KEYNOTE: Prof. Dr. Boas Pucker (University Bonn)

"Addressing the Functional Annotation Bottleneck in Plant Genomics"

Preliminary Program

9.00am GENETICS AND TRANSPOSONS

• Carlotta Wehrkamp, Universität Zürich (Transposable element dynamics drive rapid evolution of centromere architecture in the Avena genus)

• Xinyi Liu, TUM (Proteogenomics of Blumeria hordei supports RNA and protein coding innovative potential derived from transposable elements)

• Thomas Wicker, Universität Zürich (Transposable elements and their role in genome evolution)

10.45am KEYNOTE TALK

• Boas Pucker, Universität Bonn (IZMB Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics) (Addressing the functional annotation bottleneck in plant genomics)

11.30am PROTEOMICS

• Qussai Abbas, TUM (GAP-MS: Automated validation of gene predictions using integrated mass spectrometry evidence)

• Laura Pilgram, Universität Leipzig (Towards a Structural Interactome of Arabidopsis thaliana: Deep Learning Reveals Proteome-Wide Interaction Networks and Homomeric Assemblies)

12pm Image ANALYSIS AND MACHINE-LEARNING

• Kay Schneitz, TUM (Deciphering the diversity of the 3D cellular basis of ovule curvature)

2pm RNA-seq / WGCNA / SPATIAL- AND SINGLE-CELL-TRANSCRIPTOMICS

• Jan Maika, HHU Düsseldorf (Integrative Transcriptomics reveal spatio-temporal developmental dynamics in barley

• Amit Fenn, TUM (Dual-organism RNA-seq / WGCNA)

• Eliana Mor, LMU (Unravelling plant immunity at single-nucleus resolution in response to Xylella fastidiosa infection)

3.45pm PANGENOMICS AND SEQUENCING

• Uwe Scholz, IPK Gatersleben (How to manage, access and visualize barley pangenome data)

• Sebastian Urzinger, Helmholtz München (Comparative genomics of four Alternaria species using chromosome-scale long-read genome assemblies)

• Niklas Schandry, LMU (Nextflow pipelines for plant genome assembly, annotation and methylation calling)

5pm Beer, Snacks and Poster 

Date: 05 August 2026, full day

Location: Technical University of Munich (TUM), Freising–Weihenstephan

Costs: NO registration fees!

Registration: Please follow the link for registration: Registration Form "Plants & Bytes 2026" (05.08.26, TUM Freising-Weihenstephan) – Formular ausfüllen

contact: plants-bytes.pp[a]ls.tum.de

Lunch options:

• TUM Mensa on campus (Maximus-von-Imhof-Forum 5), payment option only with TUM Mensa-Card or EC-card!!!
• Bäckerei Wiesender (Gregor-Mendel-Straße 1)
• Lacanto (Vöttinger Str. 40)

• Orangerie (Am Staudengarten 11)

   

Plants & Bytes aims to connect researchers in Munich and Germany who work at the intersection of plant sciences and advanced bioinformatics. 

This event provides a dedicated platform to discuss bioinformatic questions within a plant-focused context—whether they arise from analyzing high-dimensional data, integrating multi-omics layers, handling complex genome structures, or developing new algorithms tailored for plant systems.

We welcome participants and contributions from all disciplines and all career levels, including but not limited to:

• Genomics & pangenomics
• Transcriptomics & single-cell analytics
• Proteomics, metabolomics & epigenetics
• Computational modeling & systems biology
• Computer-assisted image analysis
• Machine learning and neural networks
• Applied bioinformatics & method development

Whether you are applying established workflows, building novel computational tools, or exploring entirely new data modalities, Plants & Bytes offers a space for exchange, inspiration, and collaboration.

Join us to strengthen Munich’s plant-bioinformatics community and help shape the future of data-driven plant science.

We look forward to a full day of exciting bioinformatics and plant science in Freising,

The organizing Team 

Dr. Christina Steidele, Dr. Marion Müller and Prof. Dr. Nadia Kamal