Ecuadorian cloud forest

ConGen 2028 Ecuador

ConGen Population Genomic Data Analysis Course/Workshop, Ecuador 2028

ConGen 2028 will be held in person on the campus of the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), Ecuador. Founded in 1988, USFQ has become a leading force in biodiversity research and conservation in one of the most biologically rich countries on Earth. Situated in the Andean highlands at the crossroads of the Andes, Amazon, and Galápagos regions, the university has helped shape ecological and evolutionary research in Ecuador, building national capacity in conservation genetics and supporting evidence-based management of endemic and threatened species. Hosting ConGen at USFQ places participants within this living landscape of conservation science. Attendees will engage with leading experts in cutting-edge population genomic theory and analytical approaches—from microsatellites to next-generation sequencing—within an institution deeply committed to safeguarding one of the world’s great biodiversity hotspots. The setting reinforces the course’s central purpose: advancing rigorous genomic data analysis in direct service of conservation.

Details:

Where: Ecuador

When: 1/4/2028 - 1/11/2028

Application Closes: 10/31/2027

Cost of Attendance: $1800 USD

Early Bird Discount if you pay before 8/31/2027 price is $1600 (so apply & pay early!). 
Large scholarships reducing this registration fee are available for Ecuadorian Nationals and other South Americans.

Workshop content:

ConGen trains participants to understand, analyze, and interpret population genetic and genomic data, spanning microsatellites, SNPs, and genome-scale datasets such as RADseq, amplicon sequencing, targeted capture, and whole-genome sequencing. The course guides participants from raw sequencing reads to genotyping—with and without reference genomes—and includes genome assembly and resequencing workflows. Designed for graduate students, postdocs, faculty, and agency scientists, ConGen blends lectures with hands-on exercises in a collaborative, workshop-like environment.

Key Topics and Methods Include:

  • Population structure analysis and Hardy–Weinberg testing

  • Coalescent, Bayesian, and likelihood-based modeling approaches

  • Detecting selection and inbreeding (including runs of homozygosity)

  • Genetic monitoring: effective population size (Ne), FST, Nm, and other metrics

  • Population assignment using microsatellites and low-coverage whole-genome data

  • Whole-genome sequencing, assembly, and phylogenomics

  • Software and tools: Structure, NeEstimator, GenePop, GeneClass, Rubias, WGSassign, bottleneck programs, R and Linux workflows

Participants will apply these approaches to real datasets and explore applications in conservation, wildlife forensics, population monitoring, and policy-relevant reporting under the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. By combining advanced analytical skills with hands-on practice, ConGen helps bridge the gap between research and conservation practice, training the next generation of population and conservation genomicists.

Main instructors

Eric Anderson (NMFS, Colorado State U), Ellie Armstrong (UC Riverside), Chris Funk (Colorado State University),  Will Hemstrom (Colorado State University), Paul Hohenlohe (U Idaho), Marty Kardos, Gordon Luikart (U Montana), Robin Waples (NMFS/U Washington). Additional instructors to be announced. Companies like NanoPore and Diplomics also contribute training and sponsorship.

Recommended knowledge and background:

ConGen is designed for advanced undergrads and technicians, Master's and Ph.D. students, postdocs, faculty, government researchers or PIs and conservation and wildlife & plant managers, 

  1. Understanding of DNA markers (Microsatellites, SNPs, RADseq, WGseq), population genetic diversity metrics (H, allelic richness, haplotype diversity) and mechanisms of evolutionary change: genetic drift, gene flow, selection, & mutation.
  2. Understanding of pop gen concepts and testing: effective population size, inbreeding depression, testing for HW and linkage disequilibrium, etc. 
  3. Experience using R and Linux. You can learn some basic R skills at our introductory Zoom lectures the weeks before the course (see Agenda Link). 
  4. Participants should understand English (written, spoken).