Study & experimental design
Design review, sample-size and power calculations, sequencing-depth and platform advice, and batch strategy—before data generation.
Core Bioinformatics
Bioinformatics Consulting
Sometimes you need expert direction, not just someone to run the analysis. We give independent, vendor-neutral advice on study design, method selection, and strategy—helping you avoid costly missteps and make the right analytical decisions from the start, whether you engage us for an hour or a project.
Your goals & challenges in
Strategy · plan · expertise out
Typical turnaround 3–7 days
Individual pricing from $149
Illustrative engagement roadmap
milestone
review point
goal
Overview
Expert direction, when the right decision matters most
The most expensive bioinformatics mistakes are made early—an underpowered design, the wrong platform, a batch effect baked into the samples, or a tool chosen because it was familiar rather than fit for the question. By the time the data is generated, many of these are impossible to fix. A short conversation with someone who has seen the pitfalls is often worth more than months of analysis.
That is what consulting is for. We give you honest, independent, vendor-neutral guidance—grounded in benchmarks and the literature, not in selling you a particular tool or platform. Whether you need your design reviewed, a method chosen, an analysis plan for a grant, a second opinion on results, or your team trained, we help you make the right call. And if the right call is that you do not need us, we will tell you that too.
Capabilities
What we analyse
One relationship spanning the whole project—from design and method choice to review, grants, troubleshooting, and training.
Method & tool selection
Independent assessment and benchmarking of pipelines and tools for your data type and question—chosen on merit, not habit.
Analysis strategy & roadmapping
Detailed, step-by-step analysis plans for grants, ethics submissions, and internal approvals—so everyone knows the path.
Expert review & second opinion
Independent review of analyses, pipelines, statistics, and methods—catching issues before a reviewer or collaborator does.
Grant & proposal support
Credible bioinformatics methods sections, sample-size justification, analysis plans, and pilot analyses that strengthen an application.
Troubleshooting & rescue
A fresh, expert pair of eyes on a stalled, surprising, or questionable analysis—diagnosing what went wrong and how to fix it.
Training & upskilling
Tailored workshops and mentoring—from a specific method to broader analysis skills—so your team grows more self-sufficient.
Due diligence & advisory
Independent evaluation of computational claims, capabilities, and data assets—for teams and investors making informed decisions.
The Process
How an engagement works
A clear, low-friction process—we understand your goal, assess honestly, and give you direction you can act on. No jargon, no lock-in.
Engagements scale to the question: a single call, a scoped project, or ongoing advisory. We agree the format and cost with you up front, and only take on what genuinely helps.
Discovery call
A short conversation about your goal, data, timeline, and constraints—so we understand the real question before advising.
Output: shared understanding
Scoping & goals
We agree what success looks like and the right engagement format—an hour, a project, or ongoing support.
Output: scope · format · cost
Assessment & review
We examine your design, data, code, or plan against best practice and the literature, and identify risks and opportunities.
Output: findings · risks
Recommendations
Clear, prioritised, vendor-neutral recommendations—what to do, why, and what to avoid—in plain language.
Output: recommendations report
Roadmap & plan
Where useful, a step-by-step analysis plan or roadmap you can take to a grant, a team, or an approval process.
Output: analysis plan · roadmap
Guidance & support
Optional hands-on support as you execute—answering questions, reviewing progress, or connecting to our analysis services.
Output: ongoing guidance
Knowledge transfer
We leave you more capable—documented reasoning and follow-up—so your team can carry the decisions forward.
Output: documented rationale · follow-up
Where We Advise
Deep expertise across the omics spectrum
Advice is only as good as the experience behind it. We bring hands-on depth across the data types and methods you work with:
Genomics & sequencing
WGS / WES
variant calling
panels
long-read
GWAS
Transcriptomics & single-cell
bulk RNA-seq
scRNA-seq
spatial
isoforms
Epigenomics & regulation
ATAC-seq
ChIP-seq
methylation
Hi-C
Proteomics & structure
MS proteomics
DIA / DDA
AlphaFold
docking
Multi-omics & integration
data integration
MOFA
networks
metagenomics
Statistics & machine learning
study design
power analysis
modeling
ML / prediction
Pipelines, cloud & infrastructure
Nextflow / Snakemake
containers
HPC
cloud
Data strategy & FAIR
FAIR data
reproducibility
data management
standards
How We Work
Principles behind the advice
Good consulting is defined as much by how advice is given as by its content. These principles guide every engagement.
