Oxford Statistical Genomics Summer School

The inaugural course will include:

• Daily lectures providing broad context and conceptual insights into key issues
• Interactive computer sessions for consolidating conceptual knowledge with practical skills
• Opportunities for one-to-one interactions with leading Oxford academics
• A relaxed small-group atmosphere in beautiful Oxford
• Punting and leisurely activities beside the River Cherwell
• Dining and en suite accommodation at St Hilda's College
• Exclusive use of the college bar overlooking Christ Church Meadow
• Refreshments served during teaching breaks
• Closing Gala dinner in a historic Oxford dining hall

The venue

Founded in 1893, St Hilda's College is located at the eastern end of the High Street Oxford, over Magdalen Bridge, and lies picturesquely on the east of the River Cherwell with views over Christ Church Meadow and Magdalen College Tower. It is named after the Anglo-Saxon Saint, Hilda of Whitby, and was the last of the women’s colleges established in Oxford, and the last to remain an all-women’s college, until 2008. St Hilda’s College reached its 125th anniversary in 2018, coinciding with its 10th year anniversary as a ‘mixed’ college that accepts both male and female students, following a supplemental charter granted in 2007. It now has almost equal numbers of men and women.

St Hilda's College gardens and grounds enjoy a unique setting stretched along the banks of the River Cherwell, looking west towards the Oxford Botanic Gardens and the historic city of Oxford. The college has its own fleet of punts, which students may use.

The college is also home to the Jacqueline Du Pré Music Building, a concert venue named after the famous cellist who was a honorary fellow of the college.

Timetable

Sunday 19 June

Arrival at St Hilda's College, with registration in the afternoon, followed by an opening reception and dinner in the evening in the friendly and relaxed dining hall.

Monday 20 June

Next-generational Sequence Data Analysis, including how to handle whole genome sequences, exome and RNAseq transcriptome data, issues of quality control, phasing, imputing, annotating and batch effects.

Tuesday 21 June

Gene and Variant Association Testing, covering complex traits analysis and rare diseases, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and burden tests.

Wednesday 22 June

Genomics of Infectious Disease, specifically kmer-based tests of association in bacteria and other microorganisms. and joint GWAS for investigating human-pathogen genomic interactions.

Thursday 23 June

Genealogical inference and analysis, including the use of genomes to reconstruct ancestral trees and their interpretation.

Friday 24 June

Medical genomics, featuring interpretation and annotation including consideration of genic load, variant frequency, predicted function and causality.

To mark the end of the course we will have a closing drinks reception and a Gala Farewell Dinner.

Applicants from under-represented groups are able to apply for financial assistance and receive a reduction in the course fee.

If you wish to apply for financial assistance, please include a half-page letter with the rest of your application with the amount of support you are seeking and the reason why. 

Please be aware we are only able to offer a reduction in the fees, not a full waiver.

Residential Programme Fees - £1,460

Fees include:

• All tuition
• Full social programme 
• Accommodation in a single en suite room in St Hilda's College with private shower and toilet for the nights of Sunday 19 June to Friday 24 June 2022 inclusive;
• All meals in College starting with an opening drinks reception and dinner on Sunday 19 June, and then breakfast, lunch and dinner during the week and ending with breakfast on Saturday 25 June 2022. This also includes a Gala Dinner at Oriel College during the week.
• Weekday morning tea/coffee and biscuits

Non-residential Programme Fees (no accommodation)*  - £1,025

Fees include:

• All tuition
• Full social programme 
• Opening drinks reception and dinner on Sunday 19 June
• Lunches and dinners in college from Monday 19 June June to Friday 24 June, which includes a Gala Dinner at Oriel College during the week.
• Weekday morning tea/coffee and biscuits

*please note that there are only a limited number of non-residential places available.

Once you have submitted your application form, you will be offered a place on the course and sent an invoice for the course fee. You have multiple options for payment, including full payment online by credit/debit card or via bank transfer within 30 days of the invoice date.

Cancellations and refunds

Participants who wish to cancel must inform the Programme Administrator by emailing summercourses@conted.ox.ac.uk

Please be aware that all payments (and refunds) are subject to exchange rates at the time of processing.

The status of the course will be reviewed on 20 May 2022. If it is likely that the course may be cancelled, all participants enrolled on the course will be notified in writing within seven days, and possible options clearly explained.

Visas 

We regret that we are unable to provide advice on individual visas. Students are advised to consult their closest British Embassy, Consulate or High Commission for the most up-to-date advice. Students should also refer to the University's Visa & Immigration team at https://www.ox.ac.uk/students/visa?wssl=1 or alternatively via email at: student.immigration@admin.ox.ac.uk 

Tutors 

Prof Daniel Wilson - Course Director

Daniel Wilson is Director of Studies in Data Science and an Associate Professor at the Department for Continuing Education. Originally trained in biology and statistics, Daniel has conducted research in Oxford, Chicago, Lancaster, London, Paris and Mombassa. His work focuses on genetics and infectious diseases, analysing large datasets and developing new computational tools. He has led research studies into genetic risk factors for disease, the genetics of antibiotic resistance, the evolution of microbes, and the use of DNA to track the spread of outbreaks.

Dr Cecilia Lindgren - Tutor

Discovery, University of Oxford, Research Fellow at St. Anne’s College, University of Oxford and Wellcome Trust Investigator: https://www.bdi.ox.ac.uk/Team/celi

Prof Melinda Mills - Tutor

Director Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science and Nuffield College, University of Oxford. 

Weblink: https://www.melindacmills.com/ and https://www.demographicscience.ox.ac.uk/ 

Dr Simon Myers - Tutor

Simon Myers, Professor of Mathematical Genomics

Dr Gavin Band - Tutor

Gavin Band, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics

Senior Statistician and GMS DPhil Programme Statistics Teaching Lead https://www.well.ox.ac.uk/~gav

Nikolas Baya - Tutor

Big Data Institute

Arni Gunnarsson - Tutor

Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics

DPhil Student in Genomic Medicine and Statistics, supervised by Pier Palamara and Yee Whye Teh.

https://palamaralab.github.io/

Dr Luke Jostins-Dean - Tutor

Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Group leader

Dr Jerome Kelleher - Tutor

Big Data Institute

Group Leader in Biomedical Data Science. Developing genealogy based methods and software for large scale genomics. https://www.bdi.ox.ac.uk/Team/jerome-kelleher

Dr Fleur Meddens - Tutor

Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science

Dr Duncan Palmer - Tutor

Nuffield Department of Women's and Reproductive Health

Senior Statistical Geneticist: https://astheeggeggs.github.io/ 

Dr Nicky Whiffin - Tutor

Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics

Group Leader and Wellcome Sir Henry Dale Fellow in Computational Rare Disease Genomics (https://rarediseasegenomics.org/people) 

This course is aimed at post-graduate and post-doctoral researchers, so applicants should have at minimum a bachelors’ degree and be currently engaged in research in the field.

If you have any queries about this, please email the course administrator at summercourses@conted.ox.ac.uk