Embedded Files
SFA²F 2026 | 19 – 21 May 2026
SFA²F 2026 | 19 – 21 May 2026
El Dorado Hotel, Santa Fe NM
El Dorado Hotel, Santa Fe NM
Meeting Agenda
Meeting Agenda
As in the past, a wide range of topics—from genomics technologies and applications to analysis strategies and tools—will be covered during the 2026 meeting. Specific themes and focus areas for our 20th Anniversary meeting are the following:
As in the past, a wide range of topics—from genomics technologies and applications to analysis strategies and tools—will be covered during the 2026 meeting. Specific themes and focus areas for our 20th Anniversary meeting are the following:
- Achievements in human genomics
- Ever-expanding technologies and the AI revolution
- New frontiers: multi-omics and beyond ... on earth and in space
An overview of the agenda for the 20th Annual SFA²F Meeting is given below. A more detailed PDF copy may be downloaded here. Minor changes to the agenda may still be made.
An overview of the agenda for the 20th Annual SFA²F Meeting is given below. A more detailed PDF copy may be downloaded here. Minor changes to the agenda may still be made.
For the most up-to-date version, visit the Event Schedule page, or view the agenda in the Whova app (registered attendees only).
For the most up-to-date version, visit the Event Schedule page, or view the agenda in the Whova app (registered attendees only).
Monday, 18 May 2026 (registration)
Monday, 18 May 2026 (registration)
4.00 PM - 7.00 PM: Registration desk open
Day 1: Tuesday, 19 May 2026 (full day) — Achievements in Human Genomics
Day 1: Tuesday, 19 May 2026 (full day) — Achievements in Human Genomics
7.00 AM - 8.30 AM: Registration and breakfast
8.30 AM - 9.30 AM:
Opening remarks:
Srinivas Iyer, PhD; Associate Laboratory Director: Chemical, Earth & Life Sciences (ALDCELS), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)
Keynote address: Complete, T2T genomes as a foundation for predictive genomics
Adam Phillippy, PhD; Professor of Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering, and Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University
9.30 AM - 11.00 AM:
Invited presentation: From discovery to translation—a reflection on two decades of genomics
Niall Lennon, PhD; Sr Director and Institute Scientist, Broad Institute; Chair and CSO, Broad Clinical Labs
Special 20th anniversary presentation: All about the Human Genome Project
Ari Patrinos, PhD; Adjunct Professor, Dept. of Neuroscience, NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Special 20th anniversary presentation: Reflections on the HGP a quarter of a century later
Daniel Drell, PhD; Program Manager (retired), Office of Biological and Environmental Research
HGP fireside chat with Ari Patrinos and Daniel Drell
11.00 AM - 11.30 AM: Break
11.30 AM - 12.40 PM: Science talks
12.40 PM - 2.00 PM: Lunch
2.00 PM - 4.00 PM: NGS Panel
Illumina, PacBio, Oxford Nanopore Technologies, Complete Genomics, Ultima Genomics, Roche
4.00 PM - 4.30 PM: Break
4.30 - 5.40 PM: Sponsor tech talks (Part 1)
5.40 PM - 6.40 PM: Biomeme demo: Real-Time Cellular Intelligence: Unlocking Point-of-Need Transcriptomics for Human Performance and Longevity
Max Perelman, MBA (CEO) and Jesse vanWestrienen (CTO); Co-founders, Biomeme
6.40 PM - 7.30 PM: Break
7.30 PM - 9.30 PM: Poster session / meet & greet social with food and drinks
7.30 PM - 8.30 PM: Even poster numbers
8.30 PM - 9.30 PM: Odd poster numbers
Day 2: Wednesday, 20 May 2026 (full day) — Ever-expanding Technologies & the AI Revolution
Day 2: Wednesday, 20 May 2026 (full day) — Ever-expanding Technologies & the AI Revolution
7.00 AM - 8.30 AM: Registration and breakfast
8.30 AM - 9.30 AM:
Opening remarks: Chris Detter, PhD; SFA²F Chairman
Keynote address: Biosecurity and AI: challenges and remedies
Bruce Wittmann, PhD; Senior Applied Scientist, Office of the Chief Scientific Officer, Microsoft
9.30 AM - 10.40 AM:
Invited presentation: Applied AI for genomics: lessons from real-world pipelines
Mullai Murugan, PhD; Director of Software Engineering and Programming, Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine
AI talks
10.40 AM - 11.00 AM: Break
11.00 AM - 12.30 PM:
Invited presentation: The power of many: bridging the molecular and repertoire scales of immune protection
Rohit Singh, PhD; Assistant Professor, Duke University
AI talks (continued)
AI panel (hosted by LANL)
Bruce Wittmann, Mullai Murugan, Kevin Flyangolts, Gary Abel, Rohit Singh, Eric Nguyen
12.30 PM - 1.10 PM: Lunch
1.10 PM - 2.50 PM: Science talks
2.50 PM - 3.50 PM: Sponsor Tech Talks (Part 2)
3.50 PM - 4.20 PM: Break
4.20 PM - 6.10 PM: Special panel and Happy Hour (hosted by ATCC): Major challenges in sequencing-based AMR prediction
