Spectral Panel Design Workshop

A 5-Day Intensive Hands-on Workshop from Design to Analysis of Spectral Flow Cytometry Panels

26 -30 Jan 2026

Overview of the Workshop Goals

We are excited to present a 5-day in-person workshop designed for 28 research scientists focused on high-parameter spectral flow cytometry panel design. Participants will gain insights into the latest panel design techniques from leading experts in the field. The program will encompass both theory and hands-on practice in panel design, sample preparation and staining, sample acquisition using the most advanced spectral cytometers, and high-dimensional data analysis.

Application link

external page Please register here

Details

The workshop aims to enhance participants' skills in designing high-parameter spectral flow cytometry panels and to equip them with practical methods applicable to their own research. The program will cover fundamental and advanced panel design concepts, including:

Building high-parameter spectral panels
Best practices in sample preparation, titration, and staining
Instrument setup and quality control
Experiment setup for spectral flow cytometer acquisition
Advanced tools and pipelines for analysing high-dimensional flow cytometry data

Participants will engage in both theoretical learning and practical lab work. They will collaborate in groups to create a 20+ parameter immunophenotypinge panel, perform staining, and acquire samples using the latest spectral instruments (Sony ID7000, Cytek Aurora, BD FACSDiscover A8, ThermoFisher Xenith, Beckman Coulter Mosaic and Agilent Opteon). They will then analyze the data using both manual and algorithm-based techniques.
The practical sessions will culminate in a group project and presentation, focusing on the pros and cons of fluorochrome selection and instrumentation. Daily personalised support and guidance will be provided to participants by leading experts, fostering networking opportunities among instructors, guest speakers, and fellow participants.

Organisation

Dates: January 26-30, 2026
Time: Daily from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM

Note: Lodging is not provided.

Each day will begin at 9:00 AM with lectures or lab activities, followed by a coffee break at 10:30 AM. Lunch will be on your own from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM, with afternoon coffee, sweets & fruit available at 3:30 PM. Groups will be formed on the first day, and the schedule will alternate between classroom theory and hands-on practice in the Flow Cytometry Core Facility. Dinner will be provided on Thursday for all attendees and speakers. The final day, Friday, will conclude at 3:00 PM after presentations from each group, sharing their experiences in developing and acquiring their flow cytometry panels.

Schedule

● Introduction to the course

● Introduction to spectral flow cytometry

● Concepts, tools, and workflows for high-parameter panel design

● Evaluating panel performance

● [Practice] Building your own 20+ parameter spectral flow cytometry panel

● [Practice] Finalising the 20-parameter spectral panel

● Guidelines for sample preparation and staining

● Concepts in experimental planning

● Unmixing and managing autofluorescence in spectral flow cytometry

● Instrument setup and QC

● [Practice] Sample preparation and staining

● [Practice] Sample acquisition on different spectral flow cytometers

● Introduction to flow cytometry data analysis

● Basics of data structure, manual data analysis, and sample data QC

● Overview of high-dimensional data analysis approaches

● Introduction to high-dimensional data analysis pipelines

● [Practice] Analysing the 20-parameter panel acquired on day 3

Each group will have 30 minutes to present the results of their panel to the class and instructors, and discuss achievements, challenges and limitations of their approach to panel design. The group discussion will focus on how to translate findings and workflows to the participants own research questions.

Lecturers

● Florian Mair, PhD
Scientific Director, Flow Cytometry Core Facility, ETH Zurich

● Rui Gardner, PhD
Director, Flow Cytometry Core Facility, MSKCC

● Sofie Van Gassen, PhD
Postdoctoral researcher, Ghent University

● Ana Longhini, PhD
Global Scientific Affair Senior Manager, Sony Biotechnology

● Thomas Liechti, PhD
Scientist/Immunologist, Roche

● Geoff Kraker, PhD
Senior Technical Applications Scientist, OMIQ

● Serena di Cecilia, PhD
Software Solution Manager, BD

● Peter Mage
Principal Engineer, BD

Fees

● ETH external participants: 900 CHF

● ETH internal participants: 600 CHF

Note: You will be contacted regarding payment after you have been accepted into the course.

Important Dates and Deadlines

October 22nd: Deadline to apply; early applications are encouraged

October 27: 28 participants will be notified; payment will be requested at this time. A waitlist will be maintained

January 26: Course begins

January 30: Course ends

February 5: Deadline to complete post-course survey

Contact us

If you have any questions about the Spectral Flow Cytometry Panel Design workshop, please email the Flow Cytometry Core Facility at with “SPD workshop” in the subject line.