2026 Summer Bioinformatics Bootcamp

WV-INBRE is offering an immersive, introductory bioinformatics bootcamp for STEM undergraduates, hosted by Marshall University. Students from all partner institutions are welcome and encouraged to apply on or before April 20, 2026.

This four-week bootcamp takes you from little to no computational experience to bioinformatic literacy. No previous computational experience is required!

Start Your Application

bootcamp — bash4 weeks

# find your way around Linux

$ cd ~/bootcamp && ls

# download a reference genome

$ datasets download genome accession GCF_000001405.40

# align reads to the reference

$ bwa mem genome.fa reads.fq | samtools sort -o aligned.bam

# call variants

$ bcftools mpileup -f genome.fa aligned.bam | bcftools call -mv -o variants.vcf

# differential expression in R

$ Rscript deseq2_analysis.R

# run it on the supercomputer

$ sbatch pipeline.sh

Submitted batch job 4815162

Program Dates

June 1 - 26, 2026

Stipend

$2,000

Application Deadline

April 20, 2026

Location

Marshall University

What You Will Learn

At the end of this course you will be able to:

Navigate the Linux operating system and the command line interface (CLI)

Write BASH, Python, and R scripts

Construct basic bioinformatic pipelines for data analysis

Find, interpret, and download reference genomes

Understand the basics of genome assembly and sequence alignment

Detect variants in DNA sequences using a reference genome

Perform a simple differential expression analysis on RNA-seq data

Submit jobs to a supercomputer

Eligibility & What's Provided

We are accepting applications from any currently enrolled undergraduate student interested in learning more about bioinformatics or data science.

Currently enrolled undergraduate students

Students from all WV-INBRE partner institutions are welcome

Interest in bioinformatics or data science

No previous computational experience required

Stipend

$2,000 for the four-week bootcamp

Housing & Meals

Dorm housing and cafeteria meals at Marshall University

Schedule

Monday through Friday, on the Marshall University campus

How to Apply

Complete the online application on this page

Choose four mentors from the Mentor Directory, in order of preference

Upload your CV or resume (PDF or Word)

Upload two recommendation letters from professors (both required)

The application takes about 30 minutes and isn't saved until you submit, so have your CV and both letters ready before you start. You can review everything before you submit.

Ready to Apply?

Deadline:April 20, 2026

Time Remaining:

Apply Now

Housing & Stipend

Stipend

$2,000

Housing & Meals

Dorm housing and cafeteria meals at Marshall University provided

Questions?

WV-INBRE Bioinformatics Team

Marshall University

wvinbre.summerbootcamp@gmail.com Bootcamp website

Related Programs

Summer Research Internship for Students

9-week mentored research experience

Summer Research Fellowship for Faculty

Research opportunities for faculty members

WV-INBRE Puerto Rico Summer Research Exchange Program

International research exchange opportunity

Hear From Bootcamp Students

Students from the 2026 bootcamp share what they learned and what the four weeks were like.

Press CC in the player to turn captions on or off.

Bootcamp Application

Complete the form below to apply for the 2026 Summer Bioinformatics Bootcamp. Your answers aren't saved until you submit, so have your CV and both recommendation letters ready and finish in one sitting.

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