Introduction

As the Nextflow and nf-core communities continue to grow, we aim to prioritise inclusivity for everyone through active outreach to groups with low representation. In Spring 2022, Nextflow and nf-core started a joint mentorship program with the aim of improving outreach and training in underrepresented groups and areas. Applications for Round 3 are now open!

In this page, we use the following terminology:

  • Mentor: The senior advisor in a mentorship pair
  • Mentee: A person receiving training from the mentor

Scope

Some typical project aims could be:

  • Setting up Nextflow and nf-core in your institution
    • Getting requirements up and running on the local compute infrastructure
    • Developing an institutional config for you and others to use
    • Testing and scaling up the use of nf-core pipelines
  • Learning how to make a contribution to nf-core
    • Developing new and / or contributing to existing pipeline(s)
    • Working with nf-core/tools or the website
    • Presenting a nf-core/bytesize talk about a chosen topic
    • Writing an extensive tutorial about some aspect of nf-core

The exact scope and aims of each mentoring partnership can vary according to the participants’ needs and situation. These will be judged on a case-by-case basis as part of the application process. You can find out more about what mentor and mentee pairs achieved in the first round of the program in this Nextflow blog post.

Organisation

In summary (all points subject to change):

  • We will start with rounds of 5 - 10 mentor + mentee pairs
  • Mentorships will run for 4 months
  • There will be new rounds approximately every 6 months
  • Mentees will get free tutoring from an experienced developer about using Nextflow and nf-core
  • Mentors will be paid with a voucher equivalent to $800 USD upon completion of the mentorship round (subject to completion of certain milestones)
  • A commitment of at least 2 hours a week is expected from both mentor and mentee
  • Mentors may participate in multiple rounds of the mentorship program
  • Mentees may only join for one round (though are welcome back as a mentor!)

There will be a set of milestones and aims for each partnership and a short written report upon completion.

Prerequisites

  • Mentees
    • Required: Familiarity with the linux command line, Git and GitHub
    • Suggested: Basic bioinformatics experience
  • Mentors
    • Required: Substantial experience with running and developing Nextflow pipelines
    • Required: Experience with container engines (docker, singularity, …)
    • Suggested: Previous contributions to the nf-core project

CZI Grants

The funding for this program comes from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

In 2021, nf-core together with Nextflow successfully applied for grants from CZI and we received funding for both the EOSS Cycle 4 grant and also the EOSS Diversity & Inclusion program.

You can read a CZI blog post about the motivations and aims of the Diversity & Inclusion program.

Within our D&I application, we proposed the following:

“We propose a mentorship programme, aimed at levelling the playing field of entry of new nf-core pipeline developers and tool contributors, and empowering them to be integrated into the active developer community. We would specifically like to bolster participation of women, LGBTQ+ and underrepresented minority groups. Ten mentor-mentee pairs will be established each year and be assigned a programming project ranging from a core tool functionality extension, adding specific features to existing pipelines or reviewing new pipeline code. Each mentor will work with the mentee to guide them through the tasks and review the mentee’s code. Regular networking events will be organised during the programme duration to foster integration of the mentees into the community.”

Note that there have been some minor adjustments to the plan since we wrote this. In line with our diversity and inclusion efforts, we’re aiming to promote this opportunity to a wide array of organizations that facilitate the inclusion of underrepresented minorities in STEM so that we can ensure the selection of a diverse cohort. If you have suggestions regarding this, please reach out to us.

Round 1 (Closed)

Round 1 is now closed. Lots of interesting work has been done during this first edition of the mentorship program! Thank you to all participants! You can check the Nextflow blog post for an overview and testimonials of this round.

Key dates

Dates are subject to change:

Applications open:
March 1st 2022
Applications close:
April 1st 2022
Mentorships start:
May 1st 2022
Mentorships finish:
End of August 2022

Round 2 (Closed)

Key dates

Dates are subject to change:

Applications open:
October 1st 2022
Applications close:
November 1st 2022
Mentorships start:
December 1st 2022
Mentorships finish:
End of March 2023

Round 3 (Closed)

Key dates

Dates are subject to change:

Applications open:
April 1st 2023
Applications close:
May 15th 2023
Mentorships start:
June 1st 2023
Mentorships finish:
End of September 2023
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