WORKSHOP: Machine learning in the life sciences

This record includes training materials associated with the Australian BioCommons workshop ‘Machine Learning in the Life Sciences’ which took place on 19 - 20 August 2025.

Event description

Machine learning promises to revolutionise life science research by speeding up data analysis, enabling prediction of biological patterns and modelling complex biological systems.

But what exactly is machine learning and when should you use it?

This hands-on online workshop provides a high-level introduction to machine learning: what it is, its advantages and disadvantages compared to traditional modelling approaches and the types of scenarios where it may be the right tool for the job. 

Using example datasets and basic machine learning pipelines we contrast a few commonly used algorithms for constructing predictive models and explore some of their trade-offs. We discuss common pitfalls in how machine learning is applied and evaluated, with a focus on its application in the life sciences, to help you recognise overly optimistic results. We dis

Lead trainer: 

• Dr Benjamin Goudey, AI Technical Lead, Australian BioCommons

Facilitators:

• Dr Giorgia Mori, BioCloud Training and Communications Officer, Australian BioCommons

Host:

• Dr Melissa Burke, Training Manager, Australian BioCommons.

Training materials

Materials are shared under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International agreement unless otherwise specified and were current at the time of the event.

Files and materials included in this record:

• Event metadata (PDF): Information about the event including, description, event URL, learning objectives, prerequisites, technical requirements etc.

Materials shared elsewhere:

The slides and Google colab notebook used in this workshop are available on GitHub:
https://github.com/bwgoudey/IntroMLforLifeScienceWorkshopR