Newbie contributor

[Shukla-Riya]

Hi MDAnalysis team!

I'm a student developer aiming for GSoC 2026 with a strong background in Pandas and NumPy. I'm passionate about data analysis and making scientific data easier to work with.

I've just successfully set up my dev environment (built from source on Windows!) and ran through the introductory tutorials. I was really impressed by the analysis tools.

For my first contribution, I'd love to bridge the gap between MDAnalysis and data science tools. I'm looking to add examples to the documentation that show how to export analysis results to Pandas and perform quick visualizations using Pandas plotting.

Are there any specific analysis modules (like RMSD or distances) where a "DataFrame + Plot" example would be useful for beginners?

Thanks!
Riya Shukla

[kumarmohit0911]

Hi Riya!
Is MDAnalysis participating 2026 GSOC?

[Shukla-Riya]

Hey Kurmar Mohit!
well according to the comment #5154 where the maintainer has mentioned about the uncertainty of the participation of MDAnalysis in gsoc 2026, seeing that i am not sure too of the participation besides MDAnalysis is the organization that tickles my fancy and in general i am willing to give my time in here.
Thankyou.

[kumarmohit0911]

thanks riya!
means a lot

[RMeli]

@kumarmohit0911 @Shukla-Riya we haven't yet finalized our decision for GSoC 26 (the application period for organizations is not yet open). In any case, if we do apply, our participation will depend on acceptance to the program. According to the GSoC timeline accepted organizations will be announced February 19 at 18:00 UTC.

[kumarmohit0911]

thanks for clearing out, means a lot. will be so pleased if the organissation participates and will love to contribute.
thanks again.

[aseem102]

Thank you for clarifying I would like see the organisation in gsoc

[Pratham-bit800]

Hey Riya!
I’m also preparing for GSoC 2026 and working with NumPy + Pandas, so your interests felt very familiar.

I’ve set up MDAnalysis locally too (Windows build was a ride 😄). Your idea about Pandas + simple plots for beginners is something I’m exploring as well.

Would you like to connect and exchange ideas while we prep for GSoC?

— Pratham