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EMBO Practical Course

Population genomics: background and tools

15 – 22 June 2026 | Torre del Greco, Naples, Italy

  • Registration Deadline
  • 10 February 2026
  • Abstract Submission Deadline
  • 10 February 2026
  • Chosen Participants Will Be Notified By
  • 25 February 2026
  • Payment Deadline
  • 12 March 2026 

Apply now!

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About the Practical Course

Study methods in population genomics have been profoundly reshaped in the last few years, fostered by the rapid growth of DNA sequence production and sharing. This unprecedented opportunity has led to major steps forward in the field and calls for new approaches and computational skills to have become routine in evolutionary genomics laboratories.

Participants will learn fundamental concepts and advanced approaches to reconstruct the demographic history of populations and infer natural selection, using both classic and machine learning-based techniques. Participants will also learn the essential and advanced programming skills required to run the analyses related to the concept presented, with a special focus on machine learning.

Keynote lectures focused on major achievements and future perspectives of population genomics will complement the training. Lectures and practicals are delivered by experienced outstanding and inspiring speakers. We expect participants to become fully confident in running analyses on their own after attending this EMBO Practical Course.

This EMBO Practical Course aims at evolutionary biologists who already have basic bioinformatics skills. Good knowledge of R is a pre-requisite and knowledge of Python is a plus. Ph.D. students and Postdoc researchers will benefit the most out of this EMBO Practical Course, but applications from all candidates will be evaluated in their context.


About EMBO Courses and Workshops

EMBO Courses and Workshops are selected for their excellent scientific quality and timelines, provision of good networking activities for all participants and speaker gender diversity (at least 40% of speakers must be from the underrepresented gender).

Organisers are encouraged to implement measures to make the meeting environmentally more sustainable.

 
 

Programme

 

Registration

  • Registration Deadline
  • 10 February 2026
  • Abstract Submission Deadline
  • 10 February 2026
  • Chosen Participants Will Be Notified By
  • 25 February 2026
  • Payment Deadline
  • 12 March 2026 

 

  • STUDENT/POSTDOCS EUR 550
  • ACADEMIC EUR 550
  • INDUSTRY EUR 1100

Registration includes:

  • Accommodation in shared room for 7 nights (IN: 15/06/2026; OUT: 22/06/2026)
  • Catering (lunches, coffee breaks, dinners)
  • Course materials

Registration Information

Students are required to attend the entire course, arriving punctually on the first day, being on time for all programme sessions and remaining until the programme concludes.

Participants are expected to bring their own laptop; if not possible, this should be declared during registration.

Students will share rooms.

We encourage speakers and participants to take trains within Europe for distances, for e.g. under 800 km or under 6–8 hours of travel time to promote the reduction in CO2 emissions in order to lessen environmental impact.

Payment

Successful participants will receive payment details by email.

Cancellation Policy

Cancellations must be notified in writing to the Course Organizers at the earliest convenience, and no latest 1-month before the course start date, to allow other participants to be notified in time. Cancellations received prior to 1 May 2026 will be entitled to a full refund minus any expenses (e.g. bank charges) and 50 Euro for secretarial fee. No refunds will be provided for cancellations received after this date.

Selection criteria

This course is aimed at evolutionary biologists with basic bioinformatics skills.

Candidates will be selected based on:

  • A solid background in evolutionary genetics, since the course is advanced
  • Good knowledge of Linux operating system, R and basic shell commands, Python knowledge is a plus
  • Lack of previous knowledge of the population genomics tools taught (we want you to learn new skills)
  • Opportunity to apply the learning outcomes to their work soon after the course
  • Impact of the course on the participant and his/her research group (we discourage multiple applications from the same group)
  • Submission of an abstract (mandatory)

Fulfilment of the above conditions by participants will be assessed through the registration form.

Abstract guidelines

Abstract guidelines: max 200 words.

To submit the abstract, access your course account after registration. Abstracts should describe participants’ research projects, which will be presented with a poster during the course.

Poster specifications

Poster specifications and dimensions will be sent by email to successful participants.

Travel grants and registration fee waivers

Travel grants and registration fee waivers are available for participants.

Selection of awardees is handled directly by the organizers. EMBO travel grants and registration fee waivers are allocated on the basis of the quality of the submitted abstract. A maximum of 500 Euro per participant is available to cover registration fees, travel and accommodation (no additional subsistence costs can be covered). To apply, please indicate the itemized amount requested in the “Travel & Fee Grants” section of the registration form and provide a brief justification for your request.

Special travel grants and registration fee waivers

A limited number of travel grants and registration fee waivers are available for scientists working in Chile, India, Singapore and Taiwan. Grants are allocated on the basis of the quality of the submitted abstract. A maximum of 1,000 Euro per participant is available to cover registration fees, travel and accommodation (no additional subsistence costs can be covered). To apply, please indicate the itemized amount requested in the “Travel & Fee Grants” section of the registration form and provide a brief justification for your request.

Child care grants

EMBO Courses and Workshops offers grants to offset additional childcare costs incurred by participants or speakers when participating at any EMBO Courses and Workshop funded meeting. Eligible costs include fees for a baby-sitter or child-care facility, travel costs for a caregiver, or travel costs for taking the child to the meeting, etc. Applicants should specify their needs in the registration form and provide a justification. The EMBO grant available (a total of 1,000 Euro) will be distributed after all requests are collected.

Accessibility grants

EMBO offers accessibility grants to support participants with any access needs. These grants cover up to 500 Euros for any additional costs e.g. to adapt the conference environment, or to be accompanied by someone to assist them where necessary. Applicants should specify their needs in the registration form and provide a justification.

