11th Microbial Bioinformatics Hackathon, 19-20 May 2025, Pitt Building, Cambridge, UK
Registration for this event is now closed.
A hackathon to address targeted challenges within antimicrobial resistance and microbial bioinformatics
Join us for the 11th Microbial Bioinformatics Hackathon, an in-person event in Cambridge, UK, designed to tackle key challenges in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and microbial bioinformatics. Taking place just before the Applied Bioinformatics & Public Health Microbiology (ABPHM) conference, it is an opportunity to work in teams, guided by mentors and domain experts, to address challenges predefined by the attendees and develop cutting-edge tools, workflows, and scalable, reproducible solutions for real-world problems. The hackathon emphasises knowledge sharing, transparency, and practical outcomes, empowering participants to make meaningful contributions to global health while building connections and advancing their expertise.
The deadline for expressions of interest: 17th February 2025, 9am GMT. Places at the event will be confirmed shortly after based on your application.
This page will continue to be updated with information about this event as it becomes available.
On this page:
Audience
Key dates and Registration
Programme
Venue and Getting Here
Access and Resources
Accommodation
Organising Committee
Photography and Video
Contact Us
Audience
This hackathon aims to bring together a global community of researchers, data scientists, microbiologists, and clinicians with a strong foundation in bioinformatics and genomics - this is not a training event.
There are 30 places available at this event. Expressions of interest will be reviewed after registrations close.
Participants are expected to bring their own laptop. Attendance for the entire event is required to ensure maximum collaboration and impact.
Key Dates and Registration
Expression of interest submission: Closed
Online pre-meeting 1: Tuesday 13th May, 16:00-17:00 British Summer Time
Online pre-meeting 2: Wednesday 14th May, 09:00-10:00 British Summer Time
Hackathon: 19-20 May 2025
Attendance at this event is free.
Programme
There will be two preliminary online ‘Meet and Greets’ for confirmed participants to introduce themselves and pitch ideas for the in-person days of the Hackathon. These will allow for preliminary work (downloading datasets, provisioning compute resources) to maximise the time on-site.
The dates for these meetings are Tuesday 13th May, 16:00-17:00 BST and Wednesday 14th May, 09:00-10:00 BST. Attendance is not mandatory, and participants can attend either or both. Zoom links have been circulated to confirmed participants.
The two main Hackathon days will begin at 9am and run until 5pm. Lunch and refreshments throughout the day will be provided, participants are expected to make their own dinner arrangements. The timetables for the Hackathon are:
Day 1: 19 May 2025 | Time | Activity |
Opening Remarks | 09:00-09:30 | Welcome. Introduction to event goals and logistics. |
Team Formation and Challenge Briefs | 09:30-10:00 | Participants form teams and select projects. Confirm plans from the preliminary meeting. |
Hacking Session 1 | 10:00-12:00 | Work on a topic |
Lunch Break | 12:00-13:00 | Networking lunch |
Hacking Session 2 | 13:00-16:45 | Work on a topic |
Day Wrap-Up | 16:45-17:00 | Summary and preparation for Day 2 |
Day 2: 20 May 2025 | Time | Activity |
Recap | 09:00-09:15 | Outline for the day |
Hacking Session 3 | 09:15-12:00 | Work on a topic |
Lunch Break | 12:00-13:00 | Networking lunch |
Hacking Session 4 | 13:00-16:00 | Work on a topic |
Final presentations | 16:00-17:00 | Final presentations and next steps |
Venue and Getting Here
The meeting will take place at the Pitt Building, Trumpington St, Cambridge CB2 1RP, United Kingdom.
Cambridge has good transport links with direct trains from London, Birmingham and Stansted Airport.
Walking/cycling from the Train Station:
Walk straight up Station Road, directly in front of you as you leave the train station.
Turn right onto Hills Road.
Continue straight onto Regent Street.
Turn left onto Downing Street.
When you reach the crossroads, the Pitt Building is on your right opposite you.
The M11, A14 and A1 motorways make Cambridge easy to access by car, however parking in the centre of the City is limited, and there is no parking available onsite.
There are plenty of park-and-ride options for those coming to the conference by car.
Full information on transport links to Cambridge can be found on the Visit Cambridge website.
Address and Contacts
The Pitt Building
Trumpington Street
Cambridge
CB2 1RP
Pitt Building Telephone: 01223 330807
Pitt Building email: pittbuilding@cambridge.org
Access and Resources
The venue is wheelchair accessible.
Free Wi-Fi access is available onsite.
Please note attendees are responsible for costs of travel, accommodation and living expenses (lunch will be provided). Unfortunately we are unable to provide letters of support for Visa applications.
Accommodation
Accommodation is not provided for this event.
The following sites both offer searchable functions, including college rooms that may be more affordable than traditional hotels, although availability of these is limited during term time.
Organising Committee
Nabil-Fareed Alikhan, University of Oxford
Kate S. Baker, University of Cambridge
Mathew A. Beale, Wellcome Sanger Institute
Robert Petit, Wyoming Public Health Laboratory
Torsten Seemann, University of Melbourne
Photography and Video
During the event, photos and screenshots will be taken for the University of Cambridge for non-commercial educational and promotional purposes and these might be available to the public on all platforms, including online and social media.
Contact Us
Should you have any queries regarding the 11th Microbial Bioinformatics Hackathon, then please do not hesitate to contact us: bioscienceimpactteam@admin.cam.ac.uk
This website will continue to be updated with new information as it becomes available.
