Seminars and workshop at the Center for Doctoral Studies

The Center for Doctoral Studies of the University of Vienna offers different courses, helpful in different stages of your PhD project and also in personal development.

German course at the University of Vienna

You can find information for German courses at the University Vienna here. For employees 2 semesters will be financially covered by UniVie HR department, continued courses could be shared between the supervisor and VDS CoBeNe (which is a matter of negotiations). Pls. address us by email in time!

Previous courses organized by PhD candidates

Please contact vds.cobene@univie.ac.at if you want to organize something similiar!

Using Monte Carlo simulation for power analyses in R

Statistical power is an increasingly important topic in times when the credibility of a field is questioned by failed replications. Power is directly related to the number of observations, therefore it is used to estimate the required sample size for a study. An increasing number of grant agencies and scientific journals now require that authors disclose an estimate of sample size based on power analysis in their proposal or manuscript. Moreover, the target sample size has to be included in the pre-registration, which is highly recommended (or sometimes compulsory) for any research. Consequently, power calculation is becoming a must-have skill for researchers in intervention studies.
Power analysis is possible through dedicated software, however, these are often not flexible enough to cover complex study designs and analytical approaches. On the other hand, Monte Carlo simulation is an adjustable approach that makes it possible to calculate a priori power for any study design. Besides learning the required sample size, using MC simulation also has some collateral advantages, such as making the data collection and analytical plans more meticulous. In the workshop, we will cover the logic of power calculation and build a Monte Carlo simulation to accommodate study designs from simple group comparisons to intricate multi-level designs. For more information see the flyer.

Trainer: Tamás Nagy
Location: tba
Time: 5.4.2022, 9:00-17:00 

Introduction to R and the tidyverse

R is one of the most popular programming languages for data analysis, and it is especially widely used in academia. Besides being the programing language for statisticians, R has an extremely efficient toolbox for transforming, analyzing, visualizing data, and communicating results. 
In this workshop, we aim to cover the core R skills that are needed for data analysis. We will focus on data transformation, visualization, and writing efficient functions. We will also prioritize clean coding practices and a workflow that makes R projects transparent and reproducible. After finishing the workshop, participants should be able to use R for data analysis and to individually learn new R skills. For more information see the flyer.

Trainer: Tamás Nagy
Location: tba
Time: 14.-15.3.2022, 9:00-17:00 

Verständlichkeits-Training - nur in deutscher Sprache!

Um das Thema Verständlichkeit und wie man sie verbessert ranken sich unterschiedliche Vorstellungen und Ideen. Ratschläge wie „Schreiben Sie kurze Sätze“ sind in der Forschung oft schwer umsetzbar. Unabhängig davon, welche und wieviel Erfahrung Sie damit bisher gemacht haben: Wenn Ihnen das Thema Verständlichkeit ein echtes Anliegen ist, sind Sie in diesem workshop goldrichtig. Mehr Infos im Flyer.

Trainerin: Sonja Burger
Zoom-Info talk: 30.11.2021, 13:55-14:00
Zoom-workshop: Montag, 6. und 13.12.2021, jew. 9:30-13:30