From Genetic Variants to Risk Prediction

Day 1: Monday, 27 July

Introduction to Gen. Epi., SNPs, data formats

Day 2: Tuesday, 28 July

EDA, QC: missingness, MAF, HWE

Day 3: Wednesday, 29 July

PCA, UMAP, clustering, interpretation

Day 4: Thursday, 30 July

PCA, UMAP, clustering, interpretation

Day 5: Friday, 31 July

Small-scale GWAS; Manhattan and QQ plots

Saturday, 1 August: free day
Sunday, 2 August: free day

Day 6: Monday, 3 August

Small-scale GWAS; Manhattan and QQ plots

Day 7: Tuesday, 4 August

PRS basics, ethics and privacy

Day 8: Wednesday, 5 August

PRS and rare variants of high impact

Day 9: Thursday, 6 August

Context-specificity of PRS and interpretation

Day 10: Friday, 7 August

Integration of all course skills

Short tasks (plots, QC …) to practice the lecture’s material.
Final group project: combine data preprocessing, visualisation, clustering, PRS, and presentation to the class.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• perform exploratory data analysis (EDA) and visualise genotype-phenotype datasets;
• apply quality control (QC) procedures to genomic data;
• conduct dimensionality reduction and clustering to identify population structures and more;
• run simplified GWAS and interpret association signals;
• compute and interpret simple polygenic risk scores (PRS);
• integrate computational analysis with biological understanding of ancestry;
• understand where statistical genetics methods fit in the broader TeamPerMed research pipeline (data → models → trials → guidelines → socio-economic impact);
• collaborate effectively and maintain reproducible workflows;
• present findings in a clear, visually appealing, and scientifically rigorous manner.

• Application period: 20 March – 20 April
• Notification of acceptance: accepted participants will be informed after the application period, by 30 April at the latest
• Deadline for paying the course fee: 31 May
• Confirmation of courses taking place: 5 June
• UniTartu Summer School in Tartu: 27 July – 7 August

Only fully completed applications, including all required annexes, received by the deadline (20 April) will be considered for selection. Applicants must submit the following:

• online application form (application period: 20 March–20 April 2026);
• motivation letter (maximum 1 page), explaining:
  • your motivation to participate,
  • your expectations for the programme,
  • how the summer course relates to your studies and interests,
  • how you plan to use the knowledge and experience gained in the future
• transcript of academic records;
• copy of your passport;
• proof of the application fee payment (25 EUR).

The participants of the UniTartu Summer School courses are required to pay:

• The application fee of 25 EUR must be paid by the application deadline (20 April) at the latest.
  The application fee is non-refundable.
• The course fee is 750 EUR.
  Includes: Study materials, academic work with lecturers, Certificate of completion, and cultural events in the evenings
  Not included: meals, transportation and accommodation

Please note that the course fee is payable only after you have been accepted into the course. Once accepted, you will receive a confirmation of acceptance together with an invoice. The course fee can only be paid based on the invoice issued to you.

By paying the application fee, course fee and cultural events fee, you accept the terms and conditions information document. You are required to tick the box in the credit card payment form to confirm you have read and agree to terms and conditions. If you choose to pay by bank transfer, you will be informed of the same conditions.

Please note that by paying the fees, you are considered to have accepted the Terms and Conditions.