Resources
A collection of free, open-source tools and resources I’ve found useful over the years. Some I’ve worked through extensively, others I’m still exploring. If it’s here, it’s worth your time.
Machine Learning & Deep Learning
Deep Learning with R for Beginners – Hands-on introduction to deep learning using R.
Neural Networks and Deep Learning – Free online book that builds intuition from the ground up.
But what is a neural network? – Honestly the best and most intuitive explanation of how neural networks work I’ve heard.
Towards Data Science – Fantastic blog covering a broad range of topics in data science and ML.
Deep Learning with R (2nd Edition) – A very underrated book that’s well-written and accessible. Free to read at this link.
Machine Learning A-Z: Tips and Resources – Curated collection of ML learning materials.
Blogs & Portfolios Worth Following
Tom Jenkins – Clean portfolio with solid bioinformatics content.
Dave Tang’s Blog – Long-running blog with practical bioinformatics tutorials and musings.
David Goodsell’s Molecular Illustrations – Making science come alive with art. An utter inspiration.
Diving into Genetics and Genomics – I’ve been following Tommy for over seven years—he was one of the first bioinformaticians I found online. Produces an insane amount of content on a wide range of topics.
Programming & Bioinformatics
SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics Training Materials – High-quality courses and tutorials.
LibreTexts: Computational Biology – Free textbook covering core concepts.
Bioinformatics Workbook – Comprehensive resource covering data analysis workflows.
Computational Genomics with R – Builds from basic biology through to multi-omics. Excellent progression.
Coddy – Interactive coding tutorials.
Automate the Boring Stuff with Python – A popular book that makes learning Python feel useful and practical. Free to read online.
Rosalind – Practice problems for brushing up on bioinformatics and programming concepts.
Hands-On Programming with R – Nice introduction to R.
Hadley Wickham – The legend of the tidyverse. Books available free online, including: - Tidy Modeling with R
MIT Computational Biology Course Materials – Free MIT course content in computational biology taught by Manolis Kellis.
Grapevine Resources
A little niche—for those looking for up-to-date community tools.
Grapedia – Comprehensive grapevine genomics and genetics database.
Useful Tools & Repositories
Our World in Data – Research and data on global challenges. Invaluable for context.
csvtk – Command-line toolkit for working with CSV files.
BioNumbers – The cell biology by the numbers book. Fascinating reference.
Friends Don’t Let Friends Make Bad Graphs – A guide to data visualisation best practices.
Academic Workflow: Zotero + Obsidian – This post became my key guide for setting up a writing system I now can’t imagine functioning without. The ideal organisational backbone for research and writing.
PLOS Ten Simple Rules Collection – A surprisingly helpful and practical collection of tips for academics.
Sticky by YesChat AI – In case your drawing skills don’t extend to stick figures.
AI Tools for Literature Management
Research Rabbit – Visual citation networks and paper discovery.
Anara AI – AI-powered literature review assistant.
SciSpace – Simplifies reading and understanding research papers.
NotebookLM – Google’s AI notebook for synthesising research.
Consensus - AI-powered search engine
There are honestly too many of these now, but these are the ones I’ve found useful in “free” tier for gathering, organising and querying papers.
Because It’s Important to Have Hobbies
Marty Music – Guitar tutorials for absolute beginners.
JustinGuitar – Structured, free guitar course.
Drawabox – Learn to draw through deliberate practice.
Free Learning List – Massive collection of free online courses across all subjects.
YouTube Channels
Learning & Explainers
3Blue1Brown – Incredible maths visualisations and explanations.
Primer – Simulations of evolution and game theory. Also very cute.
freeCodeCamp – Full programming courses for free.
Alex The Analyst – Data analysis and career advice.
Up and Atom – Physics made approachable.
Domain of Science – Maps of scientific knowledge.
Thought-Provoking Content
Yuval Noah Harari: A Short Chat – On technology, humanity, and attention.
Global Birth Rates – Context on demographic shifts.
For procrastinating…
How to make a carrot whistle – Peak internet.
Getting Started in Something Creative – Practical advice for when you don’t know where to start with drawing. This guy’s entire channel is just great fun.
Chinggis khaanii Magtaal - Batzorig Vaanchig - I can’t stop listening to this..
The Promised Land Series – If the Old Testament was told “Office”-style.
Foil Arms and Hog – Irish comedy sketch group. Innocent humour for when you need a laugh.