NorthernBUG 15

General

The organising committee for NorthernBUG15 is: Andrew Mason, Marcello Beltrami, Sally James and Alastair Droop. Emails should be directed to Andrew at andrew.mason@york.ac.uk

The meeting will take place on 23rd January 2026 in The Department of Biology at The University of York. Weather depending, it’s a nice ~40 minute walk from the station to the university, or you can catch the U1 or U2 buses to Wentworth Way bus stop in ~25 minutes. There is some limited car parking on campus or you can use the Park & Ride at Grimston Bar.

Registration

Meeting registration is now open! Please sign up with this google form

Registration will close on 7th January 2026 so we can confirm final numbers with caterers.

This is a single registration form where you can also indicate if you want to be considered for a talk or poster presentation. If so, tick the relevant box and submit your abstract (title, authors, 250 words abstract) in the appropriate section. If you don’t have one ready yet, leave this final box blank and we’ll be in touch, or send it through before the 12th January registration deadline to Andrew at andrew.mason@york.ac.uk.

Remember this is a user group meeting, so you are very much encouraged to bring work in progress, seemingly-unsolvable problems, or new ideas where you want a friendly and informed audience.

Travel scholarships

We have been supported by the UKRI Digital Research Skills Catalyst who will be providing up to 5 travel scholarships for the meeting! Please register and then apply via this google form.

Agenda

This is very much TBC - talks selected from submitted abstracts will be confirmed on 7th January 2026. We intend to have keynote speakers in the morning before lunch, and then have the user group in the afternoon. Posters and talks will be judged by all attendees using Google Forms, with prizes awarded for the top scoring.

If you have a suggestion you’d like us (or organisers of the next meeting) to take on board, let us know!.

Time Speaker Presentation Information
10:00-10:30 Registration opens and Tea/coffee   Registration available all day
10:30-10:35 Andrew Mason Opening remarks  
10.35-12:00 TBC Morning keynote(s)  
12:00-13:00 Lunch break with posters    
13:00-13:10 Andrew Mason Formal welcome to NorthernBUG15!  
13:10-14:15 Session 1 Talks    
14:15-14:40 Industry sponsor flash talks    
14:40-15:40 Poster session break Coffee, posters, industry, networking  
15:40-16:50 Session 2 Talks    
16:50-17:00 Prizes and closing remarks    
17:00- Pub TBC  

What to expect

NorthernBUG meetings are open to anyone interested in bioinformatics or its application in life science research. Meetings are free, and lunch is provided!

These meetings focus on being a user group for the benefit of all. Talks and posters do not have to be a polished and complete body of work, but can be an opportunity to discuss your research with others experienced in the area. There is always a friendly atmosphere, with discussions around techniques, training and education, as well as broader applied research areas.

We continue to be core supported by The Genetics Society, but thanks also to our amazing sponsors past and present. For NorthernBUG15 we are supported by Twist Bioscience and Azenta Life Sciences. Event sponsors will have stalls on the day, so there is an opportunity to hear about new technologies, promotional sequencing offers, and the potential for jobs in industry. Thank you to all our sponsors!

NBUG15 sponsors

Feedback

We will open a feedback form at the close of the meeting which will remain open for 7 days. All feedback is incredibly valuable for determining the direction of NorthernBUG, improving and keeping meetings relevant to members, and for sourcing future funding.

Location:

The Department of Biology, Wentworth Way, York