Machine learning: introductory lecture

Trainer: Melissa Adasme, Jiawei Wang

Overview: This session offers a clear introduction to Machine Learning (ML), specifically tailored for life scientists. We’ll begin by demystifying ML, focusing on its core principle: learning patterns directly from data, without requiring deep mathematical expertise. You’ll discover why ML is rapidly becoming indispensable in biology, exploring impactful applications such as analyzing complex genomic data, predicting protein function, interpreting biological images, and accelerating drug discovery.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this session, you will be able to:

• Demonstrate conceptual understanding of core machine learning components and their implementation
• Explore the use of machine learning techniques to address biological research questions

Materials

• Machine learning: introductory lecture