This course from EMBL Hamburg consists of two parts: a virtual module and an on-site module.
The series of online lectures will take place from 6 – 10 November 2023. In addition to this, a small number of selected students that have completed the virtual module will be offered to take part in the practical component of this course that will take place in Hamburg from 27 November – 1 December 2023.
We encourage advanced PhD students, postdocs and junior researchers to apply.
The virtual module lectures will cover the basics of SAXS/SANS, instrumentation, data collection, modelling techniques and complementary use with other methods. The students are also encouraged to sign-up for a self-paced practical tutorial that covers basic and advanced SAXS data processing steps (including quizzes to keep track of successful participation).
In the on-site module, there will be 2 tracks offered focusing on different aspects of SAXS data collection. Applicants will be able to select a preferred track during motivation letter submission.
Students that are not taking part in the on-site module will be able to sign-up for small online discussion groups. These discussion groups will be led by one of the course speakers/tutors and you will be given the chance to discuss your own data/SAXS experiments with your peers.
Audience
The course is aimed at young biochemists/biophysicists and researchers active in related structural methods with little or no experience in solution scattering.
The virtual module is aimed at early career scientists interested in expanding their knowledge in SAXS.
On-site track 1: X-ray beamline operation is aimed at advanced pre-docs/early-stage postdocs interested in working with synchrotron radiation and technical aspects of scattering experiments. During the practical, you will learn different steps for commissioning and calibrating a beamline, how to streamline workflows, and what to consider for data collection and management.
On-site track 2: sample preparation and optimization for SAXS is aimed at pre-doctoral and postdoctoral fellows with a background and/or an interest in biochemistry. In this track, we will be looking at best practices in sample preparation and data collection as well as various tools for data quality assessment. Students are encouraged to bring their own samples.
Find out more about the course and register here.
The course speakers represent several Instruct facilities, including: