PhD students and postdocs across Cambridge University can apply for this funded training course, which will equip them will skills in data science for science.

Aimed at helping participants apply data science tools to their own datasets and research problems, the course runs over five weeks, starting on 12 September 2022. Previous courses have attracted participants from fields including chemistry, biochemistry, physics, engineering, medicine, veterinary medicine and psychology. Applications for the next course are open until 09:00 on 30 June 2022. 

What does the course cover? 

The course aims to give researchers in fields outside computer science the skills they need to use machine learning (ML) in their research, and help them apply data analysis to their own datasets and problems. On the course, you will: use data science techniques on your own datasets and research questions; collaborate on real-world data science challenges in teams; and contribute to a world-leading community of scientists and researchers. You can read more about how once of our recent participants has used the course to advance her work here and on Accelerate’s blog. 

Residents will cover 6 modules over a period of 5 weeks:

• Introduction to Python (preparatory module)
• Data Processing with Pandas
• Data Visualisation
• Web Scraping, JSON and APIs
• Introduction to machine learning
• Project & presentation

What are the entry requirements? 

Participants should be current PhD students or researchers at the University of Cambridge and have basic programming skills (e.g. the ability to use Excel, MATLAB, R or Python). Participants should be available from 12 September to 14 October 2022 and can expect to spend 30 hours on the programme each week, including timetabled sessions and periods of independent study.  

Completion of the new Python for Science module is not a pre-requisite for this course, as participants will receive training in the use of Python. However, applicants are required to complete an assessment to demonstrate basic programming skills.  

What are the entry requirements? 

Candidates should complete the application form (at this link: https://forms.gle/4pYivt1Bo8n9JBf86) by 09:00 (UK) on 30 June. After completing the application form, candidates will be asked to complete a short programming exercise, which is intended to give a sense of their current programming abilities. This exercise will take approximately three hours to complete. Further details will be emailed to candidates on 1 July, and you will have approx. 1 week to complete the exercise. 

Candidates should ensure their supervisors or managers are content for them to join the course before applying and should be prepared to commit to participating in course activities between 12 September and 14 October. 

To access the application form, please log-in with your @cam.ac.uk email address (you may need to first log out of any other Google accounts). If you are a member of the University or an affiliated institution, but don’t have an @cam.ac.uk email account, please contact accelerate-science@cst.cam.ac.uk. 

How is the course delivered? 

To produce this course, the Accelerate Programme is working with Cambridge Spark, an education technology company that specialises in data science and AI training. For further information about Cambridge Spark, please see: https://cambridgespark.com/about/ 

The course will be run via Zoom, with sessions delivered by Cambridge Spark and their community of mentors. 

For further questions, please contact accelerate-science@cst.cam.ac.uk