Jonathan Jacobs, S. Wesley Long, James J. Davis, David C. Danko, Jason Wittenbach
6.10 PM onward: Evening on your own
Day 3: Thursday, 21 May 2026 (full day) — New frontiers: multi-omics and beyond ... on earth and in space
Day 3: Thursday, 21 May 2026 (full day) — New frontiers: multi-omics and beyond ... on earth and in space
7.00 AM - 8.30 AM: Breakfast
8.30 AM - 9.30 AM:
Opening remarks: Chris Detter, PhD; SFA²F Chairman
Keynote address: Decoding spaceflight biology through multi-omics profiling
Harsha Doddapaneni, PhD; Associate Professor, Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine
9.30 AM - 10.40 AM:
Invited presentation: Metatranscriptomic analysis of blood, stool, and saliva for disease risk prediction and preventative medicine
Momo Vuyisich, PhD; Chief Scientific Officer, Viome Life Sciences
Science talks
10.40 AM - 11.10 AM: Break
11.10 AM - 12.10 PM: Science talks
12.10 PM - 1.20 PM: Lunch
1.20 PM - 3.20 PM: Science talks
3.20 PM - 3.50 PM: Break
3.50 PM - 4.55 PM: Science from our Industry Partners
Science talks from Illumina, NEB, Zymo Research, and Covaris
4.55 PM - 5.50 PM:
20th Annivesary Panel: New Frontiers - The Next Two Decades
Keynote and invited speakers and audience ponder on what the next 20 years in genomics may look like
Closing remarks: Chris Detter, PhD; SFA²F Chairman
5.50 PM - 6.00 PM: Short break
6.00 PM - 8.00 PM: 20th anniversary celebration with food, drinks (incl. tequila donkey), and music (Jesus Bas)
Keynote Speakers
Keynote Speakers
Professor of Computer Science,
Biomedical Engineering, and Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University
Complete, T2T genomes as a foundation for predictive genomics
Senior Applied Scientist,
Office of the Chief Scientific Officer,
Microsoft
Biosecurity and AI: challenges and remedies
Associate Professor,
Human Genome Sequencing Center,
Baylor College of Medicine
Decoding spaceflight biology
through multi-omics profiling
“It is important that tool users and developers consider dual-use nature of advances in biotechnology. While the number of potential beneficial applications dramatically outweigh the number of malicious ones, we must work as a community to minimize any possible misuse. SFAF provides a forum for both spreading awareness of this duality and ensuring that biotechnological advancement is used solely for good.”
> Bruce Wittmann, invited speaker, 20th annual SFA²F meeting
Invited speakers
Invited speakers
Sr Director and Institute Scientist,
Broad Institute;
Chair and CSO, Broad Clinical Labs
From discovery to translation—
a reflection on two decades of genomics
Adjunct Professor,
Dept. of Neuroscience, NYU Grossman
School of Medicine
All about the
Human Genome Project
Program Manager (retired),
Office of Biological and
Environmental Research
Reflections on the HGP
a quarter of a century later
“The SFAF series of meetings were key to laying the groundwork—first for finishing the HGP and then for enabling the critically important work of turning HGP data (the sequence) into useable information and the (still unfinished) work of beneficial knowledge.”
> Dan Drell, invited speaker, 20th annual SFA²F meeting
Director of Software Engineering and Programming, Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine
Applied AI for genomics:
lessons from real-world pipelines
Chief Scientific Officer,
Viome Life Sciences
Metatranscriptomic analysis of blood, stool, and saliva for disease risk prediction and preventative medicine
Assistant Professor,
Duke University
The power of many: bridging the molecular and repertoire scales of immune protection
Co-Founder, President and CEO,
Biomeme
Real-Time Cellular Intelligence: Unlocking Point-of-Need Transcriptomics for Human Performance and Longevity, Pt 1
Co-Founder and CTO,
Biomeme
Real-Time Cellular Intelligence: Unlocking Point-of-Need Transcriptomics for Human Performance and Longevity, Pt 2
“On SFA²F’s 20th anniversary, we’re excited to show how real-time transcriptomics can move from the lab into the field—because this meeting has always been where practical, next-step genomics gets shaped through honest technical conversations and cross-sector collaboration.”
> Max Perelman and Jesse van Westrienen, invited speakers, 20th annual SFA²F meeting
Special session (sponsored by ATCC): Major Challenges in Sequencing-Based AMR Prediction
Special session (sponsored by ATCC): Major Challenges in Sequencing-Based AMR Prediction
Senior Director: Bioinformatics,
ATCC
Medical Director:
Microbiology & Pathology Informatics,
Houston Methodist
Staff Scientist,
Argonne National Laboratory
CTO,
Biotia, Inc.
Senior Director: Machine Learning,
Cepheid
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