Pan.bio Journal Club: What does it take to sequence a whole population? Led by Dr. Joseph Shenekji

​What does it take to sequence a whole population?

​Led by Dr. Eng. Joseph George Shenekji, PhD in Biotechnology Engineering, researcher in biotechnology and bioinformatics, and lecturer at UOA and MAS

​About the session
Sequencing one genome is routine now. Sequencing a population is a different problem: every choice about depth, sample size, technology and reference genome changes what you can see, and what it costs.

​We'll use a recent review on whole genome sequencing and population genomics as our map. It covers short read vs long read sequencing, the quality metrics that drive cost (depth, coverage, mapping rate), why high-quality and telomere-to-telomere reference genomes matter, and the analyses used to read a population's history: genetic structure, selection signals, and gene flow.

​Then we'll get practical. Is it better to sequence many people shallowly or fewer people deeply? When is long read worth it? What changes when the population you're studying is barely represented in the reference databases?

​Come prepared:

• ​📄 Read the paper: Advances in Whole Genome Sequencing: Methods, Tools, and Applications in Population Genomics (International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Jan 2025)

​How it works
Pan.bio Journal Club is a monthly live discussion where we pick one paper, invite a guest scientist, and talk through it together. Just honest discussion, questions, and debate. Previous sessions featured Dr. Said Ismail (Qatar Precision Health Institute), Dr. Mamoon Ahram (University of Jordan), Dr. Rana Dajani (Hashemite University), and community-led sessions on the 2026 Nobel Prize in Medicine and aspirin in cancer immunity.

​Open to researchers, clinicians, students, and anyone curious about genomics. Come join 👋