Summer School 2026

Machine Learning in Biology

A four-day summer school equipping life scientists with the practical skills to apply machine learning to their own data.

15–18 June 2026 · Mon–Thu University of Bern · Main Building, Room 304 30 seats · first-come, first-served

About the Course

This four-day summer school equips life scientists with the practical skills to apply machine learning to their own data. Mornings cover the methodological foundations — supervised and unsupervised learning, model evaluation, and the pitfalls specific to biological datasets. Afternoons are spent in hands-on coding sessions working with realistic biological problems.

The programme includes a one-day mini-symposium on Wednesday in which researchers present current applications of machine learning in biological and biomedical research, providing context for how the methods covered translate into ongoing science.

Who should attend

PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and scientific staff in the life sciences who want to move beyond using machine learning as a black box.

Prior experience with R is helpful but not required; participants without programming background should expect to invest additional effort during the practical sessions.

What You Will Gain

A Working Vocabulary

The ability to read ML methods sections critically and discuss them with collaborators.

Hands-on Competence

You will train, validate, and interpret models on biological data during the course.

Judgement

Recognising when ML is the right tool, which method fits the question, and how to avoid the most common failure modes — data leakage, overfitting, batch effects.

A Network

Four days of close interaction with instructors, invited speakers, and peers from across Swiss life-science institutions.

Programme

Monday
15 June
09:30
Introduction & Welcome
10:00
Coffee Break
10:30–12:00
Lectures
12:00–13:00
Lunch
13:00–15:00
Lectures & Practicals
15:00
Coffee Break
15:30–17:00
Practicals
Tuesday
16 June
08:30–10:00
Lectures
10:00
Coffee Break
10:30–12:00
Practicals
12:00–13:00
Lunch
13:00–15:00
Lectures & Practicals
15:00
Coffee Break
15:30–17:00
Practicals & Discussion
Wednesday
17 June · Mini-Symposium
10:00
Coffee & Welcome
10:30–12:00
Invited Talks
Speakers to be announced
12:00–13:30
Lunch
13:30–15:00
Invited Talks
Speakers to be announced
15:00
Coffee Break
Thursday
18 June
08:30–10:00
Lectures
10:00
Coffee Break
10:30–12:00
Practicals
12:00–13:00
Lunch
13:00–15:00
Lectures & Practicals
15:00
Coffee Break
15:30–17:00
Discussion & Closing
Note: The detailed programme will be published here as it is finalised. Wednesday's mini-symposium speakers will be announced as confirmations are received.

Registration

CUSO Member
CHF 50
CHF 230 with hotel (3 nights)
Includes course materials, lunches, coffee breaks, and social event.
CUSO reimburses a substantial part of participation costs directly via myCUSO. Travel costs (half-fare train, 2nd class) reimbursed separately.
Non-CUSO Participant
CHF 190
CHF 670 with hotel (3 nights)
Includes course materials, lunches, coffee breaks, and social event.
Hotel: 3 nights incl. breakfast near the University of Bern.
Register Now
Registration opens 11 May 2026 · Deadline 8 June 2026 · 30 seats, first-come first-served

Venue

The summer school takes place in Room 304 of the Main Building (Hauptgebäude) of the University of Bern, centrally located in the heart of the city.

Bern is easily reachable by train from all major Swiss cities. The main building is a 10-minute walk from Bern central station.

Directions and building information →

University of Bern — Main Building

Hochschulstrasse 4

3012 Bern, Switzerland

Room 304 (3rd floor)