School of Scientific Computing & Informatics · Algorithms & software engineering
Building Scientific Web Applications
Many of the most useful scientific tools now run in the browser. This course teaches how to build them: interfaces scientists enjoy using, fast interactive visualisation, and computation that keeps user data on their own machine.
Course overview
Building Scientific Web Applications teaches modern front-end engineering through scientific problems: TypeScript for safety, React for interfaces, canvas and WebGL for plotting thousands of points, and Web Workers for heavy computation.
You also learn the parts that make tools trustworthy: accessible design, handling large files without uploading them, testing, and deploying to free static hosting. The approach mirrors how Nayancode builds its own studios.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course you will be able to:
- Write type-safe front-end code in TypeScript
- Build component-based interfaces with React
- Render large datasets interactively with canvas and WebGL
- Run computation in Web Workers and handle large local files
- Test, make accessible and deploy a scientific web app
Skills you will practise
Eligibility and prerequisites
Who can apply
- Students and graduates in any science, engineering, pharmacy, medicine, agriculture, geography or computing programme (B.Sc., B.Tech., B.E., BCA, M.Sc., M.Tech., MCA, PhD)
- Researchers, faculty and working professionals in research, healthcare, biotech, pharma or IT who want to apply computing to science
- Final-year students may apply before their results are declared
Prerequisites
- Programming experience in any language
- Basic HTML and CSS help
Best suited to
- Bioinformaticians who want to share tools as web apps
- Front-end developers moving into scientific software
- Students interested in data visualisation
Module-wise syllabus
6 modules. Each pairs instructor-led sessions with a hands-on lab on public data.
Topics
- Types and interfaces
- Modules and tooling with Vite
- Parsing scientific formats
Topics
- Components, state and effects
- Forms and validation
- State management
Topics
- SVG versus canvas versus WebGL
- Scales, axes and interaction
- Plotting 100,000 points smoothly
Topics
- Web Workers
- Streaming large files
- WebAssembly modules
Topics
- Accessibility and keyboard support
- Unit and end-to-end tests
- Deploying to static hosting
Topics
- Design
- Build
- Deploy
Practical sessions and projects
Capstone project
Ship a scientific web tool
Build and deploy a browser-based scientific tool with interactive visualisation and local computation.
Assessed on the correctness of the analysis, the quality of the code and the reasoning in the write-up. A pass is required for the certificate.
- TypeScript foundations
Write a typed FASTA and CSV parser with tests.
- Interfaces with React
Build an interface that loads a dataset and filters it interactively.
- Visualisation
Build an interactive volcano plot with zoom, hover and selection.
- Computation in the browser
Move a heavy analysis into a worker and keep the interface responsive with progress and cancel.
- Quality and release
Test, audit and deploy your app to GitHub Pages.
- Project: a published tool
Design, build and deploy a scientific web tool that solves a real problem for a user group.
Software, tools and datasets
Software and tools
All software is free and open source or free for academic use. Recommended computer: 8 GB RAM, 30 GB free disk, Linux, macOS or Windows with WSL2.
Datasets
- Public expression and variant tables: Visualisation exercises.GEO, gnomAD
Core reading
- Munzner T. Visualization Analysis and Design. CRC Press, 2014.
- MDN Web Docs: Web Workers API and WebAssembly guides (developer.mozilla.org).
Duration, format and fees
- Next cohort
- Dates are sent with your admission offer
- Timetable
- Three evening or weekend sessions a week (IST), plus a lab clinic; intensive and weekend-only schedules on request
- Payment
- Secure online payment link with your admission offer (UPI, cards, net banking). Instalments on request for fees above ₹15,000.
- Refunds
- See the refund and cancellation policy.
Instructor
The instructor for each cohort is named in your admission offer and on this page when the cohort is announced. Vedicgen instructors are selected for hands-on research or industry experience in the subject they teach, and every course is reviewed by a second subject expert.
Questions about who teaches a cohort? [email protected]
Certificate
Learners who complete the course and pass its capstone receive a Vedicgen certificate of completion for Building Scientific Web Applications, issued by Vivofold, stating the guided hours and skills assessed. Each certificate has a unique ID and QR code that anyone can check.
Apply for Building Scientific Web Applications
Apply
Send the form below. It takes about five minutes.
Review
An adviser confirms your fit and format within two working days.
Offer
You receive dates, timetable and a secure payment link.
Onboard
Set-up guide, pre-reading and joining links.
Frequently asked questions
In the live cohort, modules are taught in instructor-led sessions with a weekly lab clinic where you work on real public data with help at hand; every session is recorded. The self-paced format uses the same lessons, labs and datasets with mentor review of your capstone. Both formats end with an assessed project reviewed for the code and the science.
A laptop with at least 8 GB of RAM and about 30 GB of free disk space, running Linux, macOS, or Windows with WSL2. Installation instructions are sent before the first session, and lab clinics help with any set-up problems.
Yes. Learners who complete the course and pass its assessment receive a Vedicgen certificate of completion, issued by Vivofold. Every certificate carries a unique ID and a QR code that anyone, including an employer or admissions office, can check on the certificate verification page.
Apply with the form on this page. Live and in-person cohorts run through the year; the dates, timetable and joining details of the next cohort are sent with your admission offer and listed on this page once announced. Self-paced enrolment opens as soon as your application is accepted.
Yes. No course runs longer than four weeks, and the length is customisable: choose the standard schedule, an intensive one- to two-week schedule, weekends only, or a custom timetable. Pick your preference on the application form; colleges and teams can book their own dates.
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