Last week, researchers and early‑career scientists gathered at Spark York for the Transcriptomics Analysis Pipeline Workshop, hosted by the Elemental Engineering Biology Mission Hub.
This in‑person session offered a practical and collaborative environment to explore RNA‑sequencing (RNA‑seq) data analysis from start to finish.
The workshop was expertly delivered by Dr Alastair Droop, Data Science Lab Head at the University of York, and Dr Sally James, Head of Genomics at the University of York. Their combined expertise made the workshop both highly informative and hands-on, providing participants with clear guidance through each step of the workflow while sharing practical tips from their own research experience.
Hands‑On Learning and Community Building
Designed for Elemental PDRAs and PhD researchers (with several external attendees), the workshop delivered an immersive introduction to the core steps of bulk transcriptomics analysis. Participants engaged with crucial aspects of RNA‑seq workflows, including:
- Quality control and trimming of raw sequencing reads
- Alignment and quantification using established tools such as Salmon and STAR
- Differential gene expression analysis to discern biological signals
- Functional interpretation through pathway and Gene Ontology enrichment analyses
The session emphasised practical, working knowledge, with participants running real commands and visualising outputs in R and the command line. Many highlighted how useful it was to unpack each stage of the analysis pipeline, ask questions in real time, and troubleshoot workflows with peers and facilitators.
What Attendees Took Away
Feedback from the workshop shows that attendees left feeling better equipped to tackle their own RNA‑seq projects independently. Several researchers mentioned that concepts which previously felt abstract now feel much more tangible.
For many, a key benefit was not just the technical content but the opportunity to connect with colleagues across different research groups. This shared learning experience helped spark new collaborations and ideas for applying these analytic approaches to diverse datasets.
Looking Ahead
With the success of this workshop, the ELEMENTAL Hub is looking at ways to build on this momentum through additional training opportunities. Keep an eye on the Hub’s events calendar for upcoming sessions and resources.
A big thank you to everyone who participated and helped make the day both educational and inspiring, we look forward to seeing how you apply these skills in your research!