Workshop on Molecular Evolution: North America, 24 July - 6 August 2011

The Workshop on Molecular Evolution consists of a series of lectures, demonstrations and computer laboratories that cover various aspects of molecular evolution. Demonstrations and consultations on the use of computer programs and packages such as BLAST, BEAST, Clustal W and Clustal X, FASTA, FigTree, GARLI, Genealogical Sorting Index, LAMARC, MAFFT, Migrate-n, MrBayes, PAML, PAUP*, and SeaView will be provided. The course is designed for established investigators, postdoctoral scholars, and advanced graduate students with prior experience in molecular evolution and related fields. Admission is limited and highly competitive, with admissions decisions determined by an international committee.

Topics to be covered include:

• Databases and sequence matching: database searching: protein sequence versus protein structure; homology; mathematical, statistical, and theoretical aspects of sequence database searches
• Phylogenetic analysis: theoretical, mathematical and statistical bases; sampling properties of sequence data; Bayesian analysis; hypothesis testing
• Maximum likelihood theory and practice in phylogenetics and population genetics: coalescent theory; maximum likelihood estimation of population genetic parameters
• Molecular evolution integrated at organism and higher levels: population biology; biogeography; ecology; systematics and conservation
• Molecular evolution and development: gene duplication and divergence; gene family organization; coordinated expression in evolution
• Comparative genomics: genome content; genome structure; genome evolution
• Molecular evolution integrated at lower levels: biochemistry; cell biology; physiology; relationship of genotype to phenotype

Venue: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA

Application form and complete schedule are available online.

Workshop on Comparative Genomics: North America, 10-23 July, 2011

The Workshop on Comparative Genomics will consist of a series of lectures, demonstrations and computer laboratories that cover various aspects of comparative genomics. The course is designed for established investigators, postdoctoral scholars, and advanced graduate students. Admission is limited and highly competitive, with admissions decisions determined by an international committee.

Topics to be covered include:

• Sequencing technologies: short-read sequencing technologies of various types
• Assembly and alignment: basic analyses in de novo and resequencing studies
• Gene finding and annotation: functional description of genomic data
• Genome characterization: gene content; genome structure; synteny; SNPs; copy number variation (CNV)
• Assigning sequences to taxonomic groups in metagenomic studies: moving from sequences of unknown taxa to known taxa

Venue: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA

Application forms and complete schedule are available online.