Motivation

Most of the data in modern biomedical research comes in the form of digital images. Corner stone technologies in biomedical research such as light and electron microscopy, medical imaging, photography as well as biochemistry produce digital images as a primary data output. Furthermore, images obtained by any of the methods are not a final result. The final result needs to be extracted from the image in form of a number. In order to fully engage in biomedical research, plan and execute experiments as well as to be able to evaluate the work of other scientists one needs to understand the basic concepts in digital image handling and processes employed to extract numbers from images.

Moreover, there is a fear that intense publication-centric culture together with the easy-to-use image manipulation software and artificial intelligence, will lead to unethical practices and carelessness to get a publication. This will ultimately degrade the scientific activity leading to the "reproducibility crisis" and produce public mistrust.

In addition, the lack of digital image understanding can lead to accidental unethical image manipulation and scientific misconduct with devastating consequences for all parties involved, from students and PIs to universities and organizations. Thus, a solid understanding of digital image data is a fundamental competency that all generations of scientists must possess to maximize their potential in biomedical research and generate knowledge to help building a better society.

Goal

The course aims to introduce fundamental concepts in digital image handling and analysis, emphasizing the importance of ethical standards in image manipulation to ensure accurate conclusions and prevent potential scientific misconduct and paper retractions. Guidelines will be provided on preparing imaging data for analysis and publication. The course is tailored to life science researchers at all career stages, including PhD students, Postdocs, and PIs.

You can find the program here.

Registration

The number of participants is limited and on first-come-first-served basis. The registration deadline is 21.11.2025. 

You can register here (or by clicking on the red "Register" button in the top right corner) free of charge.

The course is organised by the Center for Integrative Infectious Diseases Research (CIID), German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Heidelberg University.