Bioinformatics and computation are central aspects to life science’s research and of paramount importance to the growth and development of most Schools and Colleges within Auburn University. Bioinformatics spans nearly half of all colleges at Auburn, with nearly 40 self-identified researchers across campus, representing areas of research. These researchers are largely composed of assistant professors, consistent with bioinformatics being a vibrant and young discipline. 

As part of a community led workshop, bioinformatics researchers came together to develop four central goals to elevate bioinformatics at Auburn:

1. Our first major goal is to to create a strong cohesive research community at Auburn to foster cross-disciplinary research that is cutting edge and innovative. 
2. Second, through this community, faculty working in bioinformatics should be supported in obtaining competitive extramural funding for their research, by having the ability to compete for internal interdisciplinary seed grants. Additionally, excellence in bioinformatics research should receive appropriate recognition to further highlight the strengths of bioinformatics at Auburn and improve our national reputation in this area.
3. Third, while graduate and undergraduate curriculum in bioinformatics have been developed in recent years at Auburn, it is our mission to continue to train the next generation of bioinformatics scientists by promoting excellence through offered courses and workshops. 
4. Finally, bioinformatics infrastructure is necessary to support bioinformatics research. As such, we have compiled a variety of existing resources listed on this site, which include resources and support personnel through Auburn, such as from OIT and the AU Libraries. Still, we should continue to strive to improve this infrastructure so that existing resources are better utilized, and gaps in resources and/or necessary personnel can be identified and developed.