Evolution workshops

Investigate whether conserved protein structures can improve phylogenetic inference for deeply diverged or rapidly evolving sequences. The workflow retrieves predicted structures, evaluates homology and alignment quality, and combines amino-acid and Foldseek 3Di representations for likelihood-based trees. Exercises compare structural alignment tools, evolutionary models, information criteria and distance methods, then visualise and statistically compare trees. Discussions examine assumptions and limitations of structure-based evidence. Live sessions: 2, 4, 5 and 6 November, 08:00–12:00, Europe/Madrid (CET, UTC+01:00). Total 22 hours: 16 live plus six independent. English-language live online course; Fee €560; Ambassador Institution rate €448. VAT included. Capacity: 15. R experience is expected and Unix familiarity is helpful. Participants install the listed analysis and visualisation software before the course. Registration requires acceptance; payment follows confirmation. Recordings are provided, but live attendance is required for a certificate.

Transposable-element biology and evolution are connected with practical bioinformatic methods for identifying and analysing repetitive DNA. Participants examine how these mobile sequences influence genome structure, gene regulation and epigenetic states, and why their rapid evolution complicates computational annotation. The programme combines conceptual instruction with analysis exercises across the published five-day schedule. Teaching runs online from 14:00 to 19:00 Berlin time. The listed course package costs €480.

Reconstruct evolutionary trees while representing prior knowledge and uncertainty in BEAST2. Lectures and tutorials explain prior selection, birth–death and coalescent models, fossil information, multispecies coalescence and rate variation across clades. Participants compare models and troubleshoot practical analyses, with time to develop their own datasets. The emphasis is on choosing and diagnosing complex models rather than treating software settings as a black box. Live Zoom sessions: 30 November; 2, 4, 7, 9 and 11 December, 15:00–18:30, Europe/Madrid (CET, UTC+01:00). Total 35 hours: 21 live plus 14 independent, with Slack-supported tasks. English-language live online course; Fee €680; Ambassador Institution rate €544. VAT included. Capacity: 20. A Biology degree, or palaeontological background, and familiarity with Bayesian phylogenetics are expected; an introductory video series can supply the prerequisite. Registration requires acceptance; payment follows confirmation. Recordings are provided, but live attendance is required for a certificate.

Infer evolutionary relationships and divergence times from multilocus genomic data while accounting for sources of misleading phylogenetic signal. The workshop examines orthologue selection, sequence-evolution models and discordance caused by incomplete lineage sorting and introgression. Lectures and hands-on exercises develop time-calibrated phylogenies and compare the assumptions of alternative inference methods. Analyses run in a prepared cloud environment so participants can concentrate on statistical methods, model choices and interpretation. Live online, 30 November–4 December, 12:00–18:00 Europe/Berlin (CET). Fee €530. Intended for PhD and postdoctoral researchers planning multilocus phylogenetic studies. Basic Unix command-line knowledge is required; familiarity with scripting is useful.

Use existing evolutionary trees to investigate ancestral traits, geographic histories and diversification. Participants edit, plot and time-scale phylogenies, reconstruct discrete and continuous characters, assess phylogenetic signal and compare models of trait evolution. Practical work introduces comparative methods, lineage-through-time plots and variation in diversification rates through Mesquite, FigTree and R packages. The course addresses dependence among species and evolutionary processes over deep time; reconstructing trees is outside its scope. Live sessions: 11, 13, 14, 18 and 20 January, 10:00–14:00, Europe/Madrid (CET, UTC+01:00). Total 40 hours: 20 live plus 20 recorded lessons and assignments. English-language live online course; Fee €470 until 31 October, then €584; Ambassador rates €376/€467.20. VAT included. Capacity: 16. For Biology graduates and palaeontologists; preparatory recorded R lessons are provided. Registration requires acceptance; payment follows confirmation. Recordings are provided, but live attendance is required for a certificate.

Comparative genomics and single-cell transcriptomics are combined to investigate cell-type evolution. Guided exercises progress from orthology inference and gene-family trees to single-cell preprocessing, clustering and annotation, followed by cross-species comparisons. The course examines duplication, gene loss, study design and how evolutionary relationships among genes affect proposed correspondences between cell populations. It also addresses limitations of using expression similarity as evidence for cell-type homology. The audience is postgraduate students and researchers with basic evolutionary and genomics knowledge. Sessions run 14:00–18:00 Berlin time; the listed course fee is €480.

