Wildlife biodiversity can be drastically affected by the outbreak and transmission of disease pathogens in both natural habitats and ex situ populations. Recent technological advances in genomic sciences and increasingly affordable Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) assay costs have coalesced to result in powerful tools to monitor, detect, and reconstruct the past, present and future role of pathogens within wildlife biodiversity. This 5th annual ‘Genomics of Disease in Wildlife’ workshop will provide hands-on training for researchers seeking to incorporate genomic data into their wildlife disease related projects. The course will be taught by a core group of experts in genome data analyses along with invited pre-eminent scientists researching host-pathogen genomics in wildlife.

Updates for GDW2023

The workshop will provide intensive computer training and hands-on analyses of ‘real world’ genomic data of both host and pathogen with topics to include:

• Overview: Genome Sequence Data and Applications
• Bioinformatic Workflow: Data Quality Control, Processing, Assembly and Mapping
• Comparative Genomics and Multiple Sequence Alignments
• Phylogenomic Reconstruction and Tree-based Inferences
• Phylodynamics, Adaptation and Selection
• Metagenomics, Population and Landscape Genomics

Pre-Workshop Clinic

An optional, one-day, Command Line/Shell Scripting Pre-Workshop Clinic will be offered by two of our instructors Bob Fitak, Ph.D. and Mark Stenglein, Ph.D. on Sunday June 4, 2023 to help you brush up on your coding skills.

Who may apply

Our participants are graduate students, post-doctorates, faculty, and wildlife professionals from academia, non-profits, government agencies from around the world investigating disease of vertebrate wildlife. We encourage applications from researchers with interests or experience from any one or more of the following areas:

Wildlife Biology and Ecology ~ Disease Ecology and Modeling ~ Evolutionary Biology of Host and Pathogen ~ Pathogen Surveillance and Discovery ~ Animal Health and Veterinary Sciences ~ Genome Science and Bioinformatics ~ Diseases of Domesticated Species and Livestock

To ensure the best possible teaching environment, applications will be evaluating by a selection committee and participation limited to 26-28 individuals.