Bioinformatics Tools & Tricks: Hands-On Tutorial for Biologists
Do you want to learn how to analyze your data using free tools and web resources? Do you want to try machine learning, artificial intelligence and predictive modelling? We will show you how to accomplish these and many other common analysis tasks within minutes, using popular bioinformatics and statistical software.
Each hands-on tutorial will present a sequence of analysis steps: from choosing the right tools, to analyzing the data, to making publication-quality figures. We will pay particular attention to common pitfalls in using bioinformatics software and web resources.
No prior knowledge of computer programming, statistics or machine learning is required – all necessary concepts will be introduced during the tutorial.
Schedule – Fall 2026
Date
Time
Topic
Tues Sept 15
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Introduction to R Programming
Tues Sept 22
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Data exploration and visualization in R
Tues Sept 29
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Statistical tests and models in R
Tues Oct 6
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Research Data Management (RDM): best practices
Tues Oct 13
12:00 – 12:45 pm
Genomic data analysis and visualization using Seqr
Tues Oct 20
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Introduction to Python Programming
Wed October 28
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Open OnDemand: HPC the easy way
Tues Nov 3
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Accelerating research with GPU on HPC
Thurs Nov 12
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Reproducible data analysis & bioinformatics
Thurs Nov 19
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Free tools and resources for protein sequences and structures
Tues Nov 24
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Handling sensitive research data
Tues Dec 1
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Genomics and transcriptomics pipelines
Tues Dec 8
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Introduction to single-cell transcriptomics
Schedule – Spring 2026
Date
Time
Topic
Mon Jun 1
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Analysis of RNA-sequencing Data
Mon Jun 1
1:30 – 4:30 pm
Long-read Sequencing Applications
Wed Jun 3
9:00 – 10:25 am
Introduction to R Shiny
Thurs Jun 4
9:00 – 11:00 am
Hands-on Introduction to R Programming
Mon Jun 8
10:35 am – 12:00 pm
Extracting Information from Health Data using AI
Thurs Jun 11
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Data Visualization and Statistics in R Programming
Thurs Jun 25
10:00 – 11:30 am
Machine Learning Methods in R
Thurs Jul 16
10:00 – 11:30 am
Free tools for Reproducible Computational Research
Schedule – Fall 2025
Date
Time
Topic
Tues Sep 9
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Introduction to R Programming
Tues Sep 16
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Data exploration and visualization in R
Tues Sep 23
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Statistical tests and models in R
Mon Sep 29
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Introduction to Python Programming
Tues Oct 7
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Biomedical data and objects in Python
Tues Oct 14
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Accelerating research with GPU on High Performance Computing Cluster (HPC)
Tues Oct 21
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Using Python, Jupyter and RStudio on HPC
Tues Oct 28
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Free tools and resources for proteomics
Tues Nov 4
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Reproducible data analysis & bioinformatics
Tues Nov 11
10:00 am – 1:00 pm
CCM-RTC Boot Camp: Introduction to Machine Learning and AI
Tues Nov 18
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Affordable Data Storage for Research – How iRODS on HPC Can Help
Tues Nov 25
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Genomic data analysis and visualization using Seqr
Tues Dec 2
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Genomics and transcriptomics pipelines
Mon Dec 8
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Introduction to single-cell transcriptomics
Schedule – Spring 2025
Date
Time
Topic
Tues May 20
1 – 4 pm
Python Programming and Data Analysis
Tues May 27
9 am – 12 pm
R Programming and Data Analysis
Tues Jun 3
9 am – 12 pm
Introduction to Machine Learning and AI
Wed Jun 4
9 am – 12 pm
Analysis of RNA-sequencing Data
Fri Jun 6
9 am – 12 pm
Long-read Sequencing Applications
Tues Jun 17
9 am – 12 pm
Introduction to Statistics in R: Part 1
Tues Jun 24
9 am – 12 pm
Introduction to Statistics in R: Part 2
Schedule – Fall 2024
Date
Time
Topic
Tues Sep 10
12:00 – 1:00 PM
Introduction to R programming
Tues Sep 17
12:00 – 1:00 PM
Data exploration and visualization in R
Tues Sep 24
12:00 – 1:00 PM
Statistical tests and models in R
Thurs Oct 3
12:00 – 1:00 PM
Introduction to Python Programming
Tues Oct 8
12:00 – 1:00 PM
Biomedical data and objects in Python
Tues Oct 15
12:00 – 1:00 PM
Using GPU and High Performance Computing (HPC)
Tues Oct 22
12:00 – 1:00 PM
Jupyter Notebooks – using Python on the HPC
Tues Oct 29
12:00 – 1:00 PM
Reproducible data analysis & bioinformatics
Tues Nov 5
12:00 – 1:00 PM
Introduction to machine learning in R
Tues Nov 12
12:00 – 1:00 PM
Introduction to deep learning and AI
Tues Nov 19
12:00 – 1:00 PM
AI applications in proteomics and drug design
Tues Nov 26
12:00 – 1:00 PM
AI imaging applications using PyTorch
Tues Dec 3
12:00 – 1:00 PM
Genomic data analysis and visualization using Seqr
Tues Dec 10
12:00 – 1:00 PM
Introduction to bulk and single cell RNA-Seq
For registration and more information, please contact Andrei Turinsky (turinsky@sickkids.ca).
