Computational pangenomics course, conference, and biohackathon in Memphis, TN, exploring the cutting edge of pangenomes, biology, methods, software, and artificial intelligence (AI).
TO CONFIRM: Important Dates
-
Practical course/Conference/Biohackathon Registration Deadline: 1st April 2026
-
Selected Participant will be notified by: 7th April 2026
-
Payment Deadline: 21th April 2026
-
Practical course / Workshop: 11th-12th May 2026
-
Conference: 13th May 2026
-
Biohackathon: 14th-15th May 2026
TO CONFIRM: Venues
Practical course / Workshop
Freeman Auditorium at the Hamilton Eye Institute
930 Madison Ave,
3rd floor,
Memphis, TN 38103
United States
→ See the venue on the map
Conference
Freeman Auditorium at the Hamilton Eye Institute
930 Madison Ave,
3rd floor,
Memphis, TN 38103
United States
→ See the venue on the map
Biohackathon
Room 101, UTHSC Translational Research Science Building
71 S Manassas St,
Memphis, TN 38103
United States
→ See the venue on the map
Hotels in Memphis
Transportation in Memphis
If you stay in Downtown, the Medical District, South City, or New Chicago, you can reach the event venue by getting on-demand, convenient, and affordable rides with Groove On-Demand.
About the practical course / workshop
Sunday, May 11, 2026 - Monday, 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.
About the conference
Tuesday, 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.
About the biohackathon
People
Practical Course / Workshop Instructors
Erik Garrison - Associate Professor
Genomicist with a quantitative social science background. I build methods that let us understand the precise relationships between thousands of genomes. In these, the genome is encoded in a graph that may represent a population sample of individuals from the same species, a metagenome, the diploid genome of a single individual, or any other useful collection of sequences.
Andrea Guarracino - Assistant Professor
Computer scientist dedicated to developing and applying new methods to analyze pangenomes.
Helpers
Organizers
-
Andrea Guarracino, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, US
-
Erik Garrison, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, US
-
Flavia Villani, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, US
-
Pjotr Prins, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, US
-
Vincenza Colonna, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, US
-
Tamara Brock, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, US
University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Department of Genetics, Genomics and Informatics
Program
Practical course / Workshop
Time: Monday-Tuesday, 11th-12th May 2026
Conference
Time: Wednesday, 13 May 2026
Biohackathon
Time: Thursday-Friday, 14th-15th May 2026
Registration and Practical Information
TBD
Registration includes access to: all lectures and practical sessions, all course materials.
Cost
The cost includes all expenses associated with the event, with lunches, coffee, and snacks. In certain circumstances, we can waive the fees.
-
Academic - $250, with financial support if needed
-
Industry - $500
Selection criteria
This practical course / workshop is intended for biologists and bioinformaticians interested in studying organisms with high genetic diversity or without a reference genome, as well as those involved in comparative genomics and the assembly of pangenomes for any species.
Selection of participants will be based on:
-
good knowledge of Linux operating system and basic shell commands. This will be a mandatory prerequisite.
-
familiarity with genomics data formats (e.g., FASTA, VCF, BED, …) is a plus.
-
impact of the practical course / workshop for the participant and his/her research group.
-
stage of the research project: priority will be given to participants with data already available and ready to be analyzed (participants data will not be analyzed during the practical course / workshop).
Fulfillment of these conditions by participants will be assessed through the registration form.
|
|
|