Statistical Principles and Experimental Design
We at IMB believe that statistical education is key to perform sound research, in particular in the life sciences. Hence, our module «Statistical Principles and Experimental Design» (CMS-COR-SED) aims at providing the necessary knowledge and tools to work adequately with data.
Upon completing the module, the students master the methodical and practical basics of statistical data analysis and modelling, as well as the planning of experiments. They are able to describe and analyse data using statistical methods and interpret their results correctly. Furthermore, they gain the ability to plan experiments in such a way that a subsequent data evaluation in the context of the respective question is meaningful and efficient.
All theory is accompanied by practical assignments where we use R, the free software environment for statistical computing and graphics.
Content
- basic concepts of probability theory (e.g. random variables, distributions)
- schools of statistical inference (Frequentist vs Bayesian vs likelihood-based)
- estimation methods (e.g. point and interval estimators)
- principle and application of statistical tests (e.g. significance tests and goodness of fit tests)
- regression models (e.g. linear and generalised linear models),
- principles of experimental design (e.g. replication, randomisation, block formation)
- special designs (e.g. factorial designs, block designs)
- aspects of sample size planning
Our course consists of lectures (2 semester hours) on Friday mornings and practical seminars (2 semester hours) on Monday mornings throughout the winter semester. Usually, a written examination concludes the module. CMS-COR-SED is obligatory for students of the track «Computational Life Science» in the 1st semester. All other students are free to elect this module.
Lecturer: Prof Dr Ingo Roeder, Dr Anna Klimova, Matthias Kuhn