Technical skills
BIOS² program students acquire a wide range of technical and analytical skills through their participation in the program. Students are trained for :
- Numerical techniques : scientific programming, mathematics, high performance computing, bioinformatics
- Problem solving : using data-driven approaches
- Data management : GIS, remote sensing, next generation sequencing and environmental DNA
- Data analysis : likelihood methods, Bayesian statistics, machine learning)
- Forecasting : species distribution models, stochastic modelling, agent based modelling)
- Tools for productivity and reproducibility : LaTeX for professional editing, version control for multi-user collaborations, automated job processing
- Legislation : Aspects of legislation and policy related to Biodiversity science and Open sciences
Soft skills
One of the BIOS² main objective is to train the next generation of highly qualified professionals and researchers and to prepare them to get into the Canadian labour market. To do so, BIOS² training program focuses on the development of essential soft skill: leadership, creativity and capacity to solve problems, and ability to communicate and collaborate in a practical, operational environment where people do not necessarily have an academic culture. Moreover, students develop a host of soft skills through the different training components of the program:
- Synthesis capability : Developed by student-led synthesis groups
- Interdisciplinarity : Cultivated through problem solving workshops
- Networking and communication abilities : Improved with access to mobility fellowships and through the internship experiences.
- Fellows are trained in open science, providing them with a culture of transparency, openness, accountability and reproducibility.
Photo credits : Andréanne Beardsell