Bioinformatics Research Program | University at Albany

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 Summer Application is now live! The application you complete depends on your country's classification by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Please read below:

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) by the OECD, please visit 2026 Summer Bioinformatics Research Program Application Link to apply today!
If you currently attend college in a country classified as an LMIC by the OECD, please apply via our partnership with STEM For Development. If you are applying from a country classified as an LMIC by the OECD, your application through the RNA institute portal will not be considered.

We will be accepting applications until March 31, 2026. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis starting December 2025.

Students who successfully complete the program will be awarded with certificate of completion, a small stipend (U.S. citizens only), 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
Participants are invited to present their final project in-person as a research poster at the annual RNA Institute RNA Day on August 1, 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 31, 2026
Official Certificate of Completion, Introduction to Bioinformatics Skills digital badge, and a small stipend 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.

Week 1, Project 1

Date	Lecture (Noon to 1 p.m. EDT)	Small Group Session (3 to 4 p.m. 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	SGS 3: Practice skills on navigating lab drive using command line	N/A
Thursday, June 18, 2026	Lecture 4: Command line, HPCC jobs, & FASTQC	SGS 4: Download miniconda3 & STAR	Seminar 1 at 11 a.m.
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 p.m. EDT)	Small Group Session (3 to 4 p.m. 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 2 at 9:30 a.m.

Week 3, Project 1

Date	Lecture (Noon to 1 p.m. EDT)	Small Group Session (3 to 4 p.m. EDT)
Monday, June 29, 2026	Lecture 10: Questions from Project 1 & expectation for Project 2	SGS 9: Checkpoint for finalizing Project 1
Tuesday, June 30, 2026	Lecture 11: Gene ontology enrichment analysis	SGS 10: Project 1 Presentations
Wednesday, July 1, 2026	Lecture 12: Alternative sequencing methods: Nanopore & single-cell sequencing	SGS 11: Project 1 Presentations (if needed)
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
Friday, July 3, 2026	To be decided (TBD)	To be decided (TBD)

Week 4, Project 2

Monday, July 6, to Wednesday, July 8, 2026

No lectures
Small Group Sessions held twice, depending on Group Leaders’ schedules — focus on Project 2 questions and help

Thursday, July 9, 2026

Presentations on Project 2 Plans

Friday, July 10, 2026

Presentations on Project 2 Plans
Seminar 3, time to be decided (TBD)

Week 5, Project 2

Monday, July 13, to Friday, July 17, 2026

No lectures
Small Group Sessions held twice, depending on Group Leaders’ schedules — focus on Project 2 questions and help
Seminar 4 at 9:30 a.m. Friday, July 17, 2026

Week 6, Project 2

Monday, July 20, to Friday, July 24, 2026

No lectures
Small Group Sessions held twice, depending on Group Leaders’ schedules — focus on Project 2 questions and help
Seminar 5 at 9:30 a.m. Friday, July 24, 2026

Week 7, Project 2

Monday, July 27, to Wednesday, July 29, 2026

No lectures
Small Group Sessions held twice, depending on Group Leaders’ schedules
Seminar 6 at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 28, 2026

Thursday, July 30, 2026

Schedule to be decided (TBD).

Friday, July 31, 2026

2026 Bioinformatics Research Program Virtual Symposium (Remote only students virtual Project 2 presentations to entire cohort.)
Schedule to be decided (TBD).

Saturday, August 1, 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.)
Schedule to be decided (TBD).

2026 Small Groups

Groups, group leaders and trainees will be assigned and posted here closer to the program start date.