We are pleased to announce the SMBE Satellite Meeting and Workshop on ‘Identifying barriers to gene flow in the genome’ to be held 17th-19th June 2019 at the Marine Biology Laboratory, Tjärnö, Sweden.

Speciation genomics is a fast moving and rapidly changing field. Genome scans and demographic inference are popular tools for studying how barriers to gene flow evolve and how species diverge, but the field has only recently begun to take into account confounding factors that might bias these methods.

If standard approaches are insufficient for identifying barriers to gene flow and understanding the processes involved in speciation, where do we go next? One way forward is the use of sophisticated approaches to jointly infer signals of selection, gene flow and demographic history. We can also use efficient simulation to introduce greater statistical rigour to our approaches.

Meeting structure

This three day workshop/meeting on speciation genomics will combine talks from invited speakers and participants, a discussion panel and a hands-on workshop to learn how to use a composite likelihood approach to infer selection, gene flow and demography from genome scan data.

Invited speakers include:

The practical workshop will be led by Jerome Kelleher (the importance of simulations) and Konrad Lohse (composite likelihood inference). Some basic experience in Unix, and Python programming is necessary. If you want to learn more about how to gain the necessary skills to participate, see here.

How to apply

There is space for approximately 40-50 participants. To apply, please register here. The deadline for applications is 25th February.

It is free to register but attendance will cost $300 (US) to cover accommodation and food for the three days. Travel bursaries are available for MSc and PhD students wishing to attend.

We encourage participants from all backgrounds and levels to apply and we look forward to welcoming you to Sweden in June!