All Graduate School of Life Sciences courses

Learn the basics of Twitter by completing 1 short online activity per day, for 10 days and join the global network of researchers who already use it (http://www.nature.com/news/online-collaboration-scientists-and-the-social-network-1.15711)

This is an online course - you will NOT be required to attend a workshop session.

Tasks will cover:

• the basics – how to set up an account, follow people and send tweets
• the conventions (@, #, RT, etc.)
• etiquette and social conventions
• the plethora of ‘apps’ or third party tools to add on
• strategies for tweeting effectively and building a network

This course will focus on the structure of good scientific writing, first at the micro-level of sentences and paragraphs and then at the macro-level of abstracts and entire papers. Writing exercises will form an important part of the day. We will look at into the practical process of writing, the nature of scientific publishing and the importance of editing. The day will finish with a group editing session in which the students apply the ideas they've learnt to editing each other's work. For this students will write a 300-word abstract about their mini-dissertation in advance. The course instructors are Mark Buchanan and Justin Mullins, two highly experienced scientific writers/editors.

Because pre-course work is required, bookings must be made by 9 Jan 2015 and cancellations cannot be accepted thereafter.

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SeqMonk is a graphical program for the visualisation and analysis of large mapped datasets such as ChIP-Seq, RNA-Seq, and BS-Seq. Further information is available here.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

• This course will cover all aspects of The analysis of DNA Methylation using Sequencing. It will cover the primary analysis, mapping and Quality Control (QC) of BS-Seq data and will talk about common pitfalls and complications. It will then cover exploratory analysis of Methylation looking at different methods of Quantitation' and a variety of ways of looking more widely at the distribution of Methylation over the genome. Finally the course will look at statistical methods to predict differential Methylation.
• The course will be comprised of a mixture of theoretical lectures and practicals covering a range of different software packages.
• By the end of the course students should be able to perform an analysis of Methylation Data all the way from raw sequencing to the selection of interesting targets.
• Further information, including a Timetable, will soon be available.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

This course is aimed at those new to programming and provides an introduction to programming using Perl. By the end of this course, attendees should be able to write simple Perl programs and to understand more complex Perl programs written by others. The course will be taught using the online Learning Perl materials created by Sofia Robb of the University of California Riverside. Further information is available.

The Course Web Site providing links to the course materials is here.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

This course provides a gentle and practical introduction to the writing of Python programs for the complete novice. Participants are lead through the core aspects of Python illustrated by a series of example programs. Upon completion of the course, attentive participants will be able to write simple Python programs from scratch and to customize more complex code to fit their needs. Further information is available here.

The Course Web Site providing links to the course materials is here.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

This course provides an introduction to the R programming language and software environment for statistical computing and graphics. A variety of examples with a biological theme will be presented. Further information is available here.

The Course Web Site providing links to the course materials is here.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book or register Interest by linking here.

This course sets out to introduce simple computing tools for molecular biologists. It is intended for users with a reasonable background in molecular biology but little or no experience of using the available computer resources. The course is based around an investigation into the disease aniridia. We have chosen a well researched human topic as it allows us best to demonstrate how information can be obtained both by analysis of raw sequence data and by interrogation of information resources where previously determined facts are organised and stored. Further information for this session is available.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

An understanding protein structure is vital for the elucidation of its function. Information gleaned from the three dimensional structures of proteins is used to understand the biochemical and functional roles of such molecules in life and for the design and discovery of drug molecules for a variety of diseases and illnesses such as cancer, influenza and tuberculosis.

The Protein Data Bank (PDB) is the central publicly accessible repository of all experimentally derived macromolecular structures. Containing over 80,000 structures of proteins and nucleic acids the PDB is an essential scientific resource.

The PDB is managed by a consortium of international organizations collectively known as the worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB). The Protein Data Bank in Europe (PDBe) is one of the founding members of the wwPDB along with the RCSB Protein Data Bank in the USA and Protein Data Bank Japan(PDBj) in Japan.

In addition to serving as a deposition site for data deposited to the PDB, the PDBe also provides services for the search and analysis of the collective wealth of data contained within the PDB. Further information is available here.

This session is one of a series of short introductions to EBI Services, run together, but bookable separately (see Related Courses section below).

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to Book or register Interest by linking here.

An introduction the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI). The workshop will introduce ways to navigate the website, search EBI database resources and access useful information and metadata. It will also highlight additional resources such as Train Online. Further information is available here.

This session is one of a series of short introductions to EBI Services, run together, but bookable separately (see Related Courses section below).

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

In this session we will introduce the major protein databases available from the EBI. The use of the UniProtKB database will be especially considered. Further information for this session is available here.

This session is one of a series of short introductions to EBI Services, run together, but bookable separately (see Related Courses section below).

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

This session provides an introduction to the tools to access and analyze Transcriptomics data available from the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI). Further information for this session is available here.

This session is one of a series of short introductions to EBI Services, run together, but bookable separately (see Related Courses section below).

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

The aim of this course is to provide an overview of the applications, laboratory equipment and online bioinformatic portals for metabolomics research. Further information is available.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

This course provides an introduction to the construction of high quality Multiple Sequence Alignments (MSAs) and the computation of phylogenetic trees from those alignments. Further information is available here.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

This three day course will cover a workflow to conduct molecular epidemiological analysis of viruses, using R both as a platform for analysis and graphics, as well as to call external tools. The first day will cover viral sequence databases, data extraction and manipulation, and sequence alignment; the second will cover phylogenetic reconstruction; and the third will cover analysis of the resulting phylogenies.. Further information for this session is available.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

The Ensembl project provides a comprehensive and integrated source of annotation of, mainly vertebrate, genome sequences. This one-day workshop offers a comprehensive practical introduction to the use of the Ensembl genome browser as well as essential background information.

