MemPanG26

We invite experts and enthusiasts in pangenome research to present at MemPanG26. This event is scheduled for May 13th, 2026, and aims to delve into the multifaceted world of pangenome research. The submission deadline for talk proposals is April 15th, 2026.

Focus Areas: Our conference will cover a broad range of topics, including but not limited to, methods in pangenome research, genome assembly, data visualization, artificial intelligence (AI), and collaborative projects.

Diverse Perspectives: We are looking for speakers who can provide insights from different species contexts and who can discuss topics that lie at the intersection of pangenome methods and biology. We are particularly interested in hearing about your unique work and perspectives in pangenome research.

Duration: Each talk should be 20 minutes, followed by a Q&A session, amounting to a total of 25 minutes.

Submission: We kindly request you to forward the title and abstract of your talk upon confirmation of your participation.

Location: The event will be held in Memphis.

Conference pre-registration for speakers: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScxnkkHBS5Fpzzsyx8WQ5Ej1NPJzU4BCOGGTd0X_bimHUtDTg/viewform?usp=publish-editor

We look forward to an engaging day of discussion!

MemPanG26 organizers

Monday, May 11, 2026 - Tuesday, May 12, 2026
The use of a single reference genome in bioinformatics can lead to reference bias and miss important information about genome variability and relationships. New assembly methods have made it easier to generate high-quality complete genome assemblies, and using a pangenome graph that expresses many genomes and their mutual alignment can help address these issues. This practical course / workshop will focus on building such graphs from whole genome assemblies and using them in various downstream applications in comparative genomics, evolution, variation analysis, sequence alignment, and phenotype association.

Participants will learn about pangenome concepts and gain practical experience building and analyzing pangenome graphs. They will apply these methods to complex research questions that require understanding the relationships between multiple genomes or accounting for variability when analyzing new genomes. By the end of the practical course / workshop, participants will have a strong understanding of pangenome methods based on whole genome assemblies.

Wednesday, May 13, 2026
We will gather for an in-person conference on the day after the practical course / workshop. This will bring together practical course / workshop participants and virtual and in-person speakers who are actively working on diverse aspects of pangenome research. The virtual meeting will be open to the public. Speakers will cover topics at the intersection of pangenome methods and biology, including a focus on basic methods, data structures, genome assembly, data visualization, and public collaborative pangenome projects. We expect to draw speakers from a diverse set of species contexts.

Thursday, May 14, 2026 - Friday, May 15, 2026

The biohackathon focuses on software development. We will work with/on pangenomic tools (such as PGGB, WFMASH, IMPG, SEQWISH, ODGI, SMOOTHXG, VG, VCFLIB, GEMMA) with software project leadership. You are welcome to bring your own projects!

Conference pre-registration for speakers: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScxnkkHBS5Fpzzsyx8WQ5Ej1NPJzU4BCOGGTd0X_bimHUtDTg/viewform?usp=publish-editor

Registration for event attendees: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdkpU3vpH_Mh8H43E5qbBOndkPYEhcK7bFWvC1inNjwefpgmQ/viewform?usp=publish-editor

Registration includes access to: all lectures and practical sessions, all course materials.