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Courses at EMBL-EBI

MBL-EBI is one of six sites of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), an intergovernmental research organisation funded by more than 20 Member States, prospective and associated Member States. This research organisation is made up of experienced professionals who share a passion for training in all its forms. Their goal is to create a programme that enables scientists at all levels to take full advantage of public biodata and to openly share their expertise with others, regardless of location, sector or career stage. A comprehensive list of their activities can be found on their website under the training section.

Other training courses are provided by, for example, the TeSS platform, which has been developed through the Elixir and is a single site platform for information and content online. This content then includes training materials, events and interactive tutorials, courses, events, videos, presentations, learning journeys, guides, etc.

The “Data science for life scientists” course

When: 16-20 June 2025

Deadline for applications: 2 March 2025!

Where: European Bioinformatics Institute, United Kingdom

This course will introduce scientists to practical data science topics used in the life sciences, such as Data Visualisation, Image Analysis, the use of Artificial Intelligence and the use of publicly available databases.

Program

You will begin the course with an introduction to the theory and practice of data science, including best practices for conducting analysis, data management and reproducibility. The course will provide hands-on training in tools and resources appropriate for your research, including an introduction to using Python for data processing and visualization, statistical analysis, and the application of machine learning.

This course includes group projects on two different topics (gene expression and protein structure), in which you will be divided into small groups.

This course is particularly suitable for candidates who are at an early stage of using data science in their research and have a need to further develop their knowledge and skills. This applies, for example, to PhD students who are ready to start analysing their own data. No specific programming knowledge is required for this course, but participants will be asked to take some pre-courses. They recommend this free tutorial to start learning Python.

Sign up

More info about the course and signing up for it can be found on their website here.

The course “Data visualisation for biology“

When: 24 – 26 June 2025

Application deadline: 9 March 2025!

Where: European Bioinformatics Institute, United Kingdom

Programme

This course will provide insight and practical experience in data visualisation for exploring complex and multidimensional biological data. The course will focus on working with omics (e.g. genomic, transcriptomic) data rather than, for example, imaging data.

This course is especially designed for biologists and bioinformaticians who want to explore their own complex data to gain insight and develop new hypotheses. It is also suitable for those whose goal is to effectively communicate their findings through visualization, whether in publications, at conferences, or through data exploration tools designed for others. Previous programming experience is not strictly required, but the workshop will work in R or Python. Therefore, the following free tutorials are recommended for candidates:

As part of the application process, applicants will be asked to detail their level of programming skills and knowledge of visualisation tools. Applications will be judged based on several factors, including the applicant’s multiplier effect after completing the course, the diversity of disciplines represented, and the availability of data.

Apply

For more information on applying for the course, visit their website here.