Apply for Everything BioSAXS 11: Getting started in biological small-angle x-ray solution scattering

Registration

The course will provide a virtual set of lectures and tutorials via Zoom. Participants will be able to ask questions during both lectures and tutorials, and will have time to get help with analysis of their own data. They will also receive downloads of all course materials, including lecture slides and tutorials.

Note: This course is intended for researchers interested in scattering from monodisperse biological macromolecules in solution. It is NOT for soft matter, materials, or systems which are polydisperse.

Participants are also invited to come on-site or mail in samples for data collection and training. Data collection will occur during the week of 10/23/25.

There is no cost associated with the workshop (excepting travel and lodging costs for participants who come on site for data collection, which individual participants must cover) and registration will be granted upon review of a short application.

How to apply

To apply for a spot in the workshop fill out the short application. This requests basic contact and demographic data as well as your experience with SAXS and a paragraph about your research interests and proposed use of SAXS

Applications will be accepted through September 7th 2025, and reviewed the week of September 8th. You will be notified by email about your application.

The application is available here: https://forms.office.com/r/G2qKjt5r2Y

More information

Course topics:

• Basic principles of SAXS
• Critical sample preparation and data collection procedures, including online size-exclusion chromatography (SEC-SAXS)
• Evaluating data quality
• Basic data processing including size (R_g, D_max), molecular weight, the P(r) function, and real space reconstructions
• What you need to know for publication
• Overview of several advanced and emerging methods
• Hands-on tutorials with data processing software

Confirmed speakers:

• Jesse Hopkins (BioCAT, APS)
• Max Watkins (BioCAT, APS)
• Michal Hammel (SIBYLS, ALS)
• Melissa Graewert (EMBL)
• Thomas Grant (U. Buffalo)
• Kushol Gupta (U. Pennsylvania)
• Thomas Weiss (SMB, SSRL)
• Estella Yee (MacCHESS, CHESS)

If you have questions, please contact Jesse Hopkins (jhopkins1@illinoistech.edu) or Max Watkins (mwatkins2@illinoistech.edu).

Tentative lecture schedule

Note: All times are Central Daylight Time (UTC-5)

Tuesday 10/7/25

Wednesday 10/8/25

Thursday 10/9/25

Friday 10/10/25