Fairness, Accountability, Confidentiality and Transparency in AI
Artificial Intelligence and data science are increasingly being used to power decision making in settings that are highly consequential for people and society. Algorithmic decision making promises great benefits across sectors and domains. At the same time, there are many high-profile stories about the potential harms of algorithms, for individuals, population groups, and society at
Modeling Life
Have you ever wondered how cells “know” which genes to express at a given time and place, or how a plant seed “decides” when is the best time to germinate? Or would you like to know what the stripes of a zebra, the fingers on your hand, and the patterning of vegetation in dry ecosystems
Structural Bioinformatics & Modelling
Computational structural biology is a mature field of research whose contribution to life sciences is becoming increasingly more appreciated. The aim of this course is to provide a solid basis of computational structural biology methods, with an emphasis on practical protein modelling and simulation. Further, this course is designed to have a smooth learning curve
Biotechnology and the Societal Challenge
This course explores how biotechnology can address key societal challenges identified by the European Union. These include health and demographic change, food security and sustainable agriculture, clean energy, and climate action. Students are introduced to plant and microbial biotechnology, ethical considerations, and patent systems. As part of the course, students formulate their own biotechnology-based solutions
Research in Bioinformatics
Bioinformatics is at the heart of many modern systems biology analyses, and encompasses the application of statistics and computer science to (large-scale) biomolecular datasets. In essence, bioinformatics is about smart ways of extracting knowledge from the enormous amounts of data that can be generated using modern measurement techniques. For instance, it plays an important role
Transitions, Innovation en Governance
TRIG provides an overview of frameworks and methods to study and guide sustainable innovation, sustainability transitions, in particular socio-technical transitions and their governance, as these are all important to bring about sustainability and transitions to sustainability. Increasing the understanding of the underlying societal mechanisms and processes of sustainable innovation and sustainability transitions is important in
Microbial Genomics
Microbes (bacteria, archaea and microbial eukaryotes, including fungi) are key members of our biosphere and are highly relevant for human life as mutualists and pathogens and as crucial drivers of nutrient cycling, agriculture, and many other aspects of our daily lives. The genomes of microbes provide a wealth of information on the processes and mechanisms
Biotechnology
This course is an introduction in Biotechnology. It will give an overview of different fields in biotechnology (molecular techniques, bacterial biotechnology, fungal biotechnology, plant biotechnology, industrial biotechnology, medical biotechnology, animal biotechnology) with special emphasis on new developments. In addition, other aspects related to biotechnology, such as intellectual property rights, ethical concerns and the marketability of
Modelling and Problem Solving
The course covers major (combinatorial) solving approaches, namely constraint programming, integer programming, boolean satisfiability, dynamic programming and decision diagrams, and local search. The course focuses on modelling practical problems, expressing them in the surveyed paradigms; algorithms for solving such problems are covered in the follow-up “Constraint Solving” course. The topic of genetic algorithms is reserved
Sustainable food systems
Our current globalized food system is often at the core of the pressure on sustainable development goals such as life on land, life below water, and water and sanitation, while failing to meet goals such as zero hunger and no poverty. Understanding the causes of the current unsustainable situation and developing solutions to stimulate a