Genetic variation

…who want to interpret genetic variation through protein structure and function. Participants follow a VCF-based example through Ensembl VEP, UniProt, PDBe-KB and AlphaFold DB, with trainer-supported practical work on Zoom. The programme runs 10:00–16:00 GMT on 26 November 2026. The course currently has a waiting list; the official page lists a £50 fee and 35 places. See the linked course page for current availability, prerequisites and registration.

Sibylle Vonesch’s Laboratory for Genome Editing and System Genetics seeks a computational postdoctoral researcher for high-throughput studies of genetic variation. MAGESTIC links thousands of precisely engineered CRISPR variants to DNA barcodes, enabling measurement of genotype–phenotype relationships across large cell populations. The project examines how synonymous mutations influence gene expression and cellular function, combining genome editing with genomics and computational analysis. The advertised contract is full-time for two years, with a preferred start between February and May 2027

…accessibility from DNA, interprets genetic variation and connects model predictions with experiments, causal mechanisms and possible intervention points.

Kathryn Paige Harden examines the contribution of genetic variation to complex human behaviour. The discussion explores why genetic effects are rarely simple or direct and how experience and chance complicate claims about responsibility. Drawing on her book about genetics and vice, it considers implications for blame, punishment and forgiveness without reducing moral behaviour to individual genes.

Stephen Quake revisits the origins of genetic variation, connecting classic bacterial experiments with modern single-cell genomics. The lecture asks how mutations accumulate during human life, how they contribute to cancer and how tumour evolution can be reconstructed. It illustrates how measurements of individual cells help address these questions.