Earlham Institute

?? Scientists at the Earlham Institute and The Alan Turing Institute are combining #AI and #FlowCytometry to examine the relationship between a cell’s structure and function. Dr Sonia Fonseca, a postdoc in the Wojtowicz Group, is using the Institute's cutting-edge spectral imaging cell sorter - the BD FACSDiscover S8 - to image individual #megakaryocytes - large cells that produce platelets to help our blood clot. ?? “With this imaging flow cytometry, we can generate a lot more data about the cells we’re studying, but we don’t have a fast and efficient way to process the data yet. This creates a bottleneck that can slow down our research." To resolve this, Sonia is collaborating with Dr James Wilsenach at The Alan Turing Institute, leveraging artificial intelligence in the processing and cataloguing of large-scale image and genomic data. Read more about their work in our new article: https://okt.to/UQRdDY #CellularGenomics #FlowCytometry #CellBiology #ArtificialIntellegence

?? Two automation specialists from the Earlham Institute's Technical Genomics group recently worked with the application development team at SPT Labtech to develop, test, and adapt a DNA sequencing workflow for their flagship instrument, firefly?. Thanks to a Flexible Talent Mobility Award from BBSRC, Senior Scientist Thomas Brabbs and Senior Research Assistant James Lipscombe were able to share their insighton the Earlham Institute's approach to miniaturisation, the functionality needed to write custom workflows, and testing the instrument’s limits for miniaturising #liquidhandling workflows. ?? “Jim and Tom gave us invaluable new insights we could act on to benefit all our users – particularly those applying firefly to genomics-based workflows.” - Paul Lomax, Product Manager at SPT Labtech. Read more: https://okt.to/HRjl1v #miniaturisation #sequencing #automation ?? SPT Labtech firefly instrument. ?SPTLabtech

Registration has just opened for our popular workshop 'Nanopore Metagenomics: from sample to analysis. The goal of this course is to provide an overview of lab and in-field, real-time nanopore sequencing using Oxford Nanopore Technologies, and will cover: ?? theory of experimental methods and sample collection, ?? theory and hands-on experience of DNA extraction and library preparation. ?? data analysis and visualisation including use of QC tools, ?? EI’s MARTi software and tools for Metagenome Assembled Genomes (MAGs) Register here: https://okt.to/j0w2Gl #Nanopore #Metagenomics #Sequencing #Training #EarlhamInstitute

?????????????????? ???????? ?????????????? ???????? ???? ?????????? ???????? ???? As part of our #singlecell and #spatial analysis platform, the Earlham Institute was an early adopter of a spectral imaging cell sorter called the BD Biosciences FACSDiscover S8. This cutting-edge flow cytometer not only separates single cells, but it also creates thousands of images of individual cells in just one second. But it’s a technique that produces vast amounts of data, particularly the cell images, that need to be catalogued and understood. Researchers at the Earlham Institute and The Alan Turing Institute are working together on a solution. ?? https://okt.to/4lOn9P #artificialintelligence #FlowCytometry #CellBiology #Genomics

VACANCY - We have an exciting opportunity for a talented, enthusiastic individual to join us as the Course Director for our highly regarded MSc degree programme in Plant Genetics and Crop Improvement. https://okt.to/loODfR Closing date - 10 March 2025 Salary - ￡44,500 - ￡55,000 pro rata depending on qualifications and experience. Contract - Part-time, indefinite

I had a fantastic time at the Centre for Microbial Interactions conference in Norwich over the last two days. From learning about zombie ants to the microbes driving nitrogen fixation in the ocean (and so much more), it was a great mix of fascinating research and insightful discussions. I also loved the graphic recording by Rebecca Osborne -Graphic Recorder/Illustration/Animation! Finally I really appreciated the opportunity to present my own PhD work on how airborne environmental DNA changes over 24 hours in a wheat field. A huge thank you to all of the organisers! #CMINorwich2025 Earlham Institute NRPDTP Doctoral Training Partnership

Congratulations to Rowena Hill and Ndeye Bineta, winners of our #MicroJ and #AccessMicro sponsored poster prizes at the Centre for Microbial Interactions Annual Conference. #CMINorwich25

Led by the LongTREC Doctoral Network, join us for a #LongReads Summer School this July. A 4-day course with the aim of introducing masters’ students, doctoral candidates and early career postdoctoral fellows into the world of long-reads. Find out more below: https://okt.to/PRJvYG

Embedded within our research environment, the Earlham Institute hosts a BBSRC-funded National Bioscience Research Infrastructure in Transformative #Genomics. The NBRI brings together specialist facilities, equipment, and expertise in genomics and bioinformatics; underpinning our Institute Strategic Programmes and providing resources, training, and specialist services to the wider #bioscience community. Join us next month for a meeting to hear the latest applications and research from users of the NBRI, and discuss challenges facing the community in adopting new technologies. We're looking forward to hearing some great talks from scientists collaborating with the NBRI including Katie Long (John Innes Centre), Matthew Fisher (Imperial), and Aimée Parker, (Quadram Institute). ??? Register by: 03 March 2025 ?? Free of charge ?? https://okt.to/dlXouk Norwich Research Park Karim Gharbi

#InsideEI: From 3D animation, to language modelling and #projectmanagement. Chris from our Technical Genomics Group shares his career path, the variety of a typical working day, and his experience working flexibly with a young family. ?? “I lead the Project Management Team – responsible for experimental planning, coordination, and delivery for users of the High-Performance #Sequencing Platform. Our team has a lot of expertise in implementation of project management and data delivery.” Early in his career, Chris trained to be a computer scientist, focusing on computer graphics and 3D animation, before moving onto speech recognition and language modelling for his #PhD at the University of East Anglia. ?? Following this, Chris moved to the Centre for Visual Computing at the University of Bradford, working on projects including digitising human skeletal remains using 3D scanning technology. In 2011 he relocated back to Norwich, joining the Earlham Institute (then The Genome Analysis Centre) as a Project Manager in the #genomics team, before being promoted to Team Leader in 2013. ?? Today Chris is a Culture Champion and represents the views of our operational and science support staff on the Institute’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equality and Accessibility committee. ?? “I love the varied, dynamic nature of my job. My day covers experimental design, molecular biology, information systems, finances, operations, line management, customer service, as well as culture and IDEA work. “You have to change “hats” at a moment’s notice which can be challenging but at the same time it exposes me to the wider components of the organisation.” In 2017 Chris’ wife Yuxuan joined the research faculty at EI, shortly after their second son was born. ?? "To support Yuxuan’s return to work, the Institute allowed me to move part-time for a few months, working from home with flexible hours until our son went to nursery. “As with many organisations, the people we work with give us the most fulfilment, whether that’s working with world-class scientists and operational experts, or just being around incredibly friendly and caring people.” #STEMCareers #careerpath #research #bioscience