Bioinformatics Research Program
June 15 to August 1, 2026
Apply for Summer 2026
The RNA Institute Summer Bioinformatics Research Program is a fully virtual training program for current undergraduate and graduate students students. Each research program is split into two parts:
- Learning the basic skills of RNA sequencing data analysis through daily live lectures
- Applying skills learned to an independent computational research project with an RNA Institute-affiliated faculty mentor
The 2026 Bioinformatics Research Program application deadline has closed as of 3/31/2026.
Applicants from the U.S./Canada/Non-Stem for Development Designated Countries: If you are a citizen, permanent resident or F-1/J-1 visa holder in the U.S, Canada or a country not classified as an Low- or Middle-Income Country (LMIC), please visit 2026 Summer Bioinformatics Research Program Application Link to apply today!
- NOTE: Stem For Development's application portal is now CLOSED. If you are applying from a country in the continents of Africa, South Asia, South America, and Oceania, classified as an LMIC by the OECD, your application through the RNA institute portal will not be considered.
We will be accepting applications for U.S. citizens, permanent residents or F-1/J-1 visa holders in the U.S., Canada, or countries outside of the LMIC index until March 31, 2026.
Students who successfully complete the program will be awarded with certificate of completion and a Skillsoft badge for the program.
2026 Bioinformatics Research Program Information
Summary
Below is a summary of the Summer 2026 Bioinformatics Research Program:
- 7 weeks in length, starts June 15, 2026, and ends August 1, 2026
- Skills learned include R coding, high performance computing via the command line, and RNA sequencing data interpretation and visualization as a project-based program
- After being selected to the program, students will receive a welcome email with information, including some pre-course work and administrative paperwork, by the mid-May 2026
- The pre-course work develops basic programming skills, and these short online courses should be completed prior to the start date of June 15, 2026
- Participants are expected to be available for lectures, small group sessions, and seminars (all virtual)
- The research program is separated into two projects:
- Project 1 is the same for all students and each will be provided RNA sequencing data to learn skills
- Schedule includes daily lectures, daily mentoring, weekly seminars and Project 1 presentations
- Project 2 is an independent computational project based on data from or relevant to research in their assigned faculty mentor's lab on topics such as microbiology, virology, muscular dystrophies, and more
- Schedule includes Project 2 plan presentations, twice weekly mentoring, weekly seminars and Project 2 final presentations
- Project 1 is the same for all students and each will be provided RNA sequencing data to learn skills
- Participants are invited to present their final project in-person as a research poster at the annual RNA Institute RNA Day on July 29, 2026
- Applications for an RNA Day travel award will be available to students that are over one hour from Albany, N.Y. Details will be announced during the program.
- Participants unable to present their final project in-person on RNA Day will present virtually on July 28, 2026
- Official Certificate of Completion and an Introduction to Bioinformatics Skills digital badge will be awarded based on the successful completion of the program
- All US-citizens, or those on an F1 or J1 Visa, must apply through the RNA Institute by March 31, 2026
- All international applicants must apply through the STEM for Development program (application deadline differs)
Eligibility
- No prior experience needed!
- Undergraduate or higher academic level only
- Must have GPA above 3.0
- Time commitment of 15 to 20 hours per week for seven weeks
- Includes daily lectures, daily small group sessions, weekly seminars and independent work
- Access to consistent high speed internet
2026 Schedule
Note: This is an example of the program schedule and subject to change.
