This is a repository that just currently holds the guest lecture materials delivered on Mon 9th October 2023.
BIOL8001 is a graduate course offered at the Australian National University.
Quantitative biology and bioinformatics demand a combination of technical skills and domain knowledge. In these data-driven sciences, effective communication with experimentalists is a prerequisite to success, as both parties must comprehend both the problem and the solution. In this course, students will gain consulting experience in quantitative biology and bioinformatics. They will learn to communicate effectively with clients, both verbally and in writing, and how to avoid jargon without sacrificing precision. Students will interact with experimentalists and learn to distil biological goals and challenges into quantitative/computational problems to be solved. Students will gain experience collaborating and solving these problems in a mentored professional setting. In doing so, they will learn how to report on their progress to both clients and colleagues.
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Communicate effectively and professionally with scientists outside of their discipline
- Translate biological goals and challenges into underpinning quantitative/computational problems
- Engage in an independent investigation and evaluation of quantitative/computational solutions to biological problems
- Describe and defend a chosen methodology in the context of the problem being solved
- Estimate the difficulty of a project and the time commitment that will be required
- Identify when additional skills and/or expertise will be required to solve a problem