What is BiGSAT?

First launched in 2011, BiGSAT began as B.I.G., a student-organized annual event that brought together hundreds of trainees from the University of British Columbia's Graduate Programs in Bioinformatics (BIOF), Interdisciplinary Oncology (IOP), and Genome Science and Technology (GSAT).

Alongside academic and industry professionals, participants presented their research through seminars and poster sessions. Over the years, the event has showcased a wide range of topics, spanning model systems, post-transcriptional and post-translational regulation, and their applications in clinical settings.

Starting 2026, B.I.G. has evolved into BiGSAT - focusing on research presented exclusively from the BIOF and GSAT programs. BiGSAT 2026 will have a reduced focus on cancer and an increased emphasis on computational methods and general genetics, including non-human applications. Details about the previous B.I.G. events can be found here.