BV-BRC Bioinformatics Workshops – 2026
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.. image:: ../images/2024/workshop.jpg
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   :alt: BV-BRC May Workshop

The BV-BRC (Bacterial and Viral Bioinformatics Resource Center) team is excited to announce two upcoming Bioinformatics Workshops in 2025. Each workshop will show researchers how to analyze and explore bacterial and viral pathogen data using the BV-BRC website and command-line tools, with hands-on examples across bacterial and viral workflows.

Both workshops include two separate components—a bacterial track and a viral track—and participants may register for one or both. Each event also includes time for command-line training and opportunities to try out our AI Copilot.

Registration fills up quickly—register now to attend one of these workshops!


Workshop 1: J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI)
============================================

**Register Here:**  
`BV-BRC Workshop at JCVI 2026 Registration <https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=8WfZJNg-SES6plYOxXKss8gM98-9jH9MgRdwq7CpaB5UQVVERVZPTDBYTEtDSlVOOVk2WFJXWU1GNi4u>`_

**Dates:** March 2–6, 2026  
**Location:** La Jolla, California (San Diego County)

Workshop Structure
------------------

**Bacterial Component**  
*March 2 (Monday) – March 3 (Tuesday)*  
Focus:

- Antimicrobial resistance data  
- Genomic and comparative analyses  
- Metagenomics  
- Transcriptomics  

**Command-Line & Integration Session**  
*March 4 (Wednesday)*  
Focus:

- Command-line interface  
- Programmatic data search, retrieval, and job submission  
- Testing the new AI Copilot  

**Viral Component**  
*March 5 (Thursday) – March 6 (Friday)*  
Focus:

- Data search  
- Phylogenetics  
- Comparative genomics  
- Assembly and annotation  
- Subspecies classification  
- Protein structure  
- Surveillance data  
- SFVT data  
- Transcriptomics  
- Includes hands-on docking service exercises  

Location
--------

Room 306  
J. Craig Venter Institute  
4120 Capricorn Lane  
La Jolla, CA 92037


Workshop 2: Chicago / Argonne National Laboratory
=================================================

**Register Here:**  
`Argonne Visitor Registration <https://apps.anl.gov/registration/visitors>`_  
Use **lhundley@anl.gov** as the sponsor email; she will receive your information and process your registration.

**Dates:** June 1–5, 2026  
**Location:** Lemont, Illinois (Chicago area)

Workshop Structure
------------------

**Bacterial Component**  
*June 1 (Monday) – June 2 (Tuesday)*  
Focus:
- Antimicrobial resistance exploration  
- Genomic and comparative genomics  
- Metagenomic and transcriptomic workflows  

**Command-Line and AI Copilot Session**  
*June 3 (Wednesday)*  
Focus:

- Command-line interface  
- Programmatic data search, retrieval, and job submission  
- Testing out the new AI Copilot  

**Viral Component**  
*June 4 (Thursday) – June 5 (Friday)*  
Focus:

- Phylogenetics  
- Comparative genomics  
- Sequence assembly and annotation  
- Subspecies classification  
- Surveillance exploration  
- Protein structure  
- SFVT data  
- Transcriptomics  
- Includes hands-on docking service exercises  

Location
--------

Building 240 Conference Center – Room 1416  
Argonne National Laboratory  
9700 Cass Avenue  
Lemont, IL 60439


REGISTRATION
============

- **JCVI Workshop:**  
 `BV-BRC Workshop at JCVI 2026 <https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=8WfZJNg-SES6plYOxXKss8gM98-9jH9MgRdwq7CpaB5UQVVERVZPTDBYTEtDSlVOOVk2WFJXWU1GNi4u>`_

- **Chicago Workshop:**  
  `Argonne Visitor Registration <https://apps.anl.gov/registration/visitors>`_  
  Use **lhundley@anl.gov** as the sponsor email.


FAQ
===

1. **Is there a fee for registration?**  
   No. Registration is completely free. Travel and meals are arranged by attendees on their own.

2. **Does my registration confirm my participation?**  
   No. Once you apply, we will confirm your attendance by email.

3. **Do I need prior bioinformatics experience?**  
   No prior experience is required.

4. **Will I need to bring my own computer?**  
   Yes, please bring your own laptop.

5. **Are hotel room blocks available?**  
   Room block information is being finalized. This page will be updated once confirmed.

6. **Do I need to bring my own data?**  
   No; all workshop examples use publicly available datasets.  
   However, if you have questions about your own data, the BV-BRC team can help you explore how to analyze it.

7. **Are scholarships available?**  
   BV-BRC does not offer travel scholarships.  
   However, external opportunities include:

   - https://www.biologists.com/grants/dmm-conference-travel-grants/
   - https://www.sebiology.org/grants/apply-for-funding.html
   - Many universities offer graduate student travel support.