Registration is now open for the upcoming EMBO Practical Course "Population Genomics: background and tools" to be held in Italy, 15-22 June 2026! IMPORTANT DATES for this Course: Deadline for applications: 10/02/2026 Latest notification of acceptance: 25/02/2026 Course dates: 15-22/06/2026 Registration fee waivers, travel and child care grants available! Full details, including the course programme, invited speakers and the application form: https://meetings.embo.org/event/26-pop-genomics In this EMBO Practical Course, participants will learn fundamental concepts and advanced approaches to reconstruct the demographic history of populations and infer natural selection, using both classic and machine learning-based techniques. Participants will also learn the essential and advanced programming skills required to run the analyses related to the concept presented, with a special focus on machine learning. Keynote lectures focused on major achievements and future perspectives of population genomics will complement the training. Lectures and practicals are delivered by experienced outstanding and inspiring speakers. We expect participants to become fully confident in running analyses on their own after attending this EMBO Practical Course. This EMBO Practical Course aims at evolutionary biologists who already have basic bioinformatics skills. Good knowledge of R is a pre-requisite and knowledge of Python is a plus. Ph.D. students and Postdoc researchers will benefit the most out of this EMBO Practical Course, but applications from all candidates will be evaluated in their context. "Batini, Chiara (Dr.)" (to subscribe/unsubscribe the EvolDir send mail to golding@mcmaster.ca) ---- Registration is now open for the upcoming EMBO Practical Course "Pangenomics" to be held in Italy, 07-13 June 2026! IMPORTANT DATES for this Course: Deadline for applications: 03/02/2026 Latest notification of acceptance: 17/02/2026 Course dates: 07-13/06/2026 Registration fee waivers, travel and child care grants available! Full details, including the course programme, invited speakers and the application form: https://meetings.embo.org/event/26-pangenomics Pangenomics has emerged as a transformative paradigm in genomics, moving from single linear reference genomes to pangenomes that capture the full spectrum of genetic variation within species. Recent breakthroughs include the completion of the human pangenome reference by the Human Pangenome Reference Consortium (HPRC), revealing millions of previously hidden variants and structural variations that traditional approaches missed. Advanced graph-based representations now enable comprehensive analysis of complex genomic regions, including highly variable immune loci and centromeres. Key technological advances include improved algorithms for pangenome construction (PGGB, WFMASH, IMPG), sophisticated visualization tools (ODGI), and novel genotyping methods from graph references (PanGenie, POVU). Course organizers and instructors contributed directly to HPRC, developing these cutting-edge methodologies and software. These advances are transforming genome evolution, population genetics, and disease research across diverse organisms. This EMBO Practical Course addresses a critical gap in computational biology training. While pangenomics tools are rapidly advancing, researchers lack comprehensive hands-on experience with these specialized methods. This EMBO Practical Course uniquely combines theoretical foundations with practical implementation across the entire pangenomics workflow-from graph construction through variant analysis. By training the next generation of computational biologists in these cutting-edge approaches, we will accelerate the adoption of pangenomics methods and enable more complete characterization of genetic diversity in research worldwide. "Batini, Chiara (Dr.)" (to subscribe/unsubscribe the EvolDir send mail to golding@mcmaster.ca)