Plant Development & Environment
Plants are continuously challenged by sometimes life-threatening changes in their environment. These can severely impact their development and even kill plants. Interestingly, plants can flexibly adjust their development to deal with these environmental changes. They can for example adjust root anatomy to resist drought, overall root architecture to forage for nutrients, and shoot architecture to
Algorithms for sequence-based Bioinformatics
After having followed this course, the student has a good understanding of algorithms and data structures in genomics used for DNA sequence analysis. The student is able to implement algorithms in python, and can translate methods described in scientific literature into a working implementation. Bioinformatics analyses in genomics aim to compare large sets of genomes
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
The Power of Microbes
Theory Microbes play an essential role in sustaining higher life forms on Earth, including marine sponges, plants, fish, and animals. Their significance lies in their vast diversity of physiological traits, allowing them to thrive in various environments by extracting energy from organic resources, minerals, and light. In fact, many microbes depend on other microbes for
Introduction to Bioinformatics
Over the last decades, a number of technologies to study DNA, RNA, proteins, metabolites and their interactions has been developed. To understand life at the molecular level, they have been applied in numerous biological and biomedical experiments. Much of the resulting data, as well as the knowledge gained in these experiments, are freely available for
Big Data Processing
The term “Big Data” describes datasets that are either too big or change too fast or both to be processed on a single computer. Big Data Processing provides an introduction to systems and algorithms used to process Big Data. The main focus of the course is programming and engineering big data systems; initially, the course
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
Data Driven Discovery in the Life Sciences: Hypothesis Generation from Omics Data
Across the life sciences, scientists utilize omics data to study biological phenomena in humans, plants, animals and microbes. This results in large and heterogeneous data sets that can be analyzed using a variety of algorithms and statistical methods. Making sense of the data, extracting biological knowledge out of the results of these analyses and formulating
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
Biological Discovery through Computation
Multiple types of -omics data are rapidly changing the face of biological research. In the Bioinformatics minor, students have been exposed to fundamental computational techniques to analyse and visualise omics data. Students enrolled in the Omics minor have also explored technologies and data analysis methods to deal with the “wet” and “dry” components of omics