3-day online workshop course: Python for life scientists

REGISTER NOW for our new intensive 15-hour intensive Python for Biology being offered in March 2023, more details on the course page

Already successfully taught to researchers at Harvard Medical School and MIT, this workshop-based course Python For Life Scientists, is an intensive, 3-day course that students take over the web. No travel is required - students work from their own location and all that is needed to take the course, is a computer with a decent internet connection. We are not currently offering this version of the course, but please checkout our 15-hour Python for Biology course

THE AIM OF THIS COURSE IS TO GIVE LIFE SCIENTISTS WITH LITTLE OR NO CODING EXPERIENCE, ENOUGH OF A FOUNDATION IN PYTHON FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO START USING IT IN THEIR OWN RESEARCH.

Based upon our the book Python for the Life Sciences, we created this course specifically for biologists with little or no prior experience writing code. At most colleges unfortunately, courses in coding and basic computer science are still not a part of the core curriculum for the life sciences, yet biologists are increasingly discovering the need to move beyond calculators and spreadsheets in order to handle their data and the more quantitative aspects of their own research. Our aim on this course, is to provide the life scientist with a foundation in Python sufficient for them to be able to start using it in their own research. Just as it's quicker and easier to learn to drive by actually driving rather than being a passenger, so this course emphasizes hands-on, experiential learning. There is some component of traditional classroom learning, but much of this course is composed of coding exercises and workshops. The best way to learn Python is to take the wheel yourself! We therefore encourage every student to participate fully in the coding exercises and workshops, since this will solidify their foundation in Python in a way that classroom learning alone, cannot.

Although this course is offered online, it has live instructors who give the lectures and guide the students through the assignments- providing assistance, feedback and even one-on-one tutorial-style help with the real-world problems that the students get to tackle. All of the course material is web-based, even the Python coding platform! This avoids the time that would otherwise have to be spent doing a Python installation on the laptop of every student, and it also ensures that every student is working in the same Python environment. The teaching starts right away. Furthermore, this means that whenever we are using Python code to work with files, those files will always be read from, and written to, the web-based Python platform. Since none of the students’ Python code will ever be reading or writing files that are actually on their computers, there's no need to worry about it compromising the integrity or security of their computer's files.

Student Testimonials

“A really good course and course concept!!!”

“The course lecturer was excellent, I will be happy to attend more of the courses that he teaches. I would be interested in an advanced course that will follow the introduction class so I can practice and develop more of my Python skills.”

“A well designed and thought out program.”


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from the basics of the Python language ...

This course assumes no prior knowledge or experience of writing computer code. It starts at the very beginning with basic concepts about how to represent and store numbers, text, lists and so on. Almost all of the examples are taken from real-world biology problems, and at every stage, workshop exercises that demonstrate real, biological applications of Python, help the students to truly assimilate their new knowledge and skills.

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to object-oriented programming ...

Object-oriented programming (OOP) is a a great coding paradigm to learn for building larger, more complex systems and applications in Python. We give students a concise but solid introduction to OOP that will serve them well not only with Python, but also for many other widely-used programming languages for which OOP is the dominant approach. As with the rest of the course, the teaching is augmented by hands-on workshop exercises in which the students will implement their own classes and objects, in order to see first hand how OOP helps them to organize their code and make it more robust.

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all demonstrated with real biology applications

One of the unique features of this course is that it’s being taught by consultants who are actually using Python in almost all of their work for the research organizations that are their clients. The range and diversity of real life science research applications to which they have applied Python, is also reflected in the course. Students of this course will get to try out and consolidate their new Python skills in life science applications ranging from biochemical kinetics and DNA sequencing, to laboratory assay design, population dynamics and the stochastic modeling of cell signaling pathways.


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  • Cancellation with full refund within 72 hours of registration

  • No refunds beyond 72 hours after registration (without Purchase Protection option)

  • No refunds within 72 hours of the start of the course (without Purchase Protection option)

  • Amber Biology reserves the right to cancel the course and issue full refunds if enrolment minimum is not reached

Upcoming Sessions

  • We are currently offering an new intensive 15-hour (5 x 3 hour sessions) online course, that is largely similar to this 3-day course, please see the Python for Biology course page. Please contact us if you are interested in the 3-day version of the course.

Previous Sessions

PYTHON FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS: INTENSIVE 3-DAY ONLINE WORKSHOP - MAY 12th 2021

  • Wednesday May 12th - Friday May 14th 2021

  • Online workshop (via Zoom) runs each day from 10:00AM to 4:00PM (U.S. Eastern Time)

  • Registration Limit: 30 students

PYTHON FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS: INTENSIVE 2-DAY ONLINE WORKSHOP - APRIL 7th 2020

  • Tuesday April 7th - Wednesday April 8th 2020

  • Online workshop (via Zoom) runs each day from 9:00AM to 5:00PM (U.S. Eastern Time)

  • Registration Limit: 30 students

PYTHON FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS: INTENSIVE 2-DAY ONLINE WORKSHOP - APRIL 28th 2020

  • Tuesday April 28th - Wednesday April 29th 2020

  • Online workshop (via Zoom) runs each day from 9:00AM to 5:00PM (U.S. Eastern Time)

  • Registration Limit: 30 students