UGM 2024

When and Where

The UGM (User Group Meeting) will be held in-person across 3 days, August 21-23, 2024, in London, UK at King’s College London, in partnership with the Thomas Young Centre.

What to Expect

The UGM will bring together users of the MDAnalysis package from different communities. Our goal is to foster an opportunity to connect for interdisciplinary researchers and developers across biomolecular simulations, soft matter, materials science and more. Whether you are a new MDAnalysis contributor, an MDAnalysis core developer, or a researcher using (or interested in using) MDAnalysis for your work in academia or industry, this UGM is for you. You can expect:

Keynote talks from experts in the molecular dynamics simulations space (see Keynote Speakers below)
Talks related to developing and using MDAnalysis for diverse scientific applications
Tutorials diving into new features
Direct access to the MDAnalysis core developer team to help shape future development of MDAnalysis
Networking opportunities to foster new collaborations
Hackathon and other social outings

Keynote Speakers

Dr. Antonia Mey

Antonia has worked on Markov State models with Frank Noe and alchemical free energy calculations with Julien Michel before starting her own research group in 2020 at the University of Edinburgh in the School of Chemistry. Her group works on computational biophysics problems using machine learning and simulations to understand protein function. She is an advocate for open-source software and diamond open access publishing models. She has contributed to pyEmma, BioSimSpace and she and her group (https://mey-research.org) are avid users of MDAnalysis.

Dr. Francesca Stanzione

Francesca is a computational chemist with over a decade expertise in target assessment, hit identification and lead optimisation. After obtaining a Ph.D. in Biotechnology, Francesca embarked on a distinguished career path. With five years of postdoctoral fellowships Francesca’s work centered on characterising the structural and dynamical properties of complex biological systems, including proteins and protein-ligand complexes, biological membranes and biomaterials. In 2023, Francesca joined Nxera Pharma (formerly Sosei Heptares), a renowned player in the pharmaceutical industry, where she now provides invaluable computational support to a variety of drug discovery campaigns. Prior to her role at Nxera Pharma, Francesca was at the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre (CCDC), working closely with software developers to help the development and enhancement of computational tools for drug discovery. Francesca’s multifaceted background as a pharmaceutical chemist and her extensive experience across academia and industry positions her as a dynamic and influential figure in the realm of computational drug discovery.

Program

The agenda will be announced in Spring 2024.

Abstracts and Registration

Abstract and bursary application deadline: Monday, April 15, 2024

You may now submit an abstract using the abstract submission form before the deadline of April 15, 2024. We welcome abstracts from all areas relevant to MDAnalysis’s work, including the use and development of open source software and tools for molecular simulations data analysis.

We also have a small number of bursaries available to enable underrepresented and early career researchers facing financial barriers to attend and present their work; these can be applied for when submitting your abstract. Abstracts and bursary applications will be reviewed after the April 15th deadline. We will contact applicants shortly after.

Attendance is free and first-come, first-serve. The registration period will open by the end of April 2024.

Travel and Accommodation

Participants are expected to make their own travel and accommodation arrangements.

Citizens of several countries may travel to the United Kingdom to attend a meeting without obtaining a visa. Please visit the gov.uk website for more information about travel visas. Attendees requiring a letter clarifying the purpose of travel should contact the MDAnalysis project manager.

Health and Safety

We are committed to providing a safe, comfortable, and healthy environment for the MDAnalysis UGM and have looked to local and international entities and other organizations in the open source community to develop onsite safety measures for UGM attendees.

Testing

A limited number of rapid self-tests will be made available at check-in for those who would like to test themselves for COVID-19 during the meeting.

Testing Positive for COVID-19

Individuals who are COVID-positive should not attend the UGM. If you receive a positive COVID-19 test result during the UGM, please notify the MDAnalysis UGM organizing committee and do not return to the event while you are still COVID-positive.

Face Coverings

Face coverings are not required, but are welcomed. We view face coverings as a personal choice and will support attendees in their choice to wear or not to wear a face covering.

While we will be unable to enforce social distancing guidelines during the UGM, there is extra seating capacity at the venue that allows for voluntary distancing. At check-in, you will have the option to indicate your comfort level with social distancing on your name tag.

Code of Conduct

All members of the MDAnalysis community and participants in this UGM are expected to abide by the MDAnalysis Code of Conduct (CoC).

If you are attending the UGM and wish to make a report, you may contact the CoC Committee members or other event staff/organizers so that they can take any appropriate immediate response. If you would prefer not to do that, please submit a report to MDAnalysis.

Who to Contact

If you have any questions or special requests related to the UGM, you may contact the organizing committee.

MDAnalysis