Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) for Evolutionary Biology (GWAS01) – Live Online Course
Learn how to perform genome-wide association studies (GWAS), from genomic data processing and quality control through to association testing, population structure correction, meta-analysis, visualisation, and polygenic prediction.
Genome-wide association studies are a cornerstone of modern genetics and genomics, enabling researchers to identify genetic variants associated with complex traits and investigate the genetic architecture of phenotypic variation.
This practical course provides hands-on training in complete GWAS workflows using widely adopted bioinformatics and statistical tools, including PLINK, SNPTEST, GATK, GWAMA, METAL, and LocusZoom.
WHAT YOU'LL GAIN
- Understanding of genetic variation and the principles of genome-wide association studies
- Practical experience with genotype quality control and filtering
- Skills in genotype phasing and imputation
- Association testing using PLINK and SNPTEST
- Genomic data processing and variant calling using GATK workflows
- Population structure analysis and correction using PCA
- GWAS meta-analysis using GWAMA and METAL
- Visualisation of association results using Manhattan plots and LocusZoom
- Construction and validation of polygenic risk scores
- Understanding of missing heritability and current approaches to complex trait genetics
COURSE FORMAT
- 5 days, 5 hours per day
- Live, instructor-led online training
- Hands-on genomic and bioinformatics analysis
- Practical exercises using real-world datasets
- Strong focus on complete, research-ready GWAS workflows
WHO IS THIS COURSE FOR?
- Bioinformaticians and computational biologists
- Population geneticists and evolutionary genomic researchers
- Researchers working with genotype and sequencing datasets
- Quantitative and statistical geneticists
- PhD students and researchers interested in GWAS and complex trait genetics
WHY TAKE THIS COURSE?
GWAS requires the integration of genomic data processing, rigorous quality control, population structure analysis, statistical association testing, and biological interpretation.
This course provides practical experience across the complete workflow, helping participants move from raw genomic data through variant processing and association testing to the interpretation and visualisation of genome-wide results.
COURSE DETAILS
Course dates: 9–13 November 2026
Duration: 25 hours
Format: Live online
Registration: £400
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QUESTIONS?
Email: [email protected]