Take on a coding challenge to build the Tree of Life
Applications are now open to work with the Wellcome Sanger Institute via the Google Summer of Code programme. The international programme aims to bring new contributors into open source software development. Contributors can apply to work with the Tree of Life programme at the Institute, on a 12-week project under the guidance of a mentor.
The Tree of Life programme is determining the genomic sequences of 70,000 species in Britain and Ireland for the first time. The genome data are released to the scientific community to help decipher genome function and organisation, and improve our understanding of biodiversity and evolution.
Novel software and methods are required for the processing of this vast amount of data. The Sanger Institute was founded on the principal of openness, and the Institute’s data, code and results are all open access, to accelerate science and research.
Projects for Google Summer of Code (GSoC) include building Track Hubs to visualise and share genomics data, re-building a genomics pipeline in Nextflow, estimating genome size by creating a machine learning model, and integrating information into the genome assembly curation process. Contributors are also welcome to propose their own ideas.
“I have been taking part in Google Summer of Code as a mentor for a few years. I love how it connects projects to new people, each with their own fresh ideas and skills. GSoC is a place to learn, a fantastic way of experimenting and trying things in ways we would not necessarily do normally. I often end up astonished and proud of what people accomplish within a few months. It is a great programme that really makes a difference to open source and genomics.”
Dr Matthieu Muffato, Informatics Infrastructure Team Lead, Wellcome Sanger Institute
More information
To find out more about the programme, visit the Google Summer of Code website, or see more details of the Sanger Institute projects. The deadline for applications is 19 April.
Please visit our careers pages for other informatics and bioinformatics opportunities at the Sanger Institute.
