Graduate Training Program

We support graduate students through an interdisciplinary portfolio of offers through our Graduate Training Program. Our offers span from research-oriented courses on mobile robotics to soft skills courses on video production. The program is tailored to our PhD students’ needs and encourages interdisciplinarity within our Cluster.

For general offers, see the University of Bonn’s Argelander Program for Early Career Researchers and at Forschungszentrum Jülich JuDocS: Jülich Center for Doctoral Researchers and Supervisors.

PhenoRob Offers

Research-oriented and Technical Courses

Advanced Model Specification with LASSO

Convolutional Neural Networks for Visual Recognition

Crop Physiology

Decision-Making for Autonomous Robots

Image Analysis Methods for Biologists

Machine Learning for All

Machine Learning in Applied Economic Analysis

Measuring, Analyzing and Modelling Phenotypes and Field Heterogeneities

Summer Term 2022
Uwe Rascher, Ribana Roscher, Onno Muller & Lasse Klingbeil
Forschungszentrum Jülich & University of Bonn
In-person project module
12 Credit Points

Course content:

Small groups of students plan, carry out and present small projects in the context of PhenoRob field experiments and data.
In the course you will develop your research question, prepare a measurement plan for obtaining field data and or analyzing (existing) field data, obtain your data and analyze these, discuss and present your results.

Prerequisites: Background in agriculture OR Background in Geodesy OR Background in Computer Science OR Similar

Organization: 2 in 1 Modules, carried out together with students from MSc Crop Science.

Mobile Robotics

Modern C++ – Lectures & Tutorials (2020 Edition)

Parallel and Scalable Machine Learning for Remote Sensing Big Data

Phenomics Webinars

Photogrammetric Computer Vision

Simulation of Agricultural and Biological Systems

Winter Term 2022/2023
Sabine Seidel & Daniel Wallach
University of Bonn
In-person module
6 Credit Points

Course content:

The course focuses on the principles, tools and practice of working with crop models (and more generally system models).
The course begins by teaching two basic tools; the R programming language, which will be used throughout the course, and statistical notions for system modeling.
Also a simple crop model from the literature (appropriately named SIMPLE) is presented in detail and discussed. This illustrates the nature of dynamic system models, and is the basis for discussing some basic processes of plant growth and development. Importantly, the model includes effects of CO2 level.
Three essential methods of working with dynamic models are considered in detail; uncertainty and sensitivity analysis, model calibration and model evaluation.
Throughout the course, the SIMPLE model, programmed in R, will be used as an example and for exercises.
The textbook is “Working with Dynamic Crop Models”, of which D. Wallach is first author.

Organization: 2 in 1 Modules, carried out together with students from MSc Crop Science.

Sustainable Soil Management: Soil for Life

Terrestrisches Laserscanning

The Art of Modelling

Uncertainty of Point Clouds

Entrepreneurship for Researchers

Soft Skills Courses

Abstract Writing

October 25, 2022
Annette Kolb
coachacademics
Live half-day course via Zoom
1 Credit Point

Course content:

Learn about the function of a scientific abstract in general
Be informed about the characteristics and specific challenges of different types of abstracts
Engage in writing exercises for different types of abstracts and identify their personal challenges and hurdles
Feel more comfortable regarding their own upcoming abstract writing activities

Basics of Science Communication

Build Confidence for the PhD Defense

Entrepreneurship for Researchers

From Your Research to Your Company

German for Agricultural Sciences

Good Scientific Practice

February 27 & 28, 2023 (In-person course)
March 3 & 4, 2022 (Online course via Zoom)
Michael Mende
2 Credit Points

Course content:

Rules of research integrity and Good Scientific Practices
How to Avoid Research Misconduct
Introduction to the standard statutes of research integrity (Singapore Statement, , ALLEA Code of Conduct, DFG Codex, Guidelines of the Hochschulrektorenkonferenz) as well as local regulations
Raising awareness for the significance of Good Scientific Practices with respect to different scientific disciplines
Preparing scientists for the complexities and dilemmas of the day-to-day research life by promoting moral and value development:
- Recognizing Scientific Misconduct
- Data storage, handling and protection
- Documentation
- Publication process and Authorship
- Plagiarism
- Conflict Resolution / Ombudssystem

