How to make successful collaborations between computational biologists and experimentalists?

Modern life-science research increasingly depends on close collaboration between computation and experiment. Yet many interdisciplinary projects struggle—not because of missing expertise, but because of mismatched expectations, unclear communication, and poorly aligned workflows.

This first session of the Ten Simple Rules Educational Series focuses on the practical foundations of successful collaborations between computational biologists and experimentalists. Drawing on real project experience, the session distills common challenges and proven solutions into ten simple, actionable rules that help interdisciplinary teams work effectively from day one.

The session addresses key questions such as: - How can collaborators align scientific questions, assumptions, and success criteria early on? - What should be clarified about data, models, timelines, and responsibilities before a project starts? - How can experimental and computational workflows be connected in a reproducible and transparent way? - How do communication, documentation, and shared language influence long-term success? - What typically goes wrong—and how can it be avoided?

Rather than focusing on tools alone, this session emphasizes people, processes, and shared understanding as the foundation of productive interdisciplinary research. It is aimed at students, PhD candidates, postdocs, and PIs who work—or plan to work—across the boundaries of computation and experiment.

By the end of the session, participants will have a clear framework for building collaborations that are trust-based, efficient, reproducible, and scientifically impactful.

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