BIO322 Advanced Topics in Genomics

The course will give the students a broad conceptual understanding of how complex genomics data can be used to provide new biological insights. We will focus in particular on how we can study molecular mechanisms underlying biological differences at three levels; between species, between individual in a population and between cells in an organism.

The course has weekly lectures and group assignments where the students will work with specific analyses methods or the interpretation of results from analyses. The lectures are intended to introduction to a topic, while in the group assignments the students will gain practical experience with key concepts and methods used to analyse genomic variation.

KNOWLEDGE: At the end of the course, students will have knowledge about how genomic data from different species, between different individuals of the same species, and between different cells within an organism can be used to gain insight into biological phenomena. This will include conceptual principles specific to these three levels, along with methods and approaches and exposure to what kind of questions can be addressed at each level.

SKILLS: At the end of the course students should be able to design experiments, choose and prepare methods for analysing data, and be able to make a critical interpretation of results from such analyses.

GENERAL COMPETENCE: The student must have a good overview of both the possibilities and challenges of using genomics data to provide biological insight, so that he or she can make independent assessments of new methods and technologies in the future.