<div dir="ltr"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;font-size:11pt;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none"><span lang="EN-US">Dear SocBin’ers,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;font-size:11pt;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;font-size:11pt;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none">On <b>December 16 and 17</b>, Hasselt University<span lang="EN-US"><span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>(Belgium)</span><span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>will organise the second edition of the <b>Microbiome Data Analysis Workshop</b> (MDAW). We have a nice cast of<span lang="EN-US">international</span><span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>lecturers/speakers<span lang="EN-US">: including<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span>Ksenia Guseva, Laura Symul, Leo Lahti, Georg Zeller, Stijn Wittouck,<span lang="EN-US"><span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>Thies Gehrmann,</span><span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>Ziv Shkedy and Olivier Thas<span lang="EN-US">.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;font-size:11pt;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;font-size:11pt;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none">This workshop will be of interest to a broad range of profiles, ranging from PhD students, post-docs to experienced professionals who need to work with microbiome data. We target people with backgrounds in biology, biomedical sciences, engineering, environmental sciences, …, but also statisticians and data scientists with an interest in the challenges specific to the microbiome. The workshop is sponsored by the Doctoral School of Hasselt University (reduced registration fee for PhD students). </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;font-size:11pt;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;font-size:11pt;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none">On day 1 of the workshop you will learn about the basics: going from reads to OTU/ASV tables, exploring and visualizing microbiome data, and differential abundance analysis. These take the form of lectures, including hands-on sessions. The second day continues with more advanced and emerging topics, brought to you by top experts who will guide you through cutting-edge techniques to manage and interpret microbiome datasets. Whether you’re a beginner or looking to enhance your skills, this is your opportunity to learn from the best!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;font-size:11pt;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;font-size:11pt;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none">More information can be found here: <a href="https://www.uhasselt.be/MDAW25" target="_blank" title="https://www.uhasselt.be/MDAW25" style="color:rgb(0,134,240);text-decoration:underline">https://www.uhasselt.be/MDAW25</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;font-size:11pt;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;font-size:11pt;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none"><span lang="EN-US">Kind regards,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;font-size:11pt;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none"><span lang="EN-US">-Thies Gehrmann</span></p></div>