Overview

Containerization technologies such as Docker and Singularity enable replicable software stacks and compute environments which can be deployed on heterogeneous computational platforms from HPCs to cloud instances. Workflow languages such as Nextflow and Workflow Definition Language (WDL) enable one to automate data cleaning and analysis processes making it easier to test various parameters and tools, and enables reproducible science without the computational overhead of virtual machines. The purpose of this workshop is to train and capacitate African data scientists and analysts from the DS-I Africa projects on the creation and use of containers and workflows as applied to their research projects.

eLwazi ODSP Tools and Workflows Working Group invites applications from individuals interested in learning how to use containerization and workflows. The workshop will increase foundational computing skills, and topics may focus on 1) setting up resources using an open stack environment, 2) containerization, 3) workflows, and 4) job submission to HPC. The Containerization and Workflows workshop will run in-person, from November 24-28, 2025, at the University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.

Keywords: Containerization, workflows, data analysis, tool, reproducible science

Training application

Competitive application

Skill level of training

Intermediate to advanced

Language

English

Type of training

Workshop

Venue

University of Cape Town, South Africa

Course date

Application opening date

Wednesday 20th of August 2025

Application closing date

Tuesday 30th of September 2025 - 23:59:59 CAT

Notification date for successful applicants

Monday 6th of October 2025

Organisers

Anwani Siwada, Sindiswa Lukhele, Tshinakaho Malesa, Gerrit Botha, Phelelani Mpangase, Sumir Panji, Scott Hazelhurst, Nicky Mulder

Sponsors

eLwazi Open Data Science Platform

Intended Audience

• African data scientists from the DS-I Africa grant projects and other training groups who are using computational tools as part of their analysis and research to create containers for replicable computing.
• African data scientists from the DS-I Africa grant projects and other training groups who have developed analysis scripts as part of their analysis and research and want to place these in workflows to automate analysis and enable reproducible science.
• Individuals with intermediate or advanced experience. Applicants must have watched eLwazi ODSP Reproducible Science seminar series starting from the 23rd of April 2025 (https://elwazi.org/training/webinar) and tutorials on containers and workflows (https://elwazi.org/training/tutorial).
• Data analysts who will be providing support to their projects and already have some experience analyzing big data on different computing environments, such as HPC

Selection criteria / process

Competitive application

Prerequisites

• Familiarity with the command line and computational environments such as HPC, OpenStack
• Good knowledge of Unix/Linux
• Involved in the cleaning, processing and analysis of a DS-I Africa project data
• Utilization of software analysis tools for research/teaching
• Have specific tools and scripts to use as examples during the workshop

Learning outcomes

After this workshop participants should:

• Be familiar with containerization technologies and applications
• Be able to containerize and deploy analysis tools on different environments
• Be familiar with workflow languages and its applications
• Be able to create workflows for their specific analysis use case
• Be familiar with Dockstore and how to submit and pull workflows

Limitations

This workshop will only provide a foundational basis for continued learning and application of containerization and workflows for research data analysis and will not make one an expert in these technologies, or cover any specific data analysis methods.

To apply, please Click HERE