Workshop on advanced phylogenetic analysis

The MEEP Lab recently ran a workshop on Advanced Phylogenetic Analysis at the Australian National University (16–18 November). The 28 participants attended a series of talks and took part in practicals based on a variety of phylogenetic software. The workshop was the latest in a series of regular training opportunities provided by members of the MEEP Lab, which have included workshops on introductory phylogenetics, advanced phylogenetics, and R.

Topics covered during the workshop included likelihood and Bayesian analysis, with a focus on model selection. There was also extensive discussion of techniques relating to genome-scale data, including approximate methods and data filtering.

The workshop was organised by COMBINE, a student-run Australian organisation for researchers in computational biology, bioinformatics, and related fields. Support was also provided by CSIRO.

Further workshops are planned for next year, including a free phylogenetics workshop at the University of Sydney in July 2016. The dates and locations of other workshops are to be decided, but will potentially include Canberra and Melbourne.