November 2020
ONLINE COURSE – Introduction to mixed models using R and Rstudio (IMMR03) This course will be delivered live
Course Overview: In this two day course, we provide a comprehensive practical and theoretical introduction to multilevel models, also known as hierarchical or mixed effects models. We will focus primarily on multilevel linear models, but also cover multilevel generalized linear models. Likewise, we will also describe Bayesian approaches to multilevel modelling. On Day 1, we will begin by focusing on random effects multilevel models. These models make it clear how multilevel models are in fact models of models. In addition,…
Find out more »ONLINE COURSE – Bayesian hierarchical modelling using R (IBHM05) This course will be delivered live
Course Overview: This course will cover introductory hierarchical modelling for real-world data sets from a Bayesian perspective. These methods lie at the forefront of statistics research and are a vital tool in the scientist’s toolbox. The course focuses on introducing concepts and demonstrating good practice in hierarchical models. All methods are demonstrated with data sets which participants can run themselves. Participants will be taught how to fit hierarchical models using the Bayesian modelling software Jags and Stan through the R…
Find out more »ONLINE COURSE – Meta-analysis in ecology, evolution and environmental sciences (METR01) This course will be delivered live
Course overview: This 5-day course will involve combination of lectures and practical sessions where students will practice conducting meta-analysis using the metafor package in R. In addition, students will conduct their own mini-meta-analyses by working in small groups on an assigned ecological topic with 8-10 primary research papers provided per topic. Students would need to decide on effect size metric to use and inclusion criteria, extract the data from the primary studies, design the extraction spreadsheet, conduct meta-analysis using the…
Find out more »ONLINE COURSE – Fundamentals of populations genetics using R (FOPG01) This course will be delivered live
Course Overview: The aim of the course is to introduce you to the fundamentals of population genetics theory, through quantitative visualizations of the dynamic of genetic elements within and between populations, using the R statistical programming language. We will be using a mixture of lectures, exercises, and case studies to increase the intuitive understanding of population genetics concepts and facilitate conceptual experimentation and visualization in R. By the end of the course participants should: 1. Understand the fundamentals of population…
Find out more »December 2020
ONLINE COURSE – Introduction to Scientific, Numerical, and Data Analysis Programming in Python (PYSC01) This course will be delivered live
Course Overview: Python is one of the most widely used and highly valued programming languages in the world, and is especially widely used in data science, machine learning, and in other scientific computing applications. In order to use Python confidently and competently for these applications, it is necessary to have a solid foundation in the fundamentals of scientific, numerical, and data analysis programming Python. This two day course provides a general introduction to numerical programming in Python, particularly using numpy,…
Find out more »ONLINE COURSE – Machine Learning and Deep Learning using Python (PYML01) This course will be delivered live
Course Overview: Python is one of the most widely used and highly valued programming languages in the world, and is especially widely used in machine learning and for deep learning. In this two day course, we provide an introduction to machine learning and deep learning using Python. We begin by providing an overview of the machine learning and deep learning landscape, and discuss the prominent role that Python has come to play in this area. We then turn to machine…
Find out more »ONLINE COURSE – Nonlinear Regression using Generalized Additive Models (GAMR01) This course will be delivered live
Course Overview: This course provides a general introduction to nonlinear regression analysis using generalized additive models. As anM introduction, we begin by covering practically and conceptually simple extensions to the general and generalized linear models framework using polynomial regression. We will then cover more powerful and flexible extensions of this modelling framework by way of the general concept of basis functions, which includes spline and radial basis functions. We then move on to the major topic of generalized additive models…
Find out more »January 2021
ONLINE COURSE – Structural Equation Modelling for Ecologists and Evolutionary Biologists (SEMR03) This course will be delivered live
Course Overview: The course is a primer on structural equation modelling (SEM) and confirmatory path analysis, with an emphasis on practical skills and applications to real-world data. Structural equation modelling is a rapidly growing technique in ecology and evolution that unites multiple hypotheses in a single causal network. It provides an intuitive graphical representation of relationships among variables, underpinned by well-described mathematical estimation procedures. Several advances in SEM over the past few years have expanded its utility for typical ecological…
Find out more »ONLINE COURSE – Advanced Ecological Niche Modelling Using R (ANMR01) This course will be delivered online
Course Overview: Ecological niche, species distribution, habitat distribution, or climatic envelope models are different names for mechanistic and correlative models, which are empirical or mathematical approaches to the ecological niche of a species. These methods relate different types of ecogeographical variables (environmental, topographical, human) to species physiological data or geographical locations, in order to identify the factors limiting and defining the species' niche. ENMs have become popular because of their efficiency in the design and implementation of conservation management. Have…
Find out more »ONLINE COURSE – Species Distribution Modeling using R (SDMR03) This course will be delivered live
Course Overview: If you are interested in gaining the introductory knowledge required to work with SDMs, whether you be a student, postdoc, or practicing scientist, this course is for you.This four-day course will provide participants with the background knowledge and skills needed to get started in the use of species distribution models (SDMs) for applied and basic research. The course will focus on (1) the preparation of required spatial datasets (biological observations and environmental predictors); (2) practical considerations in the…
Find out more »February 2021
ONLINE COURSE – Model-based multivariate analysis of abundance data using R (MBMV03) This course will be delivered live
Course Overview: This course will provide an introduction to modern multivariate techniques, with a special focus on the analysis of abundance or presence/absence data. Multivariate analysis in ecology has been changing rapidly in recent years, with a focus now on formulating a statistical model to capture key properties of the observed data, rather than transformation of data using a dissimilarity-based framework. In recent years, model-based techniques have been developed for hypothesis testing, identifying indicator species, ordination, clustering, predictive modelling, and…
Find out more »March 2021
ONLINE COURSE – Landscape genetic data analysis using R (LNDG04) This course will be delivered live
Course Overview: The term ‘landscape genetics’ has been applied studies that integrate ecological context and intervening landscape into population genetic analyses of contemporary processes such as gene flow and migration. This course will cover the basics of both quantitative landscape ecology and population genetics, focusing on how we develop and evaluate spatial/genetic analyses using the R platform. This is a ‘LIVE COURSE’ – the instructor will be delivering lectures and coaching attendees through the accompanying computer practical’s via video link,…
Find out more »ONLINE COURSE – Functional ecology from organism to ecosystem: theory and computation (FEER01) This course will be delivered live
Overview: The course will describe different aspects and methods in the field of functional ecology, combining theoretical lessons with hands-on real data. Lectures will provide the theoretical and mathematical basis for different applications of functional traits at organismal, community and ecosystem levels, with examples across different trophic levels. This will serve as a basis for exploring the practical tools to connect the effect of land-use and climate change on biodiversity to the effect of biodiversity on to multiple ecosystem functions…
Find out more »July 2021
ONLINE COURSE – Introduction to Multi’omics Data Analysis from Microbial Communities (MOMC01) This course will be delivered live
Course Overview: The aim of this course is to provide a thorough introduction to computational approaches for the analysis of multi-omics data from microbial communities with a focus on metagenomic and metatranscriptomic data. We will start from raw sequencing files, introduce different bioinformatic approaches to process sequencing data, followed by multivariate statistical analysis and different visualization techniques. The course will consist of a mixture of lectures and hands-on tutorials. On the last day, participants have the opportunity to bring and…
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