About Workshop
This 3-day beginner-friendly workshop introduces participants to the fundamentals of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) data processing and interpretation. Participants will learn how sequencing data is generated, what raw FASTQ files contain, how quality control is performed, and how cleaned data can be interpreted for biological research.
The workshop is designed to give learners a practical foundation in NGS workflows, including raw data understanding, quality assessment, read preprocessing, basic alignment awareness, and result interpretation. Through live demonstrations and guided hands-on activities, participants will explore commonly used tools and file formats used in genomics and bioinformatics research.
This workshop is suitable for students, researchers, PhD scholars, academicians, and life science professionals who want to begin learning NGS data analysis in a structured and practical way.
Aim
The aim of this workshop is to introduce participants to the basic concepts, tools, file formats, and workflows used in NGS data processing and biological interpretation.
What Participants Will Learn
- To introduce participants to Next-Generation Sequencing and its applications in biological research.
- To explain common NGS data types and file formats such as FASTQ, FASTA, SAM/BAM, VCF, and count matrices.
- To help participants understand sequencing quality, Phred scores, read length, depth, and coverage.
- To demonstrate quality control of raw sequencing reads using commonly used tools.
- To introduce read trimming, filtering, and preprocessing workflows.
- To provide an overview of alignment, mapping, variant analysis, and RNA-Seq interpretation.
- To help participants understand how NGS outputs are interpreted for genomics and transcriptomics research.
- To guide participants in preparing a simple NGS data interpretation summary.
Structure
📅 Day 1 – Introduction to NGS and Sequencing Data Fundamentals
- Introduction to Next-Generation Sequencing
- Evolution from Sanger sequencing to NGS
- Major sequencing platforms: Illumina, Ion Torrent, PacBio, and Oxford Nanopore
- Applications of NGS in genomics, transcriptomics, clinical research, agriculture, microbiology, and biotechnology
- Understanding raw sequencing reads
- Introduction to NGS file formats: FASTQ, FASTA, SAM, BAM, VCF, GTF/GFF
- Understanding Phred quality score, read length, depth, and coverage
- Overview of a standard NGS data analysis pipeline
- Difference between DNA-Seq, RNA-Seq, whole genome sequencing, targeted sequencing, and metagenomics
- Explore sample FASTQ files
- Identify read sequence and quality score information
- Prepare a basic NGS file format interpretation sheet
- Importance of quality control in NGS data analysis
- Introduction to raw read quality assessment
- Understanding FastQC reports
- Per-base sequence quality, GC content, sequence duplication, and adapter contamination
- Introduction to MultiQC for combined QC reporting
- Why read trimming and filtering are required
- Adapter removal and low-quality base trimming
- Overview of tools such as FastQC, MultiQC, Trimmomatic, Cutadapt, and fastp
- Comparing raw reads and cleaned reads
- Preparing a QC summary for research reporting
- Run or review FastQC report on sample data
- Identify quality issues in sequencing reads
- Perform/read trimming demonstration using sample data
- Prepare a short QC interpretation note
- Overview of read alignment and reference genome mapping
- Introduction to aligners: BWA, Bowtie2, HISAT2, and STAR
- Understanding SAM/BAM files and mapping statistics
- Introduction to variant calling and VCF interpretation
- Introduction to RNA-Seq count data and gene expression analysis
- Basics of differential expression and biological interpretation
- Introduction to annotation and pathway interpretation
- Visualization of NGS outputs using basic plots and genome browsers
- How to prepare an NGS analysis summary report
- Common mistakes in NGS data interpretation
- Review sample alignment statistics
- Interpret a sample VCF or RNA-Seq count result
- Prepare a simple NGS interpretation summary table
- Draft a mini NGS data analysis report
Important Dates
Registration Ends
4:30 PM
Workshop Dates
2026-07-01
05:30 PM
05:30 PM
What You Will Gain
- NGS file format interpretation sheet
- Sample FASTQ understanding worksheet
- QC report interpretation note
- Read preprocessing workflow summary
- Sample alignment statistics interpretation
- Basic VCF or RNA-Seq result interpretation table
- Mini NGS data interpretation summary
- Certificate of participation / completion
- Live & recorded sessions
- Post-workshop query support
- Hands-on learning experience.
Outcomes
- Understand the fundamentals of Next-Generation Sequencing and its applications.
- Identify key NGS file formats such as FASTQ, FASTA, SAM/BAM, VCF, and count matrices.
- Understand Phred quality scores, read length, sequencing depth, and coverage.
- Interpret basic sequencing quality reports.
- Understand read trimming, filtering, and preprocessing workflows.
- Explain the purpose of read alignment and mapping.
- Understand the basics of variant calling and RNA-Seq interpretation.
- Interpret sample NGS outputs using simple tables and reports.
- Prepare a basic NGS data interpretation summary.
- Gain confidence to begin learning advanced NGS workflows.
Who Should Attend
- Undergraduate and postgraduate students in Biotechnology, Bioinformatics, Genetics, Genomics, Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Life Sciences, Pharmacy, and related fields
- PhD scholars and researchers beginning work with sequencing data
- Faculty members and academicians interested in NGS workflows
- Clinical research, biomedical, agricultural, and microbiology professionals
- Bioinformatics beginners who want to understand NGS data analysis
- Anyone interested in learning how raw sequencing data is processed and interpreted
Deliverables
- NGS file format interpretation sheet
- Sample FASTQ understanding worksheet
- QC report interpretation note
- Read preprocessing workflow summary
- Sample alignment statistics interpretation
- Basic VCF or RNA-Seq result interpretation table
- Mini NGS data interpretation summary
- Certificate of participation / completion
- Live & recorded sessions
- Post-workshop query support
- Hands-on learning experience.