This four-day winter school provides a practical introduction to bulk RNA-Seq data analysis. It combines the biological and statistical concepts behind the workflow with extensive hands-on exercises on a real-life Illumina dataset.

You will move from raw sequencing reads through quality control, preprocessing, alignment and transcript quantification to count matrices, exploratory analysis and differential gene expression. The emphasis is on understanding why each step is performed, how to assess its output and how to recognise results that require closer examination.

The course is designed for beginners in NGS bioinformatics. Scientists with little or no computer science background receive a structured introduction to Linux and the command line before applying established open-source tools to RNA-Seq data.

All practical work is performed on high-performance Linux workstations provided at the venue. No personal laptop or local software installation is required.