iCOBLET2025 | Manipal School of Life Sciences, MAHE

About iCOBLET2025

The 3rd International Colloquium on Bioinformatics Learning, Education and Training (iCOBLET2025), to be held at Manipal School of Life Sciences (MSLS), MAHE, Manipal, India on December 12–13, 2025, marks the first GOBLET-associated event hosted in India. The colloquium aligns with national goals of advancing bioinformatics capacity, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and promoting skill development.

Objectives of the Event

Advance bioinformatics education and training by bringing together global experts, educators, and learners.
Strengthen India’s bioinformatics training ecosystem in alignment with the National Biotechnology Development Strategy.
Promote international collaboration through GOBLET members, fostering knowledge exchange and joint initiatives.
Enhance computational skillsets through hands-on workshops on AI-driven genomics and structural bioinformatics.
Discuss ethical frameworks, data sharing, and reproducibility in bioinformatics research.
Showcase Indian bioinformatics initiatives and integrate them with the global landscape.
Facilitate academia–industry interactions highlighting applications of genomics, AI, and data science.

Program Overview

The iCOBLET2025 program will feature keynote addresses, expert talks, Eduthon team presentations, flash talks, poster sessions, and two hands-on workshops focusing on variant calling & computational drug discovery (Day 1) and AI-driven genomics & molecular design (Day 2).

See the detailed schedule below for timings and sessions.

Key Highlights

🌍 Oral & Poster Presentations

🧠 Hands-on Workshops

🤝 Networking Opportunities

Convenors

Dr. Bobby Paul

Associate Professor & Head
Department of Bioinformatics

Mr. Sandeep Mallya

Senior Grade Lecturer
Department of Bioinformatics

Dr. Budheswar Dehury

Assistant Professor
Department of Bioinformatics

Confirmed Speakers & Instructors

Dr. Satish Rao

Director, Manipal School of Life Sciences

Dr. Jithesh Puthen Veettil

Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha

Dr. Prashanth N Suravajhala

Professor, Manipal University Jaipur

Dr. Shama Prasada

Professor, Manipal School of Life Sciences, Manipal

Dr. Prashanta Hebbar

Director, Meta Biosciences

Dr. Sasirekha Palaniswamy

Senior Clinical Scientist, Sidra Medicine, Doha — (Workshop Day 1 Instructor)

Dr. Abhijit Kayal

Schrödinger — (Workshop Day 1 Instructor)

Dr. Gaurab Banerjee

MolSys — (Workshop Day 2 Instructor)

Hands-on Workshop Series

Workshop A: Variant Calling Workflow & Computational Drug Discovery Pipeline

Instructors: Dr. Sasirekha Palaniswamy (Sidra Medicine, Doha) & Dr. Abhijit Kayal (Schrödinger)

Content Highlights:

NGS data formats, QC, alignment
Variant calling workflow
Filtering, annotation, interpretation
Target identification and validation
Structure-based and ligand-based screening
Docking, scoring & hit selection
Lead optimization strategies
Real-world case studies

Workshop B: AI-Driven Genomics & Molecular Design

Instructor: Dr. Gaurab Banerjee (MolSys)

Content Highlights:

Generative AI basics (GANs, VAEs, Transformers)
Deep dive into BERT & BioBERT
Prompt engineering for bioinformatics
Hands-on BioBERT NER in Google Colab
Molecular generation using RDKit & PyTorch
SMILES datasets, validation, encoding
Building an end-to-end generative chemistry pipeline

Workshop-only registration fee: Rs. 1000

Event Schedule

Two-day program featuring keynote talks, sessions, posters, and workshops.

Day 1
Day 2

08:00–09:00

Registration

09:30–09:45

Inauguration & Welcome Address — Dr. Satish Rao

09:40–10:00

GOBLET Address — Dr. Jithesh Puthen Veettil

10:00–10:30

Opening Keynote — Dr. Prashanth N Suravajhala

10:30–10:50

Group Photo & Coffee Break

10:50–11:20

Scientific Session — Dr. Shama Prasada

11:20–11:50

Scientific Session — Dr. Prashanta Hebbar

11:50–12:40

Expert Panel: Grand Challenges of Bioinformatics Education and Training

12:40–14:00

Poster Session & Lunch (13:00–14:00)

