Centre for Research Informatics Training
Computational Research Skills Training Programme
Sanger postgraduate programme (2026-2027)
Welcome to the computational research skills training programme, offered by the Centre for Research Informatics Training! This page is your landing page for the duration of the programme, so please read it carefully.
- Bookmark this page. It is a working document, which will get updated throughout the programme.
- We use your
<crsid>@cam.ac.ukemail address for communication. If you choose to rely on your Sanger email, set up email forwarding from your Cambridge address. - Arrive 10 minutes before each session and check the event page for times and locations.
- Review the prerequisites on each event page and install any required software before the course.
- Some of the events below are opt-in and you’ll receive a separate sign-up email.
- Bring a fully charged laptop when required and make sure you have administrator rights to install software.
Event
Start date
Fri, 2 Oct 2026
Event details
Sessions
- 2 October 2026 — 09:30 to 17:00 — Hinxton - Tennis Court IT Room
Information
- Online course materials
- Course setup instructions. Install the software and download the data before the workshop. Unzip the data to your Desktop. You should end up with a folder named
data-shellon your Desktop. - Feedback survey - fill in after the course.
Timetable
Instructors: Jacqueline Boccacino; Hugo Tavares
We aim to finish the day on time for the 17:00 coach
| Time | Session | Instructor |
|---|---|---|
| 09:30 - 09:45 | Welcome (check data & software) | |
| 09:45 - 10:15 | Introduction to the Unix shell | Jacqueline |
| 10:15 - 11:00 | Navigating the file system | Jacqueline |
| 11:00 - 11:15 | Break | |
| 11:15 - 11:45 | File Operations | Jacqueline |
| 11:45 - 12:30 | Working with text & Combining commands | Jacqueline |
| 12:30 - 13:30 | Lunch | |
| 13:30 - 14:00 | Shell scripts | Hugo |
| 14:00 - 15:00 | Arguments and variables | Hugo |
| 15:00 - 15:15 | Break | |
| 15:15 - 15:45 | Standard streams | Hugo |
| 15:45 - 16:15 | File permissions | Hugo |
| 16:15 - 16:45 | Environment | Hugo |
Mon, 5 Oct 2026
Event details
Sessions
- 5 October 2026 — 09:30 to 17:00 — Hinxton - Tennis Court IT Room
Information
- Online course materials | Slides
- Course setup instructions. Follow the installation instructions and download the data before the workshop. Save the file to your Desktop, but do not unzip it.
- Feedback survey - fill in after the course.
Timetable
Instructors: Jacqueline Boccacino; Riley Jung; Sophie Webster; Hugo Tavares
We aim to finish the day on time for the 17:15 coach
| Time | Session | Instructor |
|---|---|---|
| 09:30 - 09:45 | Welcome | Hugo |
| 09:45 - 10:45 | Introduction to HPC and the Farm | Jacqueline |
| 10:45 - 11:00 | Break | |
| 11:00 - 11:30 | Working on the farm | Jacqueline |
| 11:30 - 12:30 | File transfer | Jacqueline |
| 12:30 - 13:30 | Lunch | |
| 13:30 - 15:00 | LSF scheduler | Hugo |
| 15:00 - 15:15 | Break | |
| 15:15 - 16:00 | Software management | Hugo |
| 16:00 - 16:45 | Tips & Tricks | Jacqueline |
(Depending on the pace of the class, if time allows, we may cover “Job Parallelisation”)
Tue, 10 Nov 2026
Event details
Sessions
- 10 November 2026 — 09:30 to 17:00 — Hinxton - Tennis Court IT Room
- 12 November 2026 — 09:30 to 17:00 — Hinxton - Tennis Court IT Room
Information
- Online course materials will be shared later.
- Software installation
- Feedback survey - fill in after the course.
Tue, 1 Dec 2026
Event details
Sessions
- 1 December 2026 — 09:30 to 17:00 — Hinxton - Tennis Court IT Room
Information
- Online course materials will be shared later.
- Software installation
- Feedback survey - fill in after the course.
Wed, 2 Dec 2026
Event details
Sessions
- 2 December 2026 — 09:30 to 13:00 — Craik-Marshall
- 3 December 2026 — 09:30 to 13:00 — Craik-Marshall
- 4 December 2026 — 09:30 to 17:00 — Craik-Marshall
Information
- This module is delivered as an open course. Joining instructions and links will be provided separately.
- The feedback survey will be available later.
Wed, 9 Dec 2026
Event details
Sessions
- 9 December 2026 — 09:30 to 17:00 — Zoom
- 10 December 2026 — 09:30 to 17:00 — Zoom
Information
- This module is delivered as an open course. Joining instructions and links will be provided separately.
- The feedback survey will be available later.
Tue, 2 Feb 2027
Event details
Sessions
- 2 February 2027 — 09:30 to 17:00 — Hinxton - Tennis Court IT Room
- 9 February 2027 — 09:30 to 17:00 — Hinxton - Tennis Court IT Room
- 16 February 2027 — 09:30 to 17:00 — Hinxton - Tennis Court IT Room
Information
- Online course materials will be shared later.
- Software installation
- Feedback survey - fill in after the course.
Tue, 23 Feb 2027
Event details
Sessions
- 23 February 2027 — 09:30 to 17:00 — Hinxton - Tennis Court IT Room
Information
- Online course materials will be shared later.
- Software installation
- Feedback survey - fill in after the course.