- Independent
- Vendor-neutral advice—we are not reselling anyone's platform.
- Evidence-based
- Grounded in benchmarks and the literature, not habit or hype.
- Reproducibility-first
- We steer you toward work that others can verify and reuse.
- Right-sized
- We recommend the simplest approach that answers your question.
- Open where it fits
- A preference for open-source and open standards, when suitable.
- Knowledge transfer
- We aim to leave your team more capable, not more dependent.
- Confidential
- Your data, ideas, and IP stay yours, under agreement.
- Honest scope
- We tell you plainly when you don't need to hire us.
- Plain language
- Advice you can act on, without impenetrable jargon.
Choosing an Engagement
One-off vs. project-based vs. ongoing advisory
There is no single right format—only the one that fits your question and stage. A quick orientation; we will help you decide.
| Dimension | One-off consultation | Project-based | Ongoing advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Format | A focused call or short review | A scoped piece of work | Retained time over a period |
| Duration | An hour to a day | Days to weeks | Months, recurring |
| Our involvement | Answer a specific question | Deliver a defined output | A standing expert on call |
| Typical output | Direction & recommendations | Report, plan, or review | Continuous guidance |
| Best suited to | A clear, contained question | A well-defined deliverable | Sustained or evolving needs |
What You Receive
A complete, documented deliverable
Not just a chat you have to remember—clear, written direction you can act on and share with your team.
- A written recommendations report with prioritised, actionable advice
- Experimental-design & power / sample-size guidance, where relevant
- A step-by-step analysis plan or roadmap for grants and approvals
- Tool & platform recommendations with the reasoning behind them
- A review memo, for analysis, methods, or grant reviews
- Training materials, for workshop engagements
- A clear path to hands-on analysis, if and when you want it
Advice you can trust—and act on
Our advice is independent and vendor-neutral—we are not paid to recommend any platform, tool, or service, so the guidance you get is the guidance we would follow ourselves. We are candid about feasibility: if the data can't answer the question, or a simpler approach will do, or you don't need to hire us at all, we will say so. And whatever we recommend, we explain the reasoning so you can weigh it and decide.
The practical payoff: better decisions made earlier, fewer expensive dead ends, and a team that understands not just what to do but why. We will also tell you honestly when a design or sample size won't support the conclusion you're after—while there is still time to change it.
FAQ
Consulting questions
What researchers and teams most often ask before engaging a consultant.
Ideally before you generate data — the cheapest way to fix an analysis is to design the experiment well. But we also help at any later stage: choosing tools, interpreting results, rescuing a stalled analysis, preparing a grant, or getting a second opinion before you submit.
Yes — this is some of the highest-value work we do. We help with study design, sample-size and power calculations, sequencing depth and platform choice, and batch design, so the data you generate can actually answer your question.
Yes. We provide independent review and second opinions on analyses, pipelines, statistical approaches, and the computational methods in a manuscript — identifying issues and suggesting fixes before a reviewer does.
Yes. We help write clear, credible bioinformatics methods sections, justify sample sizes, plan the analysis, and run pilot analyses on existing or public data to strengthen the application.
Yes. We run tailored workshops and mentoring — from a specific tool or method to broader analysis skills — so your team becomes more self-sufficient rather than dependent on us.
Flexibly — a one-off consultation for a focused question, a project-based engagement for a defined piece of work, or ongoing advisory for sustained support. We scope it to what you actually need and are candid when that is very little.
Related
Where advice turns into work
Not sure where to start?
Tell us your organism, data type, and question—we'll scope it honestly, including if a different design would serve you better.