Banyuls-sur-Mer, France

PROGRAM: Bioinformatics and Data Science

As a member of the Viral Ecology & Informatics Lab (VEIL), I had the privilege of presenting a poster at the 12th Aquatic Virus Workshop (AVW12), a small, highly focused biannual conference dedicated to the study of viruses in aquatic environments. This meeting is especially relevant to our research on phage—viruses that infect microbes—and brings together a community of international experts in viral ecology. The workshop held a single-track format in which every talk was relevant, and attendees were able to engage fully without having to choose between concurrent sessions. I presented my Ph.D. research during the opening evening’s poster session. The response to my poster was overwhelmingly positive, and I spent the entire session engaged in conversation with multiple researchers. Later talks by my advisor and co-advisor helped reinforce our research program's visibility and generated additional interest. We left the meeting with several new potential collaborators and valuable feedback that we’re already working to incorporate. The workshop took place in Banyuls-sur-Mer, located on the French Mediterranean coast. Scientific sessions were held in the seminar room of the Biodiversarium aquarium, just a short walk through the town’s center from our accommodations. The organizers included local culture and community into the event: a group hike along the coast, a wine tasting, and a dinner at a nearby winery helped foster connections beyond scientific discussions. In addition to presenting my own work, I gained exposure to cutting-edge approaches in viral metagenomics, host prediction, and ecological modeling. I appreciated the chance to hear from both senior investigators and early-career researchers, including other students. This mix of experience levels made the conference especially welcoming and inspiring.