Time: All the time is given in the schedule is in EDT (Eastern Daylight Time) - GMT-04:00 hours [Timezone in New York, NY]
Week 1, Project 1
| Date | Lecture (Noon to 1 PM EDT) | Small Group Session (3 to 4 PM EDT) | Seminar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday, June 15, 2026 | Lecture 1: Intro biology, history of sequencing, & intro to RNASeq | SGS 1: Intro to small groups & pre-program material check in | N/A |
| Tuesday, June 16, 2026 | Lecture 2: DM1 Lecture | SGS 2: Install GlobalProtect VPN, get on HPCC, & map network drive | N/A |
| Wednesday, June 17, 2026 | Lecture 3: FASTQ files, DMSeq.org, intro bioinformatics, & the HPCC | Seminar 1 at 9:30 AM EDT "Research Ethics and Scientific Rigor Training" Seminar 2 at 2 PM EDT "DM Family Q&A" | |
| Thursday, June 18, 2026 | Lecture 4: Command line, HPCC jobs, & FASTQC | SGS 3: Practice skills on navigating lab drive using command line SGS 4: Download miniconda3 & STAR | Seminar 3 at 1:00 PM EDT "Workshop: How to Read a Scientific Paper" |
| Friday, June 19, 2026 | No meetings (Juneteenth - state holiday) | No meetings (Juneteenth - state holiday) | N/A |
Week 2, Project 1
| Date | Lecture (Noon to 1 PM EDT) | Small Group Session (3 to 4 PM EDT) | Seminar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday, June 22, 2026 | Lecture 5: Submit first job & STAR alignment | SGS 5: Submit STAR & troubleshoot | N/A |
| Tuesday, June 23, 2026 | Lecture 6: Differential gene expression analysis & figure generation | SGS 6: Configure RStudio to run DESeq2 & troubleshoot any errors | N/A |
| Wednesday, June 24, 2026 | Lecture 7: DGE figure generation (continued), intro to rMATS, & alternative splicing analysis | SGS 7: DGE figure code breakdown, download rMATS, & submit rMATS job | N/A |
| Thursday, June 25, 2026 | Lecture 8: rMATS output & AS figure generation | SGS 8: Configure RStudio to run maser, AS figure code breakdown, & troubleshoot any errors | N/A |
| Friday, June 26, 2026 | Lecture 9: Tips & tricks for the command line | SGS 9: Checkpoint for Project 1 | Seminar 4 at 11:00AM EDT "Scientific Communication" |
Week 3, Project 1
| Date | Lecture (Noon to 1 PM EDT) | Small Group Session (3 to 4 PM EDT) | Seminar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday, June 29, 2026 | Lecture 10: Questions from Project 1 & expectation for Project 2 | SGS 9: Checkpoint for finalizing Project 1 | N/A |
| Tuesday, June 30, 2026 | Lecture 11: Gene ontology enrichment analysis | SGS 10: Project 1 Presentations | N/A |
| Wednesday, July 1, 2026 | Lecture 12: Alternative sequencing methods: Nanopore & single-cell sequencing | SGS 11: Project 1 Presentations (if needed) | N/A |
| Thursday, July 2, 2026 | No lecture | Optional SGS: Check students have access to data for Project 2, help plan research question and tools/pipeline to use | N/A |
| Friday, July 3, 2026 | No meetings (Independence Day - Holiday) | No meetings (Independence Day - Holiday) | N/A |
Week 4, Project 2
| Date | Lecture (Noon to 1 PM EDT) | Small Group Session (3 to 4 PM EDT) | Seminar |
Monday, July 6, 2026 to Wednesday, July 8, 2026 | No lectures | Small Group Sessions held twice, depending on Group Leaders’ schedules — focus on Project 2 questions and help | N/A |
| Thursday, July 9, 2026 | Presentations on Project 2 plans | ||
| Friday, July 10, 2026 | Presentations on Project 2 plans | Seminar 5 at 10:00AM EDT "Research Spotlights from RNA Institute Trainees" |
Week 5, Project 2