Study human and non-human ancient DNA from sampling and laboratory methods to computational interpretation. Lectures address degradation, contamination, extraction, library preparation and sequencing choices. Hands-on work covers preprocessing, mapping and reference bias, authentication and damage, low-coverage genotype approaches, ancestry estimation, phylogenomic analysis and admixture statistics. The programme connects these methods to evolutionary and archaeological questions while examining ethical responsibilities and limits of inference from degraded material. Live sessions: 21, 22, 25, 26 and 27 January, 16:00–20:30, Europe/Madrid (CET, UTC+01:00). Total 26 hours: 22.5 live plus 3.5 independent. English-language live online course; Fee €548 until 31 October, then €638; Ambassador rates €438.40/€510.40. VAT included. Capacity: 16. A Life Sciences degree and Linux command-line/bash experience are required. A temporary server supplies the software and datasets. Registration requires acceptance; payment follows confirmation. Recordings are provided, but live attendance is required for a certificate.

Generate and interpret genomic evidence from natural-history collections. Lectures and practicals address historical-DNA extraction, library preparation and sequencing, then mapping, damage, contamination and coverage biases. Analyses of population structure, relatedness, diversity and demographic history lead into temporal studies of adaptation, genetic erosion and genetic load. Case studies connect museum specimens with molecular ecology and conservation decisions. 2027-02-08–2027-02-12, 09:00–14:00 daily, Europe/Berlin (CET, UTC+01:00). Online course; fee €530. Basic evolutionary-genomics and population-genetics knowledge is required.

Compare eukaryotic genomes to investigate evolutionary change and biological differences. Hands-on workflows span read quality and assembly, gene and repeat annotation, completeness assessment and visualization. Participants detect sequence and structural variation, compare synteny, infer orthology and explore gene loss and functional annotation, linking technical choices to evolutionary interpretation. Short- and long-read approaches are covered, with cloud computing and introductory Linux support. 2027-02-15–2027-02-19, 14:00–20:00 daily, Europe/Berlin (CET, UTC+01:00). Online course; fee €530. Biological knowledge and basic sequencing familiarity are recommended. Participants may bring their own datasets.

The course teaches causal reasoning for ecological and evolutionary studies where controlled experiments may be impractical. Participants translate biological hypotheses into directed graphs, identify confounding and selection structures, and fit Bayesian structural equation models in R. Practical work covers posterior diagnostics, mediation, mixed response types, hidden causes, competing models and phylogenetic dependence. The programme emphasizes what observational evidence can and cannot establish, with opportunities to develop analyses for participants’ own systems. Online sessions run 14:00–18:00 Berlin time. The course fee is €480.

Use population genomic data to investigate structure, gene flow, demographic history and natural selection. The workshop starts with short-read quality control, alignment and variant calling, then examines supervised and unsupervised population-structure inference and introgression. Further sessions compare coalescent, composite-likelihood and approximate Bayesian demographic models, genome-wide association and selection scans, and genotype–environment associations. Landscape-genomic exercises test isolation by distance, environmental effects and barriers to gene flow. Live online, 22–26 February, 14:00–19:00 Europe/Berlin (CET). Fee €530. Intended for graduate students, postdocs and researchers with genetics and evolutionary biology knowledge; programming experience, Unix and R are expected.

Develop phylogenetic comparative methods from their probabilistic foundations using Julia. Participants implement likelihood and Bayesian inference, including Markov chain Monte Carlo, and study Brownian motion, continuous-time Markov chains and birth–death processes. These tools are applied to trait evolution, biogeography and diversification, including the effects of environmental and biotic interactions. The practical course is intended for researchers familiar with programming, probability and phylogenetics; prior Julia experience is not required. Sessions on 1, 3, 5, 8, 10 and 12 March 2027, 14:00–18:00 Madrid time (CET). Fee including VAT: EUR 492 through 31 December 2026, then EUR 576; Ambassador Institution rates EUR 393.60 and EUR 460.80. Limited to 18 participants. Acceptance is confirmed before payment. Delivered live online in English with practical exercises. Live attendance is required for a certificate.

This practical course combines theory and computer exercises in sequence alignment, phylogenetic inference, hypothesis testing, natural selection, divergence dating and coalescent methods. It focuses on evolutionary analysis of nucleotide and protein sequence datasets rather than genome assembly or annotation. The course particularly suits early- and mid-stage doctoral researchers with some phylogenetics experience, access to their own data and basic Linux familiarity. Participants are selected through an application process.