Data Club: Everything Is Relative – Methodological Considerations in Microbiome Studies

The Data Club is an informal forum for biologists and coders to discuss various aspects of their quantitative analyses. This month, let’s chat about microbiome studies!

Title: Everything Is Relative: Methodological Considerations in Microbiome Studies

Presenter: Raphaella Jackson is a Research Fellow in the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine within the Department of Women and Children’s Health. Her current work focuses on pregnancy outcomes, in particular preterm birth. While her research spans multiple disciplines, much of her research background is rooted in microbiome studies across diverse systems, shaping her perspective on the methodological challenges of generating and interpreting sequencing-based data.

Format: There will be a short introductory talk and then open discussion

At Data Club: Microbiome research has transformed how we think about human health, the environment, and microbial ecosystems, but microbiome data can be surprisingly tricky to interpret. We will discuss some of the key considerations that shape what microbiome studies can (and cannot) tell us. Central will be the idea that most microbiome measurements are inherently relative: sequencing data describe proportions rather than true counts, which has important consequences for analysis and interpretation. There will also be conversations on broader experimental design choices—such as sampling strategies, controls, technical sources of variation and common pitfalls. The aim is to build intuition for reading and designing microbiome studies, no specialist methods background required.

Requirements: Some familiarity with microbiome studies and associated techniques may be helpful, but no prior expertise is required. At this meeting, there may be opportunities for members to bring up related findings and challenges for further discussion.