This event will be primarily be conducted by video from a parallel event in the Craik-Marshal Building, Cambridge.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to Book or register Interest by linking here.

The Ensembl Plants project offers a single and integrative collection of interfaces for accessing and comparing genome-scale data for 38 species (release 24, November 2014). Our Genome Browser allows visualization and analysis of plant genomic sequences including gene annotation, genetic variation and comparative genomics. Tools for downstream genomic analyses such as VEP (Variant Effect Predictor) and BioMart (data export) will be also covered in this workshop. In addition to our Browser and web tools, the publicly available data in Ensembl Plants can be accessed programmatically via our Perl and REST APIs, downloaded FTP or accessed through MySQL queries. Users can view their own data in the context of the reference sequence and datasets.

How do you make your research palatable to the press? Do you stumble and fumble when in front of a camera? Are you protective about your research, wary of handing over all your hard work to a journalist? Join Dr Eliza Filby, founder of GradTrain and lecturer at King's College London for this one-day media training course especially designed for researchers interested in engaging with the media at all levels.

PLEASE NOTE that this course will be taught live online, with demonstrators available to help you throughout if have any questions. All lecture components will be recorded and uploaded to the course Moodle page so that you will be able to access that information even if technical or time zone restrictions means that you aren't able to join us for the live sessions.

This virtually delivered course is intended to provide a strong foundation in practical statistics and data analysis using the R or Python software environments. The underlying philosophy of the course is to treat statistics as a practical skill rather than as a theoretical subject and as such the course focuses on methods for addressing real-life issues in the biological sciences.

There are three core goals for this course:

1. Use R or Python confidently for statistics and data analysis
2. Be able to analyse datasets using standard statistical techniques
3. Know which tests are and are not appropriate

Both R and Python are free software environments that are suitable for statistical and data analysis.

In this course, we explore classical statistical analysis techniques starting with simple hypothesis testing and building up to linear models and power analyses. The focus of the course is on practical implementation of these techniques and developing robust statistical analysis skills rather than on the underlying statistical theory

After the course you should feel confident to be able to select and implement common statistical techniques using R or Python and moreover know when, and when not, to apply these techniques.

Achieving clarity in writing is not just about what’s written on the page – that is merely the final stage in a long and complex process. It actually starts with the interpretation of the question… From a linguistic perspective writing is actually rather straightforward, but the clarity of the ‘end product’, particularly in academic writing, is very much dependent on the clarity of all the stages that precede it. This session will examine this process and explores strategies to help you improve the clarity of your writing.

Over the course of a PhD, students will create and use large amounts of different types of data. This course is designed to help students manage their data effectively, and to make them aware of some of the legal and ethical issues involved in dealing with data.

The design and analysis of experiments is an essential first step before doing any research; this short seminar will help you develop a clear understanding of what you need to consider when planning experiments and will help to maximize your productivity. Please note that this course is aimed at ecologists but the principles can be applied to experimental design in many other areas.

Your lab notebook is one of the most important and precious objects you, as a scientist, will ever have. This course will explore how keeping an exemplary laboratory notebook is crucial to good scientific practice in lab research. The course will consist of a short talk, a chance to assess some examples of good and bad practice, with plenty of time for questions and discussion. You might like to bring along your own lab notebook for feedback. (Please note that issues relating to protection of Intellectual Property Rights will not be covered in this course).

There are some key working relationships that require development and management throughout the course of a Ph.D. If this is discussed and understood at the earliest opportunity students can be proactive in managing such relationships, enhance transferable skills and have a better research experience.

Clear, effective and professional communication skills are absolutely essential to any aspiring academic. While students are taught the essentials of how to research, less emphasis is placed on how to present their work either in the lecture hall, in the seminar room or even the viva. This course is unique in that it fuses academic skills with acting training.

An introductory workshop for 1st year PhD students to explore the working relationships you will encounter during your PhD with emphasis on how to work well with your supervisor.

Why is YouTube popular? Because people love watching videos. A research video can be a great way to get your message across to your collaborators, your friends, and the wider world as well as being a condition of some funding bodies.

But it isn't easy to do well - and this is where this course will make a difference. Come along and learn the skills needed to plan and shoot high quality footage for research videos so that your video can stand out from the crowd. You just need yourself, a camera phone and your enthusiasm!

A 2 hour event for new PhD students to begin developing the skills and knowledge that will be an essential part of their PhD in the Graduate School of Life Sciences.

Shot your research video? Got lots of video clips, photographs & audio you want to bring together to make one research video to share with public audiences around the World? Attendees on this course will learn how to cut, add soundtracks and do audio-mixing to edit their very own research video.

It is strongly recommended that you also attend The Engaged Researcher: Shooting Your Research Video session.

This short course covers the what, why and how of public engagement and communication. The course is for research staff and PhD students who want to gain the skills and confidence required to plan and deliver an impactful public engagement project.

Why is YouTube popular? Because people love watching videos. A video is a great way to spread the message of your research to different public audiences across the World! Attendees will be equipped with the skills needed to plan and shoot high quality footage for your very own research-video.

It is strongly recommended that you also attend The Engaged Researcher: Editing Your Research Video session.