The third DKZ.2R Data Competence College will be hosted from September 28th to 30th at the University of Cologne. Based on the concept of the Wissenschaftskolleg in Berlin or the Institute of Advanced Studies in Princeton, we have invited individuals with high data competence from different scientific fields (“Data Experts”) as part of the data competence college.

This event is aimed at early career researchers from all scientific fields and domains!

Data Experts: We invited three individuals with very high data competence who will give keynote presentations and act as data experts:

• Dr. Anna Poetsch works on employing computational techniques and machine learning approachers to assess and model DNA damage and repair processes, mutagenesis and genome editing to develop clinical applications. Her group established a novel technique for genome-wide measurements of oxidative DNA damage and contributed to the understanding of genome editing precision.

• Dr. Julia Kowalski is Professor of Methods for Model-based Development in Computational Engineering at RWTH Aachen University. Her research focuses on computational methods for the prediction and analysis of complex engineering systems and environmental processes, including geohazards. She is an advocate for open science, FAIR principles, and sustainable research software, with a particular interest in holistic workflow engineering and ensuring the “analysis-readiness” of data to maximize the knowledge return from computational investments.

• Anoop Chandran is part of the Jülich Supercomputing Centre of Forschungszentrum Jülich and provides expertise in Machine Learning, High Performance Computing and AI. He will present a Keynote on “Data Preparation and Dimensionality Reduction”.

For three days we aim to create a space where early career researchers can learn from the data experts and each other regarding research data and methods but also data experts can inspire each other. The schedule includes keynote presentations by all data experts, poster presentations by the participants, and 1:1 sessions between data experts and early career researchers, as well as a variety of method- and data-related workshops. We aim at creating an environment in which everyone feels safe to give input, share their knowledge and learn from the other participants and experts. This years optional workshops at the Data Competence College will focus on Machine Learning methods, Deep Learning and Neural Networks.

The exchange with and among experts from different disciplines and/or areas of focus in particular can provide new impetus for data processing or methodical data analysis. In this way, the DKZ.2R Data Competence College forms the focus of mutual enrichment participants and experts alike.

Visit our DKZ.2R Zenodo community to find more about the first and second Data Competence Colleges.

Use this link to register to the Data Competence College: Registration Link

Event Details:

• Time: Monday, September 28th - Wednesday, September 30th, 2025
• Location: University of Cologne, Weyertal 119a, 50931 (Building 911, S221 & S224)

Preliminary Schedule of Events:

A downloadable schedule can be found here.

NOTE: The Workshops “Introduction to Machine Learning” and “Deep Learning & Neural Networks” do not built on each other. PhD students affiliated with HDS-LEE are obliged to take part in the advanced “Deep Learning & Neural Networks” workshop, while all other participants can choose freely depending on their prior knowledge.