New Python for Science course will help researchers learn programming skills

The Accelerate Science Programme (based in this Department) and education technology company Cambridge Spark are offering researchers across Cambridge University a new self-learning module so they can learn programming in Python.

The new Python for Science e-learning programme teaches researchers from across disciplines how to program using Python. It introduces the essential knowledge needed to process, manage and analyse data using Python and pandas (a software library written for the Python programming language for data manipulation and analysis). This will provide skills that researchers can immediately apply to their own data analysis.

Researchers based at Cambridge University and affiliated institutions also have the opportunity to participate in a Data Science for Science training course offered by the Accelerate Programme and Cambridge Spark. The next Data Science course takes place this September and applications open today, Thursday 26 May 2022.

Research tools across disciplines
Artificial intelligence (AI) and data science are becoming important research tools across disciplines. From archaeology to zoology, there are already examples of how these powerful analytical techniques can help advance the frontiers of science. The Accelerate Programme, based in this Department, works to support the wider adoption of AI for science, empowering a community of researchers to pursue new AI-enabled research directions.

Being able to handle data effectively is central to deploying AI. Python is a programming language that can support data processing and is often used in AI applications. This Python module addresses the need for more accessible resources that allow researchers to learn foundational coding skills.

Python for Science module
Introducing the Python for Science module, Neil Lawrence, DeepMind Professor of Machine Learning here, says: "The Accelerate-Spark Python for Science module offers an introduction to a foundational skill for data science and AI: the automation of data processing. It is tailored to researchers, taking participants through a series of data analysis questions and demonstrating how to answer those questions using Python."

The Accelerate-Spark Python for Science module can be accessed via Cambridge Spark’s learning platform. Participants can complete the course at their own pace and receive feedback on their progress via the platform.
To find out more about this opportunity, please see the FAQs published here.
To register to access the module, please complete this form.

Autumn 2022 Data Science Residency
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 from 26 May until 09:00 (BST) on 30 June 2022. 

To apply for the Data Science Residency, complete this form by 09:00 (BST) on 30 June.

You can find out how previous participants have benefited from this course on the Accelerate blog and read the FAQs here.

With any further questions, please contact [Javascript required]