Grant funded by Associazione Genetica Italiana (AGI)

One grant of 550 Euro, covering the registration fee of one student/post-doc who is an AGI member or works in a lab where the PI is an AGI member, will be awarded by AGI.

Grant funded by Società Italiana di Biologia Evoluzionistica (SIBE)

One grant of 550 Euro, covering the registration fee of one student/post-doc who is a SIBE member, will be awarded by SIBE.

Grant funded by Società Italiana di Genetica Agraria (SIGA)

One grant of 550 Euro, covering the registration fee of one student/post-doc who is a SIGA member or works in a lab where the PI is a SIGA member, will be awarded by SIGA.


Code of conduct

Anti-harassment and non-discrimination policy

At EMBO, we believe that harassment and discriminatory behaviour are unacceptable in any setting.

Media and communications policy

Recording or communication of the presented data needs to be agreed upon by all concerned.

EMBO's code of conduct is applicable for all participants of this EMBO meeting and can be found here.

 

Contact

Serena Aceto

Email: embo.popgen@gmail.com​

 

 

Venue

Hotel Sakura

Via Enrico De Nicola 26

80059 Torre del Greco, Naples, Italy

Accommodation

Participants and speakers will be accommodated at the same venue. Participants will be accommodated in shared rooms. Breakfast is included.

Transport

Torre del Greco is a coastal town on the Bay of Naples, about 20 km southeast of Naples, which can be easily reached from Naples central railway station.

A shared shuttle bus will be organized from Naples Central Railway Station (“Napoli Centrale” or “Napoli Piazza Garibaldi”, which are the same station) to the hotel on the first day of the course, and from the hotel back to the station on the last day. Exact departure times will be communicated by email closer to the date.

HOW TO REACH NAPLES

Naples can be reached easily by:

  • Flight: Naples international airport is called “Naples Capodichino (NAP)”.
  • High-speed train: the main station is “Napoli Centrale” (also know as “Napoli Piazza Garibaldi"). Train companies are: Trenitalia and Italo.

HOW TO REACH NAPLES STATION FROM NAPLES AIRPORT

If you arrive at NAP Airport, you can reach the station Napoli Centrale/Napoli Piazza Garibaldi by the “Alibus” bus. The Alibus stop is located outside the arrivals area; buses run approx every 15-min and tickets can be purchased on board (€5). The journey to the station takes about 30-min.

Taxis are also available outside the airport.

HOW TO REACH TORRE DEL GRECO FROM NAPLES STATION (other than the shared shuttle bus)

If you are unable to take the shared shuttle bus, there are two convenient rail options. Please note that they arrive at different stations in Torre del Greco.

Option 1 – Trenitalia (FS) line. More frequent trains, but the station is farther from the hotel.

  • Take a Trenitalia regional train from from Napoli Centrale to Torre del Greco (platform level -1 of the main railway station). Tickets (€2.60) can be purchased at the train station or online and the journey takes about 25-min.
  • Get off at “Torre del Greco” (Trenitalia/FS station).
  • From there, you can reach Hotel Sakura via a 30-minute uphill walk, or walk 5 minutes to the bus stop “Piazza della Repubblica” and take bus line 805, getting off at “Via De Nicola 57”, or take a taxi.

Map FS station to hotel

Timetable Napoli Centrale-Torre del Greco

Option 2 – Circumvesuviana/EAV line - Less frequent trains, but the station is closer to the hotel.

  • Take the Circumvesuviana line Napoli–Sorrento from Napoli Piazza Garibaldi (at level -1 of the main railway station, follow signs to the EAV station). Tickets can be bought at the EAV station and the journey takes about 15-min.
  • Get off at “Torre del Greco” (Circumvesuviana/EAV station).
  • Reach Hotel Sakura via a 19-min uphill walk or take bus line 805 from the stop “Piazza della Repubblica”, getting off at “Via De Nicola 57”, or take a taxi.

Map EAV station to hotel

Timetable vesuvian lines

We encourage speakers and participants to travel by train within Europe whenever possible (for example, for distances under 800 km or journeys of about 6–8 hours) to help reduce CO2 emissions and lessen the environmental impact.

About the Area

Torre del Greco is a seaside town on the Bay of Naples, with Mount Vesuvius right behind it and beautiful views over the Gulf in front. Beyond its volcanic identity, Torre del Greco is internationally known for the art of coral and cameo craftsmanship. The surrounding area offers easy access to world-famous archaeological sites such as Herculaneum and Pompeii, as well as scenic Vesuvian landscapes.

Sustainability at the meeting

The EMBO Courses & Workshops Programme assesses meetings based on the proposal and implementation of sustainability measures. Meetings can earn points across a range of measures, with each measure assigned a point value from one to five. These points classify the meeting into one of three sustainability levels, reflecting the organizers' commitment to enhancing the sustainability of their event. More information on the EMBO Courses & Workshops Sustainability Badge can be found here.

  • A few remote presentations will be given during the course. Additionally, we encourage speakers and participants to take trains within Europe for distances to promote the reduction in CO2 emissions in order to lessen environmental impact.
  • Book of abstracts and programme will be shared in electronic form only, and paper badges will be used.
  • Catering will include at least one vegetarian meal and locally sourced ingredients.
  • Single-use plastics and plastic water bottles and disposable cutlery will be avoided.

Lights, electronics, and air conditioning will always be turned off when not in use.

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