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BI5401: INTRODUCTION TO BAYESIAN INFERENCE (2017-2018)

Last modified: 27 Feb 2018 13:40


Course Overview

 

This course is one of the few postgraduate courses in Europe to provide an introduction to Bayesian inference for biologists, which is increasingly used in advanced quantitative research. A combination of lectures and personal research will provide you with the core concepts necessary to understand recent research in your field and apply Bayesian approaches to your own research. Hands-on computer tutorials will also allow you to implement statistical models in a Bayesian context and provide you with the essential skills for taking it further.

Course Details

Study Type Postgraduate Level 5
Term First Term Credit Points 7.5 credits (3.75 ECTS credits)
Campus Old Aberdeen Sustained Study No
Co-ordinators
  • Dr Thomas Cornulier
  • Professor David Lusseau

Qualification Prerequisites

None.

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

  • BI5010 Statistics for Complex Study Designs (Studied)
  • One of Any Postgraduate Programme (Studied) or Master Of Science In Marine Conservation or MSci Biological Sciences

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

None.

Are there a limited number of places available?

No

Course Description

Week 1: Introduction to Bayesian statistics. After a refresher in probability theory and linear modelling, students are introduced to Bayes theorem, Bayesian inference, and estimation tools. Week 2-3: Bayesian implementation of models for various study designs. Students will learn to implement statistical models in the R/BUGS language and fit them to ecological data. Students will gain experience in the visualisation and validation of models and focus on their ecological interpretation. Students will start by implementing models that they have already covered using a frequentist approach in previous statistics courses (BI5009 and BI5010), thereby reinforcing concepts taught in those courses. The course will then progress to cover more advanced study designs involving simple hierarchical models and latent variables.

Associated Costs

None


Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers


Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 30 August 2024 for 1st term courses and 20 December 2024 for 2nd term courses.

Summative Assessments

1 online assessment via myaberdeen and 1 short essay.

Formative Assessment

There are no assessments for this course.

Feedback

None.

Course Learning Outcomes

None.

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