14:00–17:00

Workshop #1: Variant Calling Workflow & Computational Drug Discovery Pipeline
Instructors: Dr. Sasirekha Palaniswamy (Sidra Medicine, Doha) & Dr. Abhijit Kayal (Schrödinger)

16:30–18:30

Parallel Session — GOBLET AGM (members & invited observers only)

09:00–10:00

Eduthon Team Presentations

10:00–11:15

Flash Talks

11:15–11:30

Tea Break

11:30–12:00

Scientific Session — Dr. Sasirekha Palaniswamy

12:00–13:00

Scientific Sessions — (TBD)

13:00–14:00

Lunch

14:00–17:00

Workshop #2: AI-Driven Genomics & Molecular Design Workshop
Instructor: Dr. Gaurab Banerjee (MolSys)

17:00–17:15

Closing Ceremony and Vote of Thanks

Call for Abstracts

Submissions are invited for posters and oral presentations.

Submit Here

Registration

Fees (INR):

Category	Fee (INR)
Students (Valid ID)	2000
Faculty	2500
Industry Personnel	5000 (all inclusive)
Workshop Only	1000

Includes meeting kit, access to all talks, poster sessions, meals, and workshops.

NOTE: Add 18% GST for Non-MAHE students and faculty.

🌟 Workshops are the main highlight of iCOBLET2025!
Day 1: Variant Calling & Computational Drug Discovery (Instructors: Dr. Sasirekha Palaniswamy & Dr. Abhijit Kayal).
Day 2: AI-Driven Genomics & Molecular Design (Instructor: Dr. Gaurab Banerjee).
Workshop-only registration: Rs. 1000.

How To Reach Manipal

Manipal is well connected by road, rail, and air.

By Air: Nearest airport is Mangalore (1.5 hrs).
By Rail: Udupi (6 km) and Mangalore (65 km) on Konkan Railway.
Buses: KSRTC and private buses operate frequently.

3rd International Colloquium on Bioinformatics Learning, Education and Training (iCOBLET2025)

Theme: Advancing Bioinformatics Through Innovative Learning and Training

About iCOBLET2025

Objectives of the Event

Program Overview

Key Highlights

Convenors

Dr. Bobby Paul

Mr. Sandeep Mallya

Dr. Budheswar Dehury

Confirmed Speakers & Instructors

Dr. Satish Rao

Dr. Jithesh Puthen Veettil

Dr. Prashanth N Suravajhala

Dr. Shama Prasada

Dr. Prashanta Hebbar

Dr. Sasirekha Palaniswamy

Dr. Abhijit Kayal

Dr. Gaurab Banerjee

Hands-on Workshop Series

Workshop A: Variant Calling Workflow & Computational Drug Discovery Pipeline

Content Highlights:

Workshop B: AI-Driven Genomics & Molecular Design

Content Highlights:

Event Schedule

Registration

Inauguration & Welcome Address — Dr. Satish Rao

GOBLET Address — Dr. Jithesh Puthen Veettil

Opening Keynote — Dr. Prashanth N Suravajhala

Group Photo & Coffee Break

Scientific Session — Dr. Shama Prasada

Scientific Session — Dr. Prashanta Hebbar

Expert Panel: Grand Challenges of Bioinformatics Education and Training

Poster Session & Lunch (13:00–14:00)

Workshop #1: Variant Calling Workflow & Computational Drug Discovery PipelineInstructors: Dr. Sasirekha Palaniswamy (Sidra Medicine, Doha) & Dr. Abhijit Kayal (Schrödinger)

Parallel Session — GOBLET AGM (members & invited observers only)

Eduthon Team Presentations

Flash Talks

Tea Break

Scientific Session — Dr. Sasirekha Palaniswamy

Scientific Sessions — (TBD)

Lunch

Workshop #2: AI-Driven Genomics & Molecular Design WorkshopInstructor: Dr. Gaurab Banerjee (MolSys)

Closing Ceremony and Vote of Thanks

Call for Abstracts

Registration

How To Reach Manipal

Contact Us

Workshop #1: Variant Calling Workflow & Computational Drug Discovery Pipeline
Instructors: Dr. Sasirekha Palaniswamy (Sidra Medicine, Doha) & Dr. Abhijit Kayal (Schrödinger)

Workshop #2: AI-Driven Genomics & Molecular Design Workshop
Instructor: Dr. Gaurab Banerjee (MolSys)