The 9^th BioSpec's interdisciplinary summer school in machine learning for biosciences

BioSpec Norway, as part of Norwegian University of Life Sciences, is organizing an interdiciplinary summer school for Master and PhD students dedicated to analysis of biological data in infrared spectroscopy.

BioSpec summer school 2026

Date: June 15^th – June 19^th

Virtual component (pre-course): April 1^st - June 8^th

Where: Online and physical (NMBU, Ås, Norway) presence

Course credits: 5 ECTS (optional, see details)

Funding: through Blended Intensive Program (BIP) within Erasmus+

BIP-number: 2025-1-NO01-KA131-HED-000321241-1

Questions? Contact biospec@nmbu.no

We’ve received a high number of applications, so registration is now closed. Join our waiting list to be notified of any openings: waiting list

About BioSpec summer school 2026

Participants will be given an introduction to fundamental concepts in cell biology, machine learning, and the physics of infrared absorption, delivered by distinguished scientists in these fields.

The primary objective of the summer school is to offer practical experience in tackling a complex research problem within a multidisciplinary team. Biology, physics, and computer science students will collaborate on a two-day project, culminating in a defense and a presentation session. This session will provide an opportunity for early-stage researchers to share their research findings with their peers.

Hybrid: Physical and digital presence
The summer school has been held in different formats in the past, with physical events held in 2018 and 2019 and digital versions in 2020, 2021, and 2022. In recent years, we have adopted a hybrid model, combining both physical and digital elements. We intend to continue this hybrid format for the BioSpec Summer School 2026.
This approach will allow participants to join either digitally or in-person. All lectures will be live-streamed, and we will structure the group work to ensure full accessibility and participation in all aspects of the summer school, regardless of the chosen attendance method. Please note that the summer school is intensive, requiring availability from approximately 8:30 - 17:30* CEST daily. All activities are compulsory, and we expect full participation from all attendees. The exact schedule will be provided at the beginning of June.
For those attending the physical summer school, please bring your own computer as we will be utilizing the Quasar software.
For online participants, ensure you have a stable internet connection and a camera for maintaining connectivity. Your computer should be capable of running a video conferencing system (like Zoom) and the Quasar software simultaneously. If possible, we recommend using two screens for an optimal experience.
Pre-course
Upon registration and payment of the fee, you'll receive a link to the pre-course material. This material includes several videos that you're required to watch, followed by a test after each video. Please note, passing the pre-course is mandatory for participation in the summer school.
The deadline for submitting pre-course tests is June 8th, 2026. Be aware that the pre-course material is quite comprehensive and time-consuming. We strongly advise against leaving it until the last day.
Temporary program and topics
The following topics will be covered during the summer school:
- Cell biology
- Spectroscopic methods
- Light scattering and pre-processing
- Data pre-treatment
- Analytical methods used in biology
- PCA
- Clustering
- Basic regression, multi-block, PLC
- Machine learning
- Deep learning
- FTIR Imaging
Prerequisites
The summer school will dive extensively into selected topics from cell biology, machine learning, and spectroscopy. Participants are expected to have intermediate-level English proficiency to effectively engage in and benefit from the learning process. Strong reasoning skills, the ability to quickly understand interdisciplinary relations, and experience with group work are highly valued.
We encourage individuals from all natural science backgrounds to register for the course. Please note that to attend the summer school, you must have completed at least a bachelor's degree.
Accommodation
The fee will not cover accommodation and food expenses.
The closest accommodation option to NMBU is SiÅs in Ås and Thon Hotel Ski in Ski. There are also several accommodations available in Oslo, and fast connections for reaching Ås by train and bus from Oslo.
For information on how to get to NMBU from Ski and Oslo, please see https://www.nmbu.no/en/research/groups/biospectroscopy-and-data-modeling-biospec#find-us

"A comprehensive and practical introduction to biological FTIR data processing and analysis. Very much recommended if you plan on applying IR spectroscopy to your own research."
Pyotr, student at BioSpec summer school 2020

"I enjoyed working together with participants from different backgrounds, both academically and culturally. Together we were able to learn from each other, with guidance from knowledgeable tutors. The inspiring lecturers gave a sneak peek into their fields of work, and you got to see where you learned during the week can be applied in real life."
Ingrid, student at BioSpec summer school 2020