Call for Early Career Researchers to a workshop on:
Next Generation Sequencing applications to improve
livestock welfare, food security and socioeconomic stability
in Brazil
Under the Researcher Links scheme offered within the Newton Fund, the British
Council, CNPq and CONFAP will be holding a workshop on the above theme in Sao
Paulo, Brazil on 12-16th October 2015. The workshop is being coordinated by Dr
James Cronin (Swansea University, UK) and Dr Vera Hossepian de Lima (UNESP,
Brazil), and will have contributions from other leading researchers Prof. Martin
Sheldon (Swansea University, UK); Prof. Samuel Sheppard (University of Oxford
and Swansea University, UK); Prof. Jose Fernando Garcia (UNESP, Brazil); and
Prof. Lucia Galvão de Albuquerque (UNESP, Brazil). We are now inviting Early
Career Researchers from the UK and Brazil to apply to attend this workshop. All
travel and accommodation expenses will be covered by the Researcher Links
programme. The application form, found at the end of this document should be sent
to J.Cronin@Swansea.ac.uk before the deadline of July 31st 2015.
Introduction
The Researcher Links programme, now co-funded under Newton Fund, provides
opportunities for early career researchers from the UK and Brazil to interact, to
learn from each other and to explore opportunities for building long-lasting research
collaborations
The workshops will provide a unique opportunity for sharing research expertise and
networking. During the workshops early career researchers will have the
opportunity to present their research in the form of a poster/short oral presentation
and discuss this with established researchers from the UK and Brazil. There will be a
focus on building up links for future collaborations and participants selected on the
basis of their research potential and ability to build longer term links. The Sheldon
lab will provide an exemplar disease system where host-pathogen interactions have
been explored extensively
The workshop
The objectives of the workshop are to identify the key areas where NGS technologies
can be utilised in the improvement of animal welfare and by association increase the
efficiency and quality of food production, the profitability of farming and encourage
socioeconomic stability. The Sheldon lab will provide an exemplar disease system
where host-pathogen interactions have been explored extensively
Participants will gain extensive knowledge of NGS technologies, enabling them to
make informed decisions in choosing the appropriate application for their research.
In collaboration with researchers from the MRC cloud-computing infrastructure for
microbial bioinformatics (www.CLIMB.ac.uk) participants will use state-of-the-art
genomics techniques to analyse sequence data and explore the relationship between
isolates at a population level as well as the role of specific genes. The role of NGS in
epidemiology, antimicrobial resistance, the management of disease outbreaks and
the evolutionary basis of pathogenesis will be explored
Lead Researchers will contribute expertise focusing on two main NGS strategies in
livestock disease or welfare. Firstly, the identification and characterisation of
disease-causing pathogens for targeted therapy. Secondly, the use of functional
genomics approaches in the identification of traits contributing to better feed
conversion and improved fecundity in the whole animal
For more details: http://www.sheppardlab.com/brazilngs2015
http://sites.google.com/site/professormartinsheldon/news/newton
Application and Deadline
We are recruiting early career researchers based in the UK or Brazil to apply to
attend the workshop. The British Council, under the Newton Fund, will cover the
costs related to the participation to the workshop, including: travel (both
international and local), accommodation and meals
Please note:Travel insurance and medical insurance are not covered by the British
Council
Applicants need to fill the attached application form and send to
J.Cronin@swansea.ac.uk by July 31st 2015
Eligibility Criteria:
Applications must be submitted using the attached application form
Application must be submitted before the above deadline
Participants must be early career researchers: these are defined as holding a PhD for
less than 10 years on the start date of the workshop
Participants must be affiliated to a UK or Brazilian higher education or research
institute at the time of the application (Nationality of the participant is not a
factor)
Assessment of the Application
Each application will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:
 Experience and relevance of the applicant’s research area to the workshop
 Motivation and contribution to the aims of the workshop
 Description of the expected impact through the participation in the workshop
 Ability to disseminate workshop’s outcomes
Notification of results
Applicants will be notified by e-mail 2 months prior to the workshop
Equal Opportunities
The British Council is committed to equal opportunities and diversity in all its
activities and this includes the avoidance of any bias in the assessment of
applications due to gender, disability, racial or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, or
religious belief. Participants’ selection undertaken by workshop organisers must not
contravene this policy. Extra support to enable participation of early career
researchers with special needs will be given
Application Form
1. Applicant
Name and title
Gender (to monitor statistic
participation – this will not
be considered during
assessment)
Position and institution
Postal address
Email
Phone number
Brief CV (academic career,
your main publications
(please list up to 6 of
your best publications),
research income, and
your strongest indicators
of esteem (e.g. invitations
to present your work) –
(3500 characters
maximum)
2. Abstract - Please give a summary of your area of research (1500 characters maximum)
3. Please describe your motivation to attend the workshop and how the workshop matches your
professional development needs (500 characters maximum)
4.
Please describe the expected impact of your participation to the workshop on your personal and
professional development, including your ability to work on an international level (500 characters
maximum)
5.
Please indicate how you will disseminate the outcomes of the workshops and the new
knowledge/skills you have acquired (500 characters maximum)
6. Workshops will take place in English as standard. Please indicate your ability to work and
communicate in English
Native speaker
Good
Excellent
Need support
7. If successful. Would you prefer an oral or poster presentation?
Oral
8.
Poster
Please use this space to give any additional information that you feel is relevant for the
application (1000 characters maximum)