Genome Academy

Welcome to the Genome Academy, a three day programme that will provide an in-depth look into genomics, with a particular focus on how we translate DNA into Data.

Genomics is a rapidly developing field of research and is increasingly weaving its way into everyday life, from playing a role in vaccine development, virus tracking, personalised cancer treatments, unveiling family histories, solving crime, and tackling the planet’s fragile ecosystems. There are a wide range of career opportunities in this field, some that didn’t even exist several years ago.

Across three immersive days you will learn and experience the end to end process of how we translate DNA into data. The packed programme of activities will include talks on the latest cutting-edge science taking place at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, lab tours, hands-on experience with wet lab techniques such as DNA Extraction, PCR, DNA Sequencing as well as training with bioinformatics tools. You will also get the opportunity to meet a range of different staff working in this field.

Course overview

The Genome Academy is a course designed and delivered by Wellcome Connecting Science, based at the Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton.

In this section find out who your instructors will be and what you will be covering over the three days.

Instructors

Fran Gale, Head of Science Engagement - Engagement and Society Team

Fran is the Head of Science Engagement for Wellcome Connecting Science. She manages the Science engagement team and develops training programmes on Genomics for Science teachers. Fran has been working in Science engagement for over 20 years and before her role here on campus used to run the education department at Colchester Zoo! She studied Biological Sciences at Exeter University and has an MSc in Science Comunication from UWE, Bristol.

Sam Shingles, Science Engagement Officer - Engagement and Society Team

Sam works with communities across East Anglia to provide opportunities to explore genomic science and its impact on research, health and society as part of the team at Wellcome Connecting Science on the Wellcome Genome Campus. Sam has previously worked within science centres and on science festivals to create activities and events that connect audiences with research. He has also worked within science policy, supporting local communities and researchers to interact with policymaking. Sam is passionate about providing accessible science to all, empowering communities to navigate the science topics important to them.

Cassandra Soo, Laboratory Courses Manager - Learning and Training Team

Cassandra has been the Laboratory Courses Manager of Wellcome Connecting Science since March 2022. It’s her job to assist with the development and to facilitate both campus-based and global advanced laboratory courses utilising her experience in facilities management and research background. Her PhD focused on the genetics of human cognitive function, and she has a deep interest in the genomics of neurological and psychiatric disorders. She’s been involved with community outreach projects in the past and believes that working for Connecting Science has a direct impact on the lives of potential and current researchers and professionals in the field of genomics.

Aaron Dean, Laboratory Assistant - Learning and Training Team

Aaron started working in a lab straight after graduating from the University of Portsmouth with a BSc in Biochemistry. I spent 4 years working at a microbiology lab in a hospital as a laboratory assistant, before starting at Wellcome Connecting Science in 2020. He enjoys working on a variety of courses based here at the Wellcome Genome Campus and overseas, setting up experiments and assisting a variety of expert training teams from around the world.

Jorge Batista da Rocha, Education Developer - Learning and Training Team

Jorge joined Wellcome Connecting Science in October 2021 as an Education Developer working on COG-Train courses. Jorge’ role is to create and coordinate virtual courses and remote classrooms on all aspects of SARS-CoV-2 sequencing and analysis. Jorge holds a PhD Human Genetics and Bioinformatics from the Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience. His research focused on pharmacogenomics in African populations and the interpretation of genetic variants which could be used for precision medicine strategies. He enjoys community outreach and engagement, and loves sharing how genomic knowledge can be used to enrich the world.

Chris Adamson, Laboratory Operations Officer - Learning and Training Team

Chris is a Laboratory Operations Officer, helping to organise and facilitate lab practical sessions for courses. Previously he graduated with a BSc in Biochemistry worked in hospital microbiology and COVID diagnostics.

Alice Matimba, Head of Training and Capacity Building - Learning and Training Team

Alice leads the computational- and laboratory-based courses and the global training programme. Key to this is developing strong links with international networks and centres in LMICs. Alice graduated with her PhD in Human Genetics from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Thereafter, she pursued a pharmacogenomics postdoctoral research fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in USA, before joining the University of Zimbabwe College of Health Sciences in 2012, where she focused on health education and research in non-communicable diseases, pharmacology, genomics and ethics.

Martin Aslett, IT Manager - Learning and Training Team

Martin joined the team as IT Manager in 2016. Prior to this, Martin worked in the Pathogen Informatics team at the Wellcome Sanger Institute for 14 years, providing software support for both internal and external users. He has a BSc (Hons) degree in Zoology from Leeds University, and an MSc in Biological Computation from York University.

Vaishnavi Gangadhar, Informatics Technical Officer - Learning and Training Team

Vaishnavi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Bioengineering from MIT School of Bioengineering Sciences and Research, India and a Master’s in Bioinformatics from the University of Manchester. In her role as an Information Technical Officer, Vaishnavi ensures the efficient setup and maintenance of computational resources, such as servers and databases, to support bioinformatics research. As part of her responsibilities, Vaishnavi oversees the organisation and delivery of bioinformatics courses, ensuring that students have the necessary resources and support to succeed in their studies. Through her work at Wellcome Connecting Science Learning and Training, Vaishnavi aims to contribute to advancements in genomic science by facilitating access to education and resources in the field.

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Top Row: Fran Gale, Sam Shingles, Casandra Soo Middle Row: Aaron Dean, Chris Adamson, Jorge Batista da Rocha Bottom Row: Alice Matimba, Martin Aslett, Vaishnavi Gangadhar

Speakers

Michael Ansah, Postdoctoral Fellow - Tree of Life Team
Yvette Hooks, Senior Technical Specialist - Cancer, Ageing and Somatic Mutations Team
Maria Torra I Benach, PhD Student - Cancer, Ageing and Somatic Mutations Team
Mimy Pham, PhD Student - Cancer, Ageing and Somatic Mutations team
Lia Chappell, Postdoctoral Fellow - Cancer, Ageing and Somatic Mutations Team
Sam Washer, Postdoctoral Fellow - Gene Editing and Cellular Research and Development Team
Anna Swan, Scientific Training Officer - EMBL-EBI Training Team

Detailed timetable

You can view the full timetable here: Student timetable

Course materials

In this section you will find all the materials used during the course so you can refer to them during the practical sessions and after the course has ended.

Day 1
Introduction to campus presentation

DNA to Data Worksheet

Lab Practical Skills presentation

DNA extraction - strawberries

Protocol for performing quick PCR session 1 and 2

Michael Ansah’s talk- Neglected tropical diseases

Day 2
Open Lab Video

Introduction to MinION sequencing presentation

Single Cell Sequencing - Lia Chappell

Day 3
Ethics and Genomics presentation

ABC vs NHS videos

Bioinformatics - Part 1 - Linux, fasta and blasting