| Date | Lecture (Noon to 1 PM EDT) | Small Group Session (3 to 4 PM EDT) | Seminar |
Monday, July 13, 2026 to Friday, July 17, 2026 | No lectures | Small Group Sessions held twice, depending on Group Leaders’ schedules — focus on Project 2 questions and help | N/A |
Week 6, Project 2
| Date | Lecture (Noon to 1 PM EDT) | Small Group Session (3 to 4 PM EDT) | Seminar |
Monday, July 20, 2026 to Thursday, July 23, 2026 | No lectures | Small Group Sessions held twice, depending on Group Leaders’ schedules — focus on Project 2 questions and help | N/A |
| Friday, July 24, 2026 | No lectures | Seminar 6 at 10:00 AM EDT Seminar by Pamela Barraza-Flores, PhD, Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School's Boston Children's Hospital |
Week 7, Project 2
| Date | Lecture (Noon to 1 PM EDT) | Small Group Session (3 to 4 PM EDT) | Seminar |
| Monday, July 27, 2026 | No lectures | Small Group Sessions held depending on Group Leaders’ schedules | Seminar 7 at 9:30 AM EDT "Interview & CV/Resume Preparation" |
| Wednesday, July 29, 2026 | RNA Institute’s 2026 RNA Day Celebration (Remote students local to Albany area or able to travel to campus can present Project 2 in person as posters.) | ||
| Thursday, July 30, 2026 & Friday, July 31, 2026 | 2026 Bioinformatics Research Program Virtual Symposium (Remote only students virtual Project 2 presentations to entire cohort.) | ||
2026 Small Groups
Group 1: Group Leader-Dr. Cecilia Legare & Lori Planco
- Kofi Asare
- Bevin Babu
- Malachi Burnham
- Aaron Guzman
- Autumn Tanenbaum
- Raina Waraich
- Annabelle Chabot
- Dusan Lazic
- Florence Roy
- Aatia Mreedu
Group 2: Group Leader - Manuela Montoya-Giraldo & Dr. Stephanie S. R. Souza
- Aracely Albarracin
- Enoch Ansoh
- Gabriella Azuolay
- Marlie Felix
- Aletheia Ieta
- Nooshin KianvashRad
- Gloria Nwoye
- Isaac Okyere
- Leo Shih
- Fatima Sisoko
Group 3: Group Leader - Ben Carr and Jacen Emerson
- Safiaz Afrah
- Sean Fearon
- Melanie Jimenez
- Jimiah Marcelin
- Hailey Mulvihill
- Sean Nyatsine
- Emma Palmer
- Eleanora Palmer
- Kyra Robinson
- Alexandra Walker
Group 4: Group Leader - Chandler Desforges & Max Kugler
- Nia Augustine
- Steven Cerna
- Sophie Fasano
- Franklin Garcia
- Shecid Millan
- Ardra Prajesh
- Salwa Rukiyah
- Angeline Song
- Zara Syed
- Eileen Vuong
Group 5: Group Leader - Dr. Sweta Vangaveti & Eric Jestel
- Idris Adekale
- Elizabeth Baker
- Aliza Berlinger
- Yakubu Mohammed
- Michelle Mupanduki
- Laasya Reddy Pesaladinne
- Leena Pilankar
- Christopher Rivera Madera
- Aliana Tang
- Donna Zhang
Group 6: Group Leader - Dr. Pauline Carrico & Ridita Das
- Nurat Affinnih
- Jonathan Bombard
- Aiden Cho
- Kurk Gabriel Festin
- Tristen Gerren
- Parneet Kaur
- Katherine Murphy
- Anika Nazhat
- Adriana Pichardo
- Naren RaghavendraSuri
Group 7: Group Leader - Dr. Mark Handley & Dr. Jyoti Devendra Adala
- Pheby Aryee
- Allison Barria
- Seokkee Chang
- Wei Dai
- Harisha Garimella
- Benjamin Packer
- Samaneh Rahimi
- Mokshagna Aashish Ravilla
- Angela Sakeria
- Jubilie Zeda
Group 8: Group Leader - Elianna Cruz Gonzalez & Dr. Stephanie S.R. Souza
- Kate Bashir
- Kass Ellis
- Samantha Glynn
- Jonathan Huang
- Cloris Li
- Jonathan Lin
- Natta Luangaphay
- Christine Miller
- Kelly Ann Muir
- Sreya Sunil
Group 9: Group Leader - Samuel Quaynor & Sophia Boler
- Youssef Ahmed Ibrahim Abdelgawwad Ibrahim
- Tehreem Fatima
- Diderul Islam
- Lanisha Koirala
- Muhtadi Md. Waliullah
- Ayesha Nadeem
- Ivan Perez Gutierrez
- Habiba Rady Sayed Mohamed
- Aan Susan Binoy
- Sravan VS