledge required. • The work for my master thesis focussed on ‘Identifying key genes and transcription factors associated with the acquisition of seed desiccation tolerance and longevity’. Based on several analyses on RNA-Seq data, I filtered a list of ~37k genes down to the most relevant candidates, about 25 transcription factors and 20 genes, for both longevity and desiccation tolerance acquisition. The selected candidates seemed promising, since many were members of gene families that have been highlighted for their relevance in previous research. • During the academic consultancy training of my MSc my team created a consultancy report on the potential of machine learning for molecular plant breeding. In addition, very driven to learn and love a challenge. Most likely, this the reasons why I’m so excited for bioinformatics. It offers very diverse problems and there is always something new to master. I discovered my excitement for bioinformatics only relatively late during my MSc. With plenty of intriguing courses to follow, I decided to skip the introductory courses and go straight for the advanced courses like ‘advanced bioinformatics’ and ‘algorithms of bioinformatics’. I seemed manage well, since I passed both courses with grade 9.0. The length of my studies was simply not enough to follow all the courses that I wanted, so I followed another 30ECTS of courses (equal to a half year of full-time studying) before I was satisfied for graduating. I get excited about opportunities where I’m able to generate biological insight from data.