Genetic Data Analysis Course and Workshop: "ConGen-2026" Online Theme: Applications of next-gen sequencing data in conservation, ecology, & evolution. *Instructors include Eric Anderson, Ellie Armstrong, Chris Funk, Matthew Desaix, Marty Kardos, Brenna Forester, Will Hemstrom, Gordon Luikart, Angel Rivera-Colon, Rena Schweizer, Arun Sethuraman, Robin Waples, and more TBA (*subject to change). Course Objective: To provide training in conceptual and practical aspects of data analysis for understanding the population and evolutionary genomics of natural and managed populations. The course covers concepts and methods including the coalescent, Bayesian, and likelihood-based approaches. Emphasis is on next-generation sequence data analysis (RADs, whole genome sequence analyses, etc.) and the interpretation of output from important statistical approaches, pipelines, and software programs with >12 leaders in population genomics. Activities include taking raw reads through to genotype calling (de novo and with reference), genome assembly, and analyses such as estimation of effective size (Ne), inbreeding from runs of homozygosity (RoH), selection detection (landscape genomics), assignment tests, and more. Past course lecture videos by experts on other topics will be available (e.g., gene expression, epigenetics, landscape genetics, etc.). Who should apply: Advanced undergraduates, M.S. & Ph.D. students, post-docs, faculty, agency researchers, and population biologists who have taken a course in population genetics. If you have little experience with R or Linux, we bring you up to speed the first few lectures (see below). Where: Online via Zoom. Lectures are video recorded to allow asynchronous participation (e.g. from overseas). When: Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 8-10 AM, Oct. 2nd - Nov. 13th (>15 lectures by >10 expert instructors). The full day between lectures gives students time to master the material. For details on ConGen-2026, see: www.umt.edu/congen/ Past course overviews or review publications: Andrews & Luikart 2014: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mec.12686/abstract Benestan et al. 2016: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mec.13647/full Hendricks et al. 2018: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/eva.12659 Rena Schweizer et al. 2021: https://doi.org/10.1093/jhered/esab019 Schiebelhut, L. 2023: Guidance in conservation genomics. doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.13893 Hemstrom et al. 2024: Next-generation data filtering... doi: 10.1038/s41576-024-00738-6. Registration & Costs include all lectures (live and recorded) by at least 12 expert instructors, online Q&A sessions during hands-on exercises with worksheets and dummy datasets, copies of lecture PowerPoint slides, along with ConGen Swag. The course materials (datasets, lectures, etc.) will remain available online for years. $US 890 if payment is before June 30th. Sponsors: American Genetic Association (AGA), Journal of Heredity, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), PacBio, NanoPore. [cid:image001.jpg@01DCA80C.B878CA30] Lecture topics/titles: The role of genomics in conservation - an overview Pop genomics: Concepts & tools to answer eco-evo questions The fastq file format and basics of Next-gen sequence data Basic R & Linux. Introduction to Next-gen sequence data analysis Probability, Bayesian stats, MCMC, genotype likelihoods The Coalescent: theory and applications Raw sequence reads to genotype calls with versus without a reference genome Filtering (QC) best-practices, effects of F choices on downstream analyses (Hemstrom et al. 2024) Inbreeding and runs of homozygosity (RoH) Genome sequencing & assembly: Conceptual and practical aspects Inferring population structure and conservation units using genetics & omics Effective population size estimation Assignment tests for ecology, conservation, and forensics (WGSassign, GeneClass) Detecting local adaptation (Landscape Genomics) Phylogeny and phylogenomics eDNA Metabarcoding applications (biodiversity monitoring, diet analysis, microbiomes, etc.) Final Discussion: Future research directions, career advice, and publishing a ConGen Review. Other Lectures (or breakout groups) possible if students request them: Relatedness, kinship, & parentage assignment Gene flow estimation (current and historical via BayesAss and Migrate) Hybridization detection, quantification, and testing for adaptive invasive alleles GWAS Genome wide association testing (or GWAA) Population abundance estimation, e.g., Close-Kin Mark-Recapture (CKMR), non-invasive sampling Selection tests: Fst-outlers (Bayscan, OutFlank), Allele Frequency Spectrum (AFS), etc. **Please LET US KNOW a lecture topic you'd like added to ConGen as we will consider it! **Students can have 1-on-1 meetings with an instructor to discuss their data or research gordon.luikart@mso.umt.edu (to subscribe/unsubscribe the EvolDir send mail to golding@mcmaster.ca)