Welcome to my Home Page
I am Dr. István Albert and I am a Research Professor of Bioinformatics at the Pennsylvania State University
My research career spans three scientific fields: bioinformatics, computer science, and statistical physics.
Currently, my primary focus is bioinformatics, where I pursue both independent research and collaborative projects through the Bioinformatics Consulting Center, which I direct. In this role, I advise and work with scientists and students from a broad range of disciplines.
- ORCID profile » my researcher identifier
- Google Scholar » keeps track of what I've published
- Biostars profile » where I spend my social media time
Contact Information
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Pennsylvania State University.
Office: 206C Life Sciences Building
Email: iua1@psu.edu
Bioinformatics Teaching
I teach BMMB 852: Applied Bioinformatics as part of the resident instruction program.
- Fall 2025: Mon/Wed 1:25PM - 2:15PM, Business Bld 102
The course typically reaches capacity soon after registration opens, so early enrollment is recommended.
Bioinformatics Consulting
I am the director of the Bioinformatics Consulting Center (BCC) at Penn State, which provides bioinformatics data analysis services across the full range of high-throughput sequencing applications.
Our work spans from routine data processing to the development of novel, domain-specific methodologies. To date, we have contributed to hundreds of projects across the life sciences.
The center also manages and distributes sequencing data generated by the Penn State Genomics Core Sequencing Facilities.
Penn State affiliates interested in our services may contact me at iua1@psu.edu
The Biostar Handbook
Bioinformatics education remains inadequate worldwide. Much of the coursework fails to provide sufficient training, leading to persistent misconceptions and fallacies.
Substantial resources are wasted on ineffective formats such as weekend workshops, recipe-style guides, and over-automated tutorials - that create an illusion of learning without building genuine problem-solving skills.
To address this gap, I developed the Biostar Handbook. What began as a single volume has since expanded into a series dedicated to practical bioinformatics data analysis.
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The Biostar Handbook series introduces readers to bioinformatics—a discipline at the intersection of biology, computer science, and statistical data analysis—focused on the digital processing of genomic information.
- The Biostar Handbook - An introduction to Bioinformatics as a scientific field.
- The Art of Bioinformatics Scripting - Learn advanced Unix and Bash scripting skills.
- RNA-Seq by Example - Master RNA-Seq data analysis.
- Corona Virus Genome Analysis - Advanced topics devoted to the study of the Coronavirus.
- Biostar Workflows - Best practices for developing bioinformatics pipelines.
Biostar Q&A Forum
More than fifteen years ago, I founded Biostars: Question and Answer, an open-source platform designed to support and sustain scientific communities.
Today, the site serves a large global audience and has become the most widely visited bioinformatics information resource in the world.
Over the years, Biostar-powered sites have supported millions of users and delivered hundreds of millions of page views. The source code is available at Biostar Central
Scientific Software
I also enjoy developing software tools that make complex data easier to explore:
- genescape — a visualization tool for exploring gene functions
- bio — a project designed to make bioinformatics fun again
... and many others.
Weekend Cowboy
Scientist by day, hiker and traveler on weekends. Follow my adventures on my YouTube channel.