How to Market Your Own Research via YouTube

March 1, 2021
Jan Faßbender
So geht YouTube

Course content:

Advantages of YouTube as a platform for information exchange
Advantages of the medium video
How to integrate a YouTube channel with other websites and social media
How to find the right target audience, address them in videos and keep their attention
Different ways to give a value to a video
Tricks and tools to be better found on YouTube
The right structure for an appealing video

Improv Theater

Individual Career Coaching

April 20 & 27, 2021
Caroline Ketting
KettingCoaching
Individual coaching sessions via Zoom
0 Credit Points

Support on individual career topics:

Where do you want to go?
Would you like to stay in academia?
What are your possibilities outside academia?
How do you manage career development and professional changes?
Are there obstacles to overcome?
How can you proceed in a targeted and efficient way?
All this without losing sight of work-life balance?

Make contacts that count: Live, Virtual and Online Networking and Personal Branding

January 26 & 27, 2023
Mark Edwards
Kompetenzia International
Live course via Zoom
2 Credit Points

Course content:

The purpose of a network
Construction and maintenance of a co-operation network (or research group)
Strategic co-operation within the scientific community:
universities and non-university research institutions, businesses and organizations
Growing the network: how to approach a prospective partner
Typical problems in networks
Post-corona techniques: how to network at a social distance
Use of online networks; linked in, academic networks, Twitter and other social media
Formal and informal networks in the scientific community
The advantages of Giving as a professional work-style

Narrating Your Science

Paper Trailer Videos

PhD... and then?

Project Management for PhDs

March 7 & 10, 2022
Christian Stein
Lukas Bischof Hochschulberatung
Live course via Zoom
3 Credit Points

Course content:

Systematic planning & implementation of projects
The 4 phases of a project cycle and their properties
Creating new approaches to solutions for your current challenges
Getting to know helpful online tools for digital project work
Using concepts and methods from project management for your PhD

Science Communication

December 13 & 14, 2022
Kristin Raabe
In-person course
2 Credit Points

Course content:

Goal: Why am I communicating?
Target audience: Who am I addressing?
Role: Who am I?
Topic & Message: What am I communicating?
Formats: Where do I communicate?
Media: Which tools can I use to communicate?
Style: How do I communicate?

22 February, 2021
Elisabeth Hoffmann
Live course via Zoom
2 Credit Points

Course content:

Introduction to media work including an overview of the different channels of science communication
Learn how to set up a communication concept professionally
Receive ideas for customized measures for your own topics and interests
Discuss guidelines for good science communication
Find out who and what can support you to communicate effectively

Scientific Writing

January 10, 2023
April 4, 2022
January 13 & 14, 2021
August 20 & 27, 2020

Lesley-Anne Weiling
Write English
In-person course
2 Credit Points

Course content:

Understand what makes good academic writing and the influence of culture on writing style
Learn the structure of an English paper and how to indicate your paper’s importance
Discover how to introduce a narrative structure into your paper
Find out how to create cohesion in paragraphs and write well-structured sentences
Learn classic mistakes made when writing academic texts and how to correct them

Social Media in Science

Talk like TED: Convincing Presentations

Talks That Don't Suck - A Guide to Improve Your Talks

The Art of Leadership

February 16 & 17, 2023
Kathrin Keune
artbased solutions
In-person course
3 Credit Points

Course content:

Day 1 -

Theoretical and practical understanding of leadership beyond the gender discussion
Different leadership models and the discovery of owns own personal style (artsbased
process) - taking into consideration diversity aspects
Roles and responsibilities of a leader

Day 2 -

Leading communication on all levels: Initiating, supervising, mentoring, criticising,
motivating
Conflict management
Body Language as a leadership tool

The German Science System

Time Management and Stress Coping

Training on Voice and Speech

Twitter for Science Communication

Video Workshop: Shoot It Yourself!

Visualizing Science Projects