PhD Courses and Seminars

IGSIN offers multiple courses in Neuroscience and Statistics.

IGSIN919 Introduction to Practical Machine Learning

Registration is open until 10 March 2026
Register through Forms: IGSIN919 Introduction to Practical Machine Learning (external link), alternatively an email can be sent to tobias.bashevkin@uib.no

Registration deadline: 10 March 2026.

Maximum capacity: 20 students

Dates: – 13 March: introductory lecture in R (additional 0.5 ECTS)
– 17 March
– 26 March
– 9 April
– 16 April
– 7 May (Hybrid)

Time: 10:00–15:00
Place: Online, except for the hybrid lecture on 7 May (room information will be provided later).
ECTS: 2 / 2.5
Language: English

IGSIN918 Course in the software package R

Registration opens 21 October.

Studentweb (internal PhD candidates), or send an email to Vanessa.Seeligmann@uib.no (external PhD candidates).

Registration deadline: 31 December 2025

Max capacity: 10 students

Date: 14–16 January 2026

Time: 9:00 – 16:00

Place:

Day 1: BB-building – Room 9A109bP

Day 2 & 3: Alrek – 3F9 Hardbakka

ECTS: 1

Language: English

IGSIN911 Functional Neuroimaging

Registration is closed:

Last taught in autumn 2025, new dates will be published at a later time.

Max capacity: 15 students

ECTS: 3 (participation & assignment) / 1 (participation)

Language: English

Preparation and schedule

IGSIN911: Preparation requirements

Every student should have access to MATLAB®, preferably on their own laptop with the following software installed:

MATLAB. High-level technical computing language and interactive environment for algorithm development, data visualization, data analysis, and numeric computation. UiB students who do not yet have the program should have access via https://apps.uib.no/ or Software Center on their PC. External students should be able to download a free 30-day trial from the MathWorks website: www.mathworks.com/campaigns/products/trials.html?s_tid=srchtitle_site_search_1_trial 

SPM12 for MRI analysis. The SPM12 download can be found here: https://www.fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk/spm/docs/installation/ 

CONN toolbox for resting-state fMRI analysis. The CONN toolbox download can be found here: https://web.conn-toolbox.org/resources/conn-installation 

When the software is installed, check that the installation worked by doing the following:

Open Matlab

Type "spm" in the Command Window

Click "fMRI"

Click "Toolbox.conn"

Any problems with the installation can hopefully be solved during the first course day, as the program will be used from the second course day onwards.

The dataset to be used during the fMRI exercises can be found here https://www.fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk/spm/data/auditory/ 

IGSIN911: Schedule

Day 1

Location: Rom9A109bP, BB-bygget

10.15-11.00 Introduction, Noora Tuovinen & Ruth Steiger

11.15-12.00 Lecture 1: MRI acquisitions, Ruth Steiger

12.15-13.00 Lunch

13.15-14.00 Lecture 2: Introduction to task-based fMRI, Noora Tuovinen

14.15-15.00 Lecture 3: Introduction to resting-state (rs-)fMRI, Noora Tuovinen

 

Day 2

Location: Rom B306, Sentralblokka, HUS

09:15-10:00 Lecture 4: Introduction to brain anatomy and fMRI, Noora Tuovinen

10.15-11.00 Lecture 5: Introduction to fMRI preprocessing, Noora Tuovinen

11.15-12.00 Practical session: fMRI preprocessing on  SPM12 software

12.15-13.00 Lunch

13.15-14.00 Visit to Nordic NeuroLab (NNL) HQs: Tour through Office (Rooms, Production, Engineering, etc.), NNL introduction 

14.15-15.00 NNL visit: Demo/try out the fMRI Essentials System + nordicAudio + nordicComfortPLayer; on volunteers

15.15-16.00 NNL visit: Demo/try out the VisualSystem HD; on volunteers

16:15-17:00 NNL visit: Q&A Session (drinks/snacks, NNL visit)

 

Day 3

Location: Rom9A109bP, BB-bygget

09:15-10:00 Practical session: fMRI preprocessing on  SPM12 software

10.15-11.00 Practical session: fMRI preprocessing on SPM12 software

11.15-12.00 Lunch

12.00-15.00 MRI scanner visit, Ruth Steiger

13.15-14.00 MRI scanner visit, Ruth Steiger

14.15-15.00 MRI scanner visit, Ruth Steiger

15.15-16.00 Practical session: Hands-on homework

 

Day 4

Location: Seminarrom "Sentralen", Odontologibygget

09:15-10:00 Lecture 6: Theory on task-based fMRI analyses, Ruth Steiger

10.15-11.00 Practical session: Task-based fMRI analyses on SPM12 Software

11.15-12.00 Practical session task-based fMRI analyses on SPM12 Software

12.15-13.00 Lunch

13.15-14.00 Lecture 7: Theory on rs-fMRI analyses, Noora Tuovinen

14.15-15.00 Practical session: Rs-fMRI analyses on CONN toolbox

15.15-16.00 Practical session: Rs-fMRI analyses on CONN toolbox


Day 5

Location: Rom D302, Sentralblokka, HUS

09:15-10:00 Homework presentations

10.15-11.00 Homework presentations

11.15-12.00 Homework presentations

12.15-13.00 Lunch

IGSIN913 Interdisciplinary Neuroscience

Registration open in Studentweb; External students can register through this form (external link)

Dates autumn 2026: 21.09.26 - 02.10.26

Teachinglocations: Bygg for Biologiske Basalfag (BBB), Laboratoriebygget and Alrek

Max capacity: 15 students 

ECTS: 6 (80% participation and essay)

Teaching language: English

Schedule

IGSIN913: Schedule

Note: Some demos take place in rooms other than the lectures. Check the specific time for the activity in the schedule below for details. 

