This course will give insights into, and practical experience in, data visualisation for exploring complex and multi-dimensional biological data.

Biological and life sciences data often consists of multiple dimensions: a combination of numerical values, ordered data, categories, and time-series. To make sense of this data, simple plots like scatterplots, barcharts, and boxplots are often not enough. Still, visualisation is critical in gaining deep insight into the data. This is why many custom visualisations originated in the biological field.

In this course, we will dive into the topic of visualisation of complex biological data and how it can be used to gain insight into and get a "feel" for a dataset, so that targeted analyses can be defined. It will be delivered through a mixture of lectures and workshop sessions, and will provide hands-on experience in developing visualisations. The course will focus on working with omics (e.g. genomics, transcriptomics) data rather than e.g. imaging data.

Additional information

The course fee is inclusive of four nights' accommodation and catering, including dinner.

We plan to deliver this course in an in-person manner onsite at our training suite at EMBL-EBI, Hinxton.  Hybrid options are not currently available. Please be aware that we are continually evaluating the ongoing pandemic situation and, as such, may need to change the format of courses at short notice. Your safety is paramount to us; you can read our COVID guidance policy for more information. All information is correct at time of publishing.

Monday 8 May will be a bank holiday in the UK, to mark the Coronation of King Charles III. The course will take place as outlined in the programme, including sessions as planned on Monday 8 May.  Should you be selected as a participant, please take extra care planning your travel to the course, as public transport may be affected by the Coronation (Saturday 6 May) and bank holiday.

Please also note that there are delays in the issuing of visas from the UK Government. We encourage you to check if you need a visa and apply in plenty of time before travelling. Current waiting times are more than six weeks. For more information please visit the UK Government website.

Who is this course for?

This course is targeted at biologists who want to explore and gain further insight into their own complex data through the use of visualisation, as well as people who help others explore their data or who develop data exploration tools to be used by others.

Prior programming experience is not strictly required but would be beneficial.

Applicants will be asked to provide detail on their level of programming ability and knowledge of visualisation tools as part of the application process. Applications will be considered based on several factors, including (but not limited to) the multiplication effect of the applicant following the course (i.e. what impact would it have to their environment), a diversity of fields that are represented, and availability of data.

Some pre-reading and exercises will be sent out to successful applicants prior to the course.

What will I learn?

Learning outcomes

After the course you should be able to: 

• Apply theories of perception and cognition
• Identify frameworks to comprehend data visualisation
• Explain the concepts of visual design process
• Implement visualisations with Svelte

Course content

During this course you will learn about: 

• Image perception
• How to visualise data in the best possible way
• User experience for data visualisation
• How to use visualisation of complex biological data  to get insight into a dataset

Trainers

Please read our page on application support before starting your application. In order to be considered for a place on this course, you must do the following:

• Complete the online application form.
• Ensure you add relevant information to the ‘submission details’ section where you are asked to provide information on your:
  • pre-requisite skills and knowledge
  • current work and course expectations
  • data availability
• Upload one letter of support from your supervisor or a senior colleague detailing reasons why you should be selected for the course.
• Upload a visualisation that you have created recently and would like to improve after you have attended the course, in PDF or PNG format.  If you haven't created a visualisation yet, you may upload an example visualisation that is similar to what you expect to produce and improve.

Please submit all documents during the application process by 23:59 on 22 January 2023. Items marked * in the application are mandatory. Incomplete registrations will not be processed. 

All applicants will be informed of the status of their application (successful, waiting list, unsuccessful) by 6 February 2023. If you have any questions regarding the application process please contact Jane Reynolds.

The registration fee of £825.00 includes:

• Catering as detailed on the course programme
• Accommodation for four nights (8, 9, 10, and 11 May)
• Bespoke course handbook with links to all course materials
• Use of a computer in the EMBL-EBI training suite throughout the course
• Shuttle bus to and from Cambridge train station on the first and last day of the course.

Accommodation 

Hotel rooms (including breakfast) will be provided onsite at Hinxton Hall Conference Centre. Please contact them directly if you wish to arrange to stay additional nights around the course dates.

Catering

The course includes catering as detailed on the programme tab. Successful applicants will be asked for any dietary requirements and allergies upon registration. 

Flash talks

All participants will be asked to give a short presentation about how they plan to use visualisations in their work. These will provide a forum for discussion. Further details will be provided to successful applicants.

Posters

All participants are expected to present a poster that will be displayed during the course outside the training room. Further details will be provided to successful applicants. We will print these for you and display them during days three to five of the course.

All posters should:

•         be A2 in size – 420mm x 594 mm
•         be in a portrait orientation
•         include your photograph and contact information

We expect the posters to act as a talking point between you, other participants and the trainers on the course. The posters will be displayed so people can view them during breaks and lunch on days three, four and five. They should give the reader an idea of the work you are engaged in, what you are planning to do next, and anything of interest that might be useful for sharing with the gathered participants.