Metagenomic Analysis Workshop – 2026 Brisbane

Overview

Metagenomic methods are central to many microbial studies, enabling insights into the ecology and evolution of environmental, synthetic, and host-associated microbiomes. Advances in these methods have greatly increased the availability of publicly available data, which are now critical resources to understanding new, novel microbiome metagenomic datasets.

How can you best leverage this available knowledge?

The Australian Microbiome Metagenomic Analysis workshop will demonstrate how to explore existing Australian microbiome studies. Providing hands-on instruction, participants will learn to use online, open-access methods to find, access, and analyze publicly available datasets. The workshop will cover metagenomic analyses relevant to many microbial ecology studies, using publicly available dataset(s) from the Australian Microbiome (australianmicrobiome.com). It will also introduce several free, open-access tools from the U.S. Department of Energy: the Systems Biology Knowledgebase (KBase; kbase.us) and the National Microbiome Data Collaborative (NMDC; microbiomedata.org). Participants will have opportunities to discuss and explore resources with practice datasets across microbiome environments that can be readily applied in their own research.

The workshop comprises three days in-person learning, with 20 participant places available. The first component of the workshop, covering experimental design, metadata standards and data re-use will also be available as an online workshop and open to all. There is no fee to attend the workshop, participants are responsible for organising their own transport, accommodation etc. See Registration details below.

Part 1: Best practices in curating and (re)using microbiome data

Tuesday, August 25; 11:00-17:00 AEST
– Attend online and limited in-person spots

Open to all, Hybrid – Register Here

Australian Microbiome Metagenomic Analysis Workshop – Online Only

In Person – Register Below for 3 day Workshop

Day 1 will cover data standards, FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable) data management, and best practices in re-using data from publicly available microbiome studies. The workshop will demonstrate how to apply these best practices throughout the scientific process including: experimental design, sample metadata validation, data analysis, and citing publicly available data in publications.

Learning outcomes

Understand stages of designing a microbiome study, including how to incorporate comparable, reusable metagenomic data.
Identify best practices for data (and metadata) management.
Follow and apply FAIR data principles in research.

Pre-requisites: A general understanding of biological concepts and microbiomes or environmental microbiology at an undergraduate level.

Part 2 (in-person): From Reads to Function – Metagenomes to MAGs Analysis in KBase

Wednesday and Thursday, August 26-27; 9:00-17:00 AEST
– University of Queensland, St. Lucia

In Person – Register Here

Australian Microbiome Metagenomic Analysis Workshop – In Person

Building on concepts from the first day, Part 2 will follow a step-by-step analysis of microbial community metagenomes – from raw sequence data to metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) – in a modularized format using KBase’s reproducible notebook workflows.

Learning outcomes

Set-up a free KBase account and navigate the platform’s graphical user interface.
Understand components behind experimental design to test hypotheses using microbial metagenomic data.
Be able to build a metagenomic data analysis workflow across different publicly available datasets.

Pre-requisites: In addition to Day 1 pre-requisites and attendance, participants should review Chivian et al. 2023 in Nature Protocols (https://rdcu.be/cZCh7). Coding skills and advanced knowledge of bioinformatics are not required to use the KBase platform or any other tools.

Dates/Location:

August 25, Tuesday from 11:00-17:00 AEST via Zoom or in-person (Brisbane/St. Lucia)

August 26-27, Wednesday and Thursday from 9:00-17:00 AEST in-person (Brisbane/St. Lucia)

Further Information

If you require further information prior to registration please email us on:
ausmicrobiome@bioplatforms.com

Registration Link(s)

Open to all, Hybrid

Australian Microbiome Metagenomic Analysis Workshop – Online Only

In Person, express your interest in registering here for 3 day in person workshop

Australian Microbiome Metagenomic Analysis Workshop – In Person

Lead Instructor:

Ellen Dow – Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

KBase Educators Program Lead; MICROnet Co-PI

Bio:
Ellen G. Dow, Ph.D., is the KBase Educators Program Lead for the Department of Energy Systems Biology Knowledgebase (KBase) based at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. She supports a global community, including instructors that use KBase to introduce their students to computational biology and bioinformatics. Ellen is a co-PI for Microbiomes In Computational Research Opportunities Network (MICROnet) that supports a network of undergraduate educators training their students to ask important science questions while generating open, FAIR microbiome data and publishing student results.

A molecular biologist by training, Ellen applies her research experience and time in academia to support scientists and engage with the KBase community. She develops and leads workshops across computational biology topics to help scientists advance their research.