WELCOME FROM AGTA's PRESIDENT AND THE CONVENORS

Australasian Genomics Technologies Association (AGTA) is a non-profit association dedicated to advancing genomics technologies and their application. AGTA conferences are the premier event for researchers and industry representatives in genomics technologies in Australasia. On behalf of the AGTA President A/Prof Mark Cowley and the AGTA conference organising committee, co-convenors Liz Christie and Matt Field are thrilled to welcome you to our annual conference AGTA 2024 in Cairns Australia on Oct 13-16. Cairns is situated in tropical Far North Queensland sandwiched between two world heritage areas, the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest, the oldest living rainforest in the world. We are excited to be holding the conference at the Cairns Convention Centre which has recently undergone expansion and refurbishment and boasts sweeping views over the beautiful Trinity Inlet. AGTA 2024 will bring together researchers working across a wide variety of applications including human health, ancient DNA, environmental genomics, machine learning and population genetics to name a few. We will highlight technologies including single cell and spatial omics and algorithms for working with increasingly complex multi-omics data. AGTA 2024 will consider how to apply genomic solutions to challenges within tropical Australasia. A key objective of the AGTA annual conference is to provide a platform for launching new genomic technologies across Australasia so that we remain at the cutting edge. Therefore, we particularly welcome our industry partners, without whom our annual meeting would not be possible, and look forward to the many networking opportunities available with our delegates who are current or future decision makers, in a beautiful region of Australia. AGTA 2024 will continue to commit to the tradition of equity, diversity and inclusion at all levels possible, including across speakers, symposium chairs and abstract selections, as well as supporting early career researchers, the genome technology leaders of the future. We look forward to welcoming you in person in October 2024!