THE 2027 IN-PERSON INTERNATIONAL STATISTICAL GENETIC (ISG) WORKSHOP FOR HUMAN COMPLEX TRAITS: THE LATENT GENETICS COURSE

MARCH 1st – MARCH 5th, 2027

The next ISG workshop will be held in Boulder, Colorado, March 1st-5th 2027. The course is planned to include sessions on: biometrical model, causes of individual differences; Unix, R, structural equation modeling (SEM); path analysis, regression, mean/variance estimation; likelihood, optimization; classical twin design; heritability estimation using molecular genetic data (GWAS, genetic relationship matrices); GCTA; model assumptions; univariate twin models for continuous & ordinal data; heterogeneity, sex limitation, gene×environment interaction; LD score regression; bi/multivariate genetic analyses; common & independent pathway models; genetic correlations; genomicSEM; polygenic scores; gene-environment correlation; parent-offspring and family models; intergenerational transmission, genetic nurture; assortative mating; simulation and power; causal modeling, Mendelian randomization; direction of causation; MRDOC, co-twin control, and responsible conduct of research. Software will include R, OpenMx, PLINK, GCTA, LDSC, and GenomicSEM. For more information, see https://www.colorado.edu/ibg/workshop. 

Hands-on analysis will be emphasized, using students’ own laptops or ones we provide. Please note that the workshop moves at a brisk pace and covers both twin/family and genomic methods. It is designed for participants who already have some background in quantitative genetics and statistics, and is not intended as a first introduction to these topics. Participants are strongly advised to have familiarity with R programming before attending the workshop. For those not familiar with R or wishing to brush up on topics to be presented at the workshop, see our persistent online lectures and practicals from previous workshops at https://www.colorado.edu/ibg/isgw-online.

Planning Committee for the 2027 ISG workshop: 

• Hermine Maes (Academic Director, 2027 workshop)
• Michel Nivard (Associate Director, 2027 workshop)
• Ben Neale (Academic Director, molecular genetics workshop)
• Dave Evans (Associate Director, molecular genetics workshop)
• Sarah Medland (Director of Virtual Workshop)
• Abdel Abdellaoui (Associate Director of Virtual Workshop)
• Dinka Smajlagic (co-Director of Online Content)
• Madhurbain Singh (co-Director of Online Content)
• Jeffrey Lessem (IT director)
• Matthew Keller (Principal Investigator) 

The outstanding international faculty roster includes: 

• Hermine Maes, Jared Balbona, Luis de Araujo, Chelsea Sawyers. Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA 
• David Evans. Program in Complex Trait Genetics, University of Queensland, Australia 
• Sarah Medland, Baptiste Couvy-Duchesne. QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Australia 
• Ben Neale. Massachusetts General Hospital, and Broad Institute at MIT and Harvard, USA 
• Matt Keller, Dan Gustavson, Lydia Rader, Tong Chen, Dinka Smajlagic, Naomi Friedman, Chandra Reynolds. Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, USA 
• Elizabeth Prom-Wormley. Dept. of Epidemiology, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA 
• Brad Verhulst. Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Texas A&M University, USA 
• Abdel Abdellaoui, Margot van de Weijer. Amsterdam University Medical Centers, the Netherlands 
• Michel Nivard. Epidemiology and Health Data Science, UK 
• Michael Hunter. Dept. of Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, USA 
• Andrew Grotzinger. Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada 
• Jose Morosoli Garcia. Dept. of Clinical, Educational & Health Psychology, University College London, UK 
• Laura Wesseldijk. Max Planck Institute of Empirical Aesthetics in Frankfurt, Germany & Amsterdam UMC 
• Ziada Ayorech. PROMENTA Research Center, Dept. of Psychology, University of Oslo, Norway 
• Valerie Knopik. Dept of Human Development and Family Studies, Colorado State University, USA  

Financial support for this workshop is provided by the National Institute of Mental Health grant MH19918. Support for the ISCEP scholarship is provided by the Broad Institute, the Institute for Behavioral Genetics, and our corporate sponsor, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.

Registration

Registration will open at noon GMT on November 3, 2026. The registration fee is $850. This fee is payable at the time of registration using a credit card at the Humanitix workshop page (https://events.humanitix.com/2027-isgw). CU Boulder affiliates should directly charge their registration cost to a speedtype, so please contact the workshop coordinator (IBGworkshop@colorado.edu) for a promo code prior to registering. 

Cancellations after February 1st, 2027 will be non-refundable. Additional information about the schedule, registration, and course materials is available at https://www.colorado.edu/ibg/workshop-2027 or from the workshop coordinator (IBGworkshop@colorado.edu). 

Travel

You should make your own travel plans; please see our website for further information on the hotel, air and ground transportation: https://www.colorado.edu/ibg/workshop-2027/workshop-2027-venue-travel-and-lodging. 
 

