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Introduction to Basic and Advanced Statistical Modelling
Free workshop at the Institute of Advanced Technology, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Target audience: Master’s students, PhD students, Early-career researchers from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos
The workshop is limited to 10-12 participants and will take place in-person.
Places will be allocated based on a selection process that considers the information provided in the application form and the submitted documents.
Application / How to apply:
To apply for the workshop, please complete the following steps:
Register via the online form on the registration website (Eveeno)
Send your CV and motivation statement (max. 300 words) directly via email
to a.nguyen@izw-berlin.deusing the following subject line: “Application Introduction to Basic and Advanced Statistical Modelling_(Insert Your Name here)”.
Your motivation statement (max. 300 words)
-Please briefly describe your motivation for applying to this training:
Why would you like to join this training?
What do you hope to learn?
How do you plan to apply what you learn afterward?
If you have any questions regarding the application process, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. An Nguyen: a.nguyen@izw-berlin.de .
Due to the hands-on nature of the training, seats are strictly limited. A waiting list will be maintained in the event of cancellations. If you are unable to attend the course after being accepted, please inform us as soon as possible so that your place can be offered to another participant.
Dates:
The course is divided in two modules. Please ensure that, when applying, you are able to attend both modules. Application Deadline: 14th June 2026 23:59 CET.
• 24th – 28th August: Module A (5 days) - Basic Statistics and Data Analysis in R
• 30th – 3rd December: Module B (4 days): Advanced Hierarchical Models and Community Occupancy Models
About the course:
Main objectives of the course:
• Build foundational and intermediate statistical skills in R for wildlife research, focusing on camera-trapping
• Train participants to implement hierarchical models, especially community occupancy models
• Enable participants to independently analyse camera-trap and detection/non-detection datasets
• Support participants in applying models to their own research data
Further description of the course:
Over the past decade, wildlife research and monitoring have expanded rapidly across Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia, led by universities, research institutes, and conservation NGOs. These programs have generated large and valuable datasets. However, analytical capacity—especially in quantitative ecology and hierarchical modelling—remains limited among many early-career researchers in the region. Graduate students (Master’s and PhD) and early-career postdoctoral researchers often collect or access high-quality biodiversity data but lack formal training in statistical workflows in R and advanced ecological models. This gap limits the scientific value, publication potential of existing datasets.
This project aims to deliver an intensive, small-group training course for up to 12 participants, focusing on building practical skills in: Reproducible statistical analysis in R, ecological data handling and visualization, hierarchical modelling frameworks for biodiversity data, single-species and community occupancy models using camera trap data. The course will strengthen regional analytical capacity and foster a long-term research network among early-career conservation scientists.
Module A: This module begins with a refresher on R — the statistical programming language — and an introduction to reproducible reporting workflows using Markdown/Quarto, which allow data to be processed and presented automatically. We then revisit core statistical concepts including population and sample, null hypothesis significance testing, statistical power, and Bayes' theorem. Building on these foundations, the course covers how to construct, fit, and interpret Generalised Linear Models (GLMs): a flexible family of models for estimating the effect of multiple variables on a single outcome, and arguably the most powerful statistical toolkit available to natural scientists.
Module B: In this module, we will move into advanced ecological applications, the core coursework focuses on Hierarchical Modelling. By separating the underlying ecological process from the observation process, these frameworks allow researchers to account for imperfect detection—a fundamental challenge in biodiversity monitoring. Participants will progress from single-species occupancy models to complex community-level frameworks, learning to estimate species occurrence and richness from camera-trap datasets. The course concludes with extensive hands-on sessions; using the camtrapR dashboard and guided scripts, researchers will apply these workflows to their own data, transforming raw field observations into rigorous insights.
Registration Deadline: 14th June 2026 23:59 CET (max. 12 participants, selection-based)
Registration fee: The course is free of charge but requires meeting the previously stated prerequisites.
Travel and accommodation:
The organizers will cover and arrange travel costs, accommodation, and meals during the workshop for selected participants.
Please note that the course begins early on the first day. Depending on your travel plans, you have to arrive the day before to ensure a smooth start. Please also consider that the course may run until late on the final day, so departure may be required on the following day.
Trainers: Dr. Alexandre Courtiol*, Dr. Rahel Sollmann*
Facilitator: Dr. An Nguyen*§
* Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research
§ Institute of Advanced Technology, Center of Ecology and Resourcesd
Leibniz-IZW-Academy
Phone: + 49 - 30 - 51 68 – 127
www.leibniz-izw.de
www.leibniz-izw-akademie.com
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