This block seminar aims to give an introduction to quantitative methods in life sciences from a conceptual point of view. As such, it covers introductory lessons on epistemology, measurement models, deterministic vs. probabilistic modelling, inferential statistics, and causal inference via statistical analysis.
The focus hereby is on the conceptual connection between biological concepts and mathematical formalisms, aiming explicitly to support the PhD students in finding the correct quantitative modelling approach to answer their individual scientific question. Moreover, the course covers fundamentals of how to ensure methodological quality and soundness of quantitative analyses, how to avoid common misinterpretations of results, and how to detect flaws in analyses designs. The course explicitly invites the PhD students to bring their PhD project to the course and to apply the learnt content directly to their PhD work within the frameworks of the seminar.
What does the course not cover?
The course does not cover the technical details of statistical tests and it does not cover how to perform statistical tests in the various software packages available. The course does not cover machine learning or methods of multivariate data analyses. The course does not cover Bayesian approaches to statistical inference.
For whom?
For all PhD students in life sciences that depend on quantitative methods in their PhD project or that are interested in the role of quantitative methods. The knowledge disseminated should be useful for students who studied life science (e.g., biochemistry, biology, medicine) as well as for students that have a more methodological background (bioinformatics, mathematics).
What kind of prior knowledge needed?
Experiences in statistical analyses are helpful, but the course should be digestible with low prior knowledge of statistical methods. No programming skills required.
Equipment needed:
Laptop for internet research and preparing the presentations of group work (if applicable)
Length of the seminar:
4 Days with four sessions of 90 min
Methods of teaching:
A mix of lectures, interactive sessions, group work, and individual work.
Requirements for getting ECTS:
Active participation in the seminar including mini-presentations on the own PhD project.
Trainer: Johannes Hertel
Dates: Monday, 24.03.2025 to Thursday, 27.03.2025, from 9:15 - 5:45 pm
Location: hybrid (online & zoom), location/zoom-link will be announced after closing of registration.
max. Participants: 16
To participate please register for each session via the Graduate Academy.
Contact address
Graduiertenakademie der Universität Greifswald
Domstraße 11, Eingang 4, Raum 3.24, 17489 Greifswald
Telefon +49 3834 420 1618
graduiertenakademie@uni-greifswald.de