Venue & Lodging

The workshop will be held at the St. Julien Hotel, located in downtown Boulder a block from the shops and dining on the historic Pearl Street pedestrian mall. Most students choose to stay at the St. Julien. The workshop will have a limited number of student rooms available at a special reduced rate of $210 per night for a single or double which is a fantastic price for a hotel in Boulder. Attendees unable to get a room at the St. Julien, or who choose not to, may stay at other nearby locations, including the Hotel Boulderado, the Boulder University Inn, the Foot of the Mountain Inn, and numerous short-term rentals (Airbnb, Vrbo, etc.). 

There will be an informal welcome reception on Sunday evening, February 28th, from 4:00-8:00 p.m. There will be another reception on Monday evening from 5:30-8:00 p.m. at the hotel. You are invited to join us for drinks and hors d’oeuvres before you go off for dinner. These are excellent opportunities for colleagues to informally discuss ideas. In addition, there will be a poster session on Tuesday evening (please bring a digital – not a physical – poster to display if you wish; see below), and a farewell party on Friday evening, March 5th, so plan accordingly if you want to attend. 

The workshop begins at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, March 1st, in the Xanadu Ballroom of the hotel, and ends at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 5th. The registration desk will open at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 28th and again at 7:30 a.m. on Monday, March 1st for participants to check-in. Note that there are also optional sessions at 8:00 a.m. most days, including the first Monday morning. Wednesday will be a lighter day, with a later start time in the morning and an optional afternoon hike. Breakfast, lunch and mid-morning and mid-afternoon coffee breaks will be provided. Breakfast will be held at 8:00 a.m. outside of the Xanadu Ballroom; this is also where the mid-morning and mid-afternoon breaks will be held. Lunch will be provided every day except Thursday, when students will be encouraged to take a break from the hotel and get lunch at one of the many nearby restaurants. You will be on your own for dinner, which can be obtained in the hotel or nearby shops and restaurants conveniently located in Downtown Boulder. 

For those of you staying over before or after the workshop, we make no special social or other arrangements for you. However, as you will very quickly discover if you do not already know, Boulder offers a wide variety of recreational opportunities both in the town and further in the plains, foothills, and Rocky Mountains. Most people associate the area with outdoor activities, but Boulder is also well served by its restaurants, bookshops, coffee shops, breweries, and pubs. At this time of year, skiing is a favorite activity. The nearest ski area, Eldora, is only 30 minutes away by car or bus, and the world-class resorts of Vail, Breckenridge, Keystone, Copper Mountain, and others are about 2 hours by car. Rocky Mountain National Park is just an hour away.

Digital Poster Session

We will hold a digital poster session Tuesday evening on the week of the workshop starting at 5:30. Everyone who wishes is free to prepare a poster presentation that goes over a project they have been working on or have completed. Posters should NOT be printed out. Rather, they will be presented on the 23” (1920x1080) monitors in the workshop room, so please keep in mind these dimensions when creating your digital “poster.” For best compatibility posters should be saved as a PDF, JPEG, or PNG, all of which can be exported from Power Point and other common programs. Faculty will vote, and the best poster will win the Lindon J Eaves ISG Workshop poster award.

ISG Workshop Financial Aid

Financial support is available to U.S. citizens and permanent residents who can demonstrate financial hardship that would affect their ability to attend the workshop. Because this support is funded by the NIH, we are unable to offer it to applicants who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Recipients receive a reduced registration rate ($200 instead of $850), plus reimbursement of up to $1,000 of their workshop attendance costs. The reimbursement is paid by check after the workshop, once receipts are submitted to IBGworkshop@colorado.edu. We are able to provide 10 scholarships in 2027. 

How to apply

Complete the financial aid application form at https://forms.gle/UVvaxLUUaoZzLjw96 by November 30, 2026. In the form, you will explain why financial aid is needed for you to attend the workshop, and upload a current CV and a letter from your advisor or supervisor attesting to your need.  

Please do not register for the workshop if you are applying for financial aid. A place will be held for every applicant, so you will be able to register whatever the outcome.

Decisions

We will notify all applicants of our decisions by December 3, 2026, by email, with instructions for registering. Recipients will receive a code to register at the reduced rate of $200. Applicants who are not awarded financial aid will receive a code to register at the regular rate of $850. 

Please note that ISG workshop financial aid is separate from the International Scholarship and Cultural Exchange Program (ISCEP). Made possible by generous donations from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, the Broad Institute, and the Institute for Behavioral Genetics, ISCEP is an all-expenses-paid scholarship that funds two to three outstanding international students from developing countries to attend the workshop. The call for 2027 ISCEP applications went out in May 2026, and applications are now closed.