Call for DDLS Research School courses

Call for DDLS Research School Courses to be given 2027

Are you interested in giving a course within the DDLS Research School? If so, this call is for you.

The DDLS Research School (RS) opens the call for courses in topics of relevance for data-driven life science research. The call is open to any researcher with an affiliation to a Swedish university. Here we ask for courses to be given in 2027, primarily to 3rd year DDLS RS PhD students.

The DDLS RS offers courses and other activities to the DDLS PhD students. The students enrolled in the DDLS RS take courses within the RS during three years. The courses given the first and second years are listed here: https://www.scilifelab.se/data-driven/ddls-research-school/courses/. These courses will likely remain and be given to first and second year DDLS RS PhD students also in 2027.

In this Call for DDLS Research School Courses with deadline 14 August 2026, we ask for proposals of courses that the senior DDLS RS students can attend during 2027, their third year in the DDLS RS. These courses will be elective.

We primarily solicit courses (3-5 credits/course) within the broad categories listed below:

AI, advanced machine learning, data science, and statistical methods or applications with relevance for data-driven life science
DDLS Research Area specific courses
Industrial applications of data-driven life science
Science communication and other soft skills (leadership, grant applications etc)
Introduction to molecular biology and relevant high-throughput technologies for PhD students with computational background (N.b., such a course would likely be an elective first-year course)

A list of specific course suggestions from current DDLS PhD students is available here. This list can serve as an inspiration, but is not a final list.

The DDLS RS courses are provided as a program with an intended study order (curriculum), enabling progression within the program. Specifically, the courses in this call will be offered to the DDLS RS PhD students during their third year. The second and third year courses are offered as elective courses, where the DDLS PhD students will be able to choose from 2-4 courses per semester. We encourage you to, if applicable, build upon the learning outcomes of (a relevant subset of) the existing DDLS RS courses. We also welcome courses that are specific to any of the four Strategic DDLS Research areas: https://www.scilifelab.se/data-driven/ddls-research/, as well as courses with interdisciplinary focus.

The course should:

Foster the networking within the DDLS PhD student community
Be at the PhD course level (3rd cycle)
Encompass 3-5 hp
Take place on site 4-5 days, likely with digital activities before and after the on site session. The on site session should include at least one social event for the participants (e.g., a dinner, possibly w. additional social activities).
Be given once per year (exceptions may occur) either in the spring or in the fall, and likely during several years, upon agreement between DDLS RS and the course leader.
If and where applicable build upon (i) the prerequisites for the DDLS RS as specified in the DDLS PhD candidate selection document point 6, available at https://www.lyyti.fi/questions/b8c433050c; and (ii) the learning outcomes of (a relevant subset of) the first and second year DDLS Research School courses, see https://www.scilifelab.se/data-driven/ddls-research-school/courses/ for course contents

The course leader and, where applicable, the host department, should:

Be prepared to accept at least 20 and probably not more than 70 DDLS RS PhD students to the course for 2027, and at least 30 from 2028 and onwards: note that the 3rd year courses will be elective and there is a realistic possibility that the number of students will be lower than 30. The course leader is allowed to accept additional PhD students outside DDLS RS to the course; this is decided by the course leader (no additional reimbursement from DDLS)
Be obliged to give the course if at least 6 DDLS RS PhD students have signed up 3 weeks ahead of the course start (date of first course event). If 5 or fewer students, course leader may cancel the course after consulting with DDLS RS directors
Provide relevant course material according to the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles, as agreed with DDLS RS directors
Perform a course evaluation among the students after each completed course, and communicate the results of the course evaluation to the DDLS RS directors within 2 months of the last course activity
Inform DDLS RS directors on the results of the students on the course within 2 months of the last course activity
Participate in discussions with the DDLS RS directors and other course leaders within the DDLS RS to improve the courses and the curriculum

Reimbursement:

Each course will be reimbursed by a fixed sum paid to the course leader’s department. The current reimbursement model for courses given 2026 is available here [pdf], but it may be modified for 2027.

The social activity will be reimbursed with a fixed sum per confirmed participant.

Welcome to submit your interest as a course provider by using the “Apply Here” button below.

Apply here

Deadline August 14, 14:00

For questions please contact: ddls@scilifelab.se