Spots are still available for Modern Statistical Thinking for Biologists, running online from 11 February till 13 May. The course follows the principle that statistics is not merely applied maths: it is a distinct way of thinking about the world. And it is best learned through honing our logical thinking skills and our intuitions about data, rather than through rote memorisation of tests or through excessive mathematical detail. The course therefore has no prerequisites in terms of maths skills.
Importantly, we will approach statistics through the Bayesian framework. Bayesian methods are becoming increasingly prevalent in all fields of biology and bioinformatics. This is because this framework is particularly well adapted to the noisy and complex data sets routinely produced in these fields. It is often also considered to be more intuitive for beginners. The course is therefore open both to those who are beginners in any kind of statistics, as well as those who already have a background in frequentist methods and would like to learn about the Bayesian perspective specifically.
The course is composed of weekly Zoom sessions with lots of interaction and lots of group work in breakout rooms. The concepts learned are immediately applied to real data sets from the biological sciences. There are also weekly assignments, to which the participants receive individual written feedback each time. Towards the end of the course, the students will have several opportunities to put what they have learned to the test in realistic research settings. Notably, one session is devoted to a journal club, where we practice reading real papers that use Bayesian methods. There are also two projects: one on data provided by the instructor and another on each participant’s own data.
The course will accept 15 participants on a first-come-first-served basis. For registration and for more information, see here:
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to drop me a line on rosina@mondegoscience.com.
Have a lovely 2025, Rosina.