 

Week 39, Monday 21 September 

Location:  Room 9A110bP, BB-bygget

13:00-13:45 Welcome and presentation of the course, Marco Hirnstein (UoB) 

14:00-16:00 Neurotransmission & Neurophysiology, Aamra Mahboob (UoB) 

 

Week 39, Tuesday 22 September 

Location: Room 9A109bP, BB-bygget

09:15-12:30 Basic neuroanatomy: "The Human Brain - A Painting and Crafts Course" - Part I, Janina Kirsch (University Freiburg) & Jelena Mrdalj (UoB) 

13:30-16:45 Basic neuroanatomy: "The Human Brain - A Painting and Crafts Course" - Part II, Janina Kirsch (University Freiburg) & Jelena Mrdalj (UoB) 

 

Week 39, Wednesday 23 September 

Location:  Room 9A109bP, BB-bygget

09:00-10:00 Presentation PhD project, Marco Hirnstein (UoB)

10:15-12:00 Basic neuroanatomy: "The Human Brain - A Painting and Crafts Course" - Part III, Janina Kirsch (University Freiburg) & Jelena Mrdalj (UoB) 

13:00-15:00 Basic neuroanatomy: Dissection of the brain - demo, Jelena Mrdalj (UoB). Location: Disseksjonssal Posterior (2. floor, BB-bygget) 

 

Week 39, Thursday 24 September 

Location: Room 9A110bP, BB-bygget

09:00 - 10:00 Presentation PhD project, Marco Hirnstein (UoB) 

10:15 - 12:00 Basic genetics, Stephanie Le Hellard (UoB)

13:30 - 14:15 Demo. Next Generation Sequencing - Decoding Gene Expressions in CNS, Carla P.D. Fernandes (UoB) room 6.2, Laboratory building

14:30 - 16:45 Epigenetics in psychiatric disorders, Stephanie Le Hellard (UoB) Room Konferanserom, BB-bygget

 

Week 39, 25 September 

Location: 3F15 Borgarskaret, Alrek

09:00-10:00 Presentation PhD project, Marco Hirnstein (UoB) 

10:15-12:45 Neuropsychiatry: Schizophrenia, Erik Johnsen (UoB) 

13:30-15:30 Memory, Kamilla Gjerland Haugland-Pruitt (UoB) 

 

Week 40, 28 September 

Location: Room 9A109bP, BB-bygget

09:00-10:00 Presentation PhD project, Marco Hirnstein (UoB) 

10:15-12:45 Emotion, affect and the brain, Stefan Koelsch (UoB) 

13:30-16:15 Biological rhythms and sleep, Janne Grønli (UoB) 

 

Week 40, 29 September 

Location:  3F9 Hardbakka, Alrek

09:15-12:00 Clinical neuropsychology, Lin Sørensen (UoB) 

12:45-15:30 Demo: Neuropsychological tests, Eike Wehling (UoB) 

 

Week 40, 30 September 

Location:  Room 9A109bP, BB-bygget

09:00-10:00 Presentation PhD project, Marco Hirnstein (UoB) 

10:15-12:00 Human electrophysiology: EEG/ERP Daniela Pfabigan (UoB) 

12:45-14:00 Demo of in vivo reg in the rat/EEG-ERP, Aamra Mahboob/Daniela Pfabigan (UoB). Location: EEG LAB C, 9B101dP 

14:30-16:00 Demo of in vivo reg in the rat/EEG-ERP, Aamra Mahboob/Daniela Pfabigan (UoB). Location: EEG LAB C, 9B101dP 

 

Week 40, 01 October 

Location: Room Auditorium 2, BB-bygget

09:00-12:00 Non-invasive brain stimulation: Methods and applications, Marco Hirnstein (UoB) 

12:45-15:30 Brain imaging: fMRI - Methods & Applications, Karsten Specht (UoB) 

 

Week 40, 02 October 

Location:  Room 9A110bP, BB-bygget

09:15-11:00 Language and Neuroimaging, Karsten Specht (UoB) 

11:15-13:00 Demonstration MR Scanner, Karsten Specht (UoB). Location: MR facilities, Haukeland Hospital 

13:00-14:00 Evaluation of the IGSIN course & Lunch, Marco Hirnstein (UoB), Location: Canteen, 4th floor

Last updated: 14.09.2026