March 5th, 2025

The James Johnson (JJ) Travel Fellowships

Our Mission

The JJ Travel Fellowships will help bring new contributors into the Galaxy ecosystem. They also honor JJ’s legacy as a contributor and mentor in the Galaxy and University of Minnesota communities.

JJ’s accomplishments are many and these fellowships highlight what he brought to the community, and help grow it.

About JJ:

James Johnson (JJ)

James Johnson, or JJ as he was better known, worked as a senior software developer at the Minnesota Supercomputing Institute at the University of Minnesota. JJ was one of the earliest software developers to start using Galaxy. He contributed in many ways to the growth of Galaxy, which is now used by thousands of people worldwide to advance a wide variety of research projects, with many Galaxy users running the software that JJ developed. JJ always had a heart for training and mentoring students and other researchers who were new to Galaxy.

Travel Fellowships

In 2025, the JJ Travel Fellowships will sponsor up to two graduate students / post-doctoral researchers to attend the Galaxy and Bioconductor Community Conference (GBCC 2025). The fellowship will cover the cost of travel, up to $500 for each recipient.

About the Travel Fellowships:

Application Process

Applicants will need to write a:

• one-page write-up on a) their scientific interests, b) their interest in Galaxy platform and c) why they are interested in attending the GBCC 2025. Applicants should have submitted an abstract to the conference and include the title in this write-up.
• curriculum vitae for the applicant.
• Reference letter from the advisor.

Application deadline: April 1, 2025

Email all of the documents to: jj-fund@jxtxfoundation.org. Any submission that does not have all of the requested documents will not be considered.

Award Notification

Applicants will be notified of the results by April 15, 2025.

Review Criteria

Multiple criteria will be used to select awardees. These criteria will include:

• Quality of application - should articulate a solid reasoning for why they want to attend a Galaxy conference and learn more about the platform and community
• Early career stage, with students and post-docs being preferred over staff and faculty.
• Favor applicants who are new to the Galaxy community and are eager to learn more.
• Applicants from underrepresented groups and applicants from the University of Minnesota or other upper Midwestern schools are particularly encouraged to apply.

Anyone who is in the early stages of their career can apply and will be considered for a fellowship. Awards will go to applicants who have the overall strongest application.

Join us at the Galaxy and Bioconductor Community Conference June 23-26 at Cold Spring Harbor Lab!

See https://gbcc2025.org/

Support the JJ Travel Fellowships

Your contribution to the James Johnson (JJ) Travel Fellowships will help bring new contributors into the Galaxy ecosystem while honoring JJ's legacy as a contributor and mentor. Donations will directly support graduate students and post-doctoral researchers in attending the Galaxy and Bioconductor Community Conference.