Chairman: Prof. David Liberles (University of Wyoming, USA). Invited speakers: Prof. Andy Clark (Cornell University, USA), Prof. David Penny (Massey University, New Zealand).
Systems biology and bioinformatics are fields that are engaged in the ultimate question of how a genomic sequence and its encoded RNA and protein sequences lead to a cellular or organismal phenotype. Relatedly, in a comparative perspective, how do changes in these sequences lead to changes in cellular and organismal phenotypes? To mechanistically address this question, fundamental processes in population genetics, evolutionary biology, biochemistry, and physical chemistry must be integrated. The modern synthesis in evolutionary bioinformatics is aimed at this level of mechanistic understanding, integrating across multiple layers of biological organization. Statistical techniques that build upon these diverse processes are critical to inference in this field. The invited lecturers all draw upon these diverse fields to make inference on genome function and this will be the main emphasis for discussion.