Data Visualization With R

30-31 March 2026

Mme Corinne Dentan, CUSO StarOmics
Dre Caty Suarez, CUSO E&E
Mme Debora Zoia, CUSO MPS
Dre Sarah Miéville, CUSO Microbiology

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.

Schedule:

09h00-10h30
Coffee Break
11h00-12h15
Lunch break
13h30-15h00
Coffee Break
15h30-17h00

University of Lausanne, Amphipôle 334

Map

This course is organized in collaboration with the CUSO Doctoral Programs in Ecology & Evolution, Microbial Sciences and StarOmics and the Doctoral School in Life Sciences of Neuchâtel (DSLS)

Reimbursements for CUSO StarOmics 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.

Reimbursement for DSLS Students: Train ticket, 2°class, half-fare from Neuchâtel to the place of the activity. DSLS participants must keep all original tickets and receipts. For any question concerning reimbursement please contact Sarah Miéville (DSLS coordinator at [email protected]) or visit https://www.unine.ch/dp-biol/courses-activities/

REGISTRATION IS OPEN

Deadline for registration: 23 February 2026, prolonged until March 9.

24 places available for CUSO students (8 StarOmics, 9 E&E, 3 MPS, 2 Microbiologie, 2 DSLS)

For cancellations after February 23 or no show: administrative fees

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