Data Visualization with R

Spring 2026

Sarah Miéville, CUSO coordinator, Microbiologie

Corinne Dentan, CUSO coordinator, StarOmics
Debora Zoia, CUSO coordinator, MPS
Catherine Suarez, CUSO coordinator, E&E

Dr Frédéric Schütz, UNIL & SIB

Scientific results are mostly conveyed through graphics and tables, and representing data graphically in a clear way is an important task for any scientist. Creating such graphs is not a trivial task though and choosing the right representation depends on many factors: among the most important the data itself, the message that the researcher wants to get across, and the way in which the data is presented (a figure in an article is completely different from a figure in slides). During this course, we will present different ways for representing data, how to choose among them, why you should avoid using error bars, how to design efficient graphs, which tools to use (and which tools to avoid!), how to design graphs for specific media, good practices for plotting data, and common mistakes to avoid. This course will also include practicals using the R statistical software; during these practicals, we will discuss and introduce the differents models for creating graphics in R (including base R and ggplot2).

At the end of the course, the participants are expected to:

• apply data visualisation methods to represent their data and get their message across
• choose the right method to represent a dataset graphically
• use the R software (base R and ggplot2) to produce data visualization.

TBA

University of Lausanne, Room TBA

Reimbursements for CUSO Students: Train ticket, 2°class, half-fare from your institution to the place of the activity.

Reimbursement of your travel tickets can be asked online through your MyCUSO. See HERE for the procedure.

For any question concerning reimbursement please contact the CUSO Microbiology coordinator Sarah Miéville

Registration HERE

Important informations :

• A waiting list will be prepared to ensure that there are no empty seats.
• For cancellations after the deadline of registration or no-show: 50 CHF administrative fee

24