The special semester brings together a program of lectures, seminars, and a selection of featured events organized by members of the CDS exploring machine learning, data science, and their applications across disciplines.
The special semester kicks off with a summer school on Large Language Models for Digital Humanities Research, offering participants an intensive introduction to large language models and prompt engineering, followed by different workshop tracks.
The lecture series Die Welt im Computer will provide a foundation for understanding big data, machine learning, deep learning, artificial intelligence, and the modeling of complex systems.
Throughout the semester, different events are offered by the Institute of Biomedical Informatics on the topic of artificial intelligence in medicine. AI will fundamentally change medicine, and this change has already begun – but how do the underlying methods work, and what opportunities and challenges do they present?
Complementing these events is a focused Workshop on Machine Learning and Astrophysics, which will explore how modern machine learning techniques are applied to solve complex problems in astrophysical research.
To conclude the special semester, the annual meeting of the European Mathematical Society's Topical Activity Group Scientific Machine Learning will take place. It provides a forum for experts in the field of machine learning and data science to present and discuss their recent research.
Throughout the semester, a rich program of lectures and seminars for studentswill support academic learning and engagement with current research topics.
These offerings are designed to accommodate participants at various levels, from introductory to advanced, and encourage active participation in the scientific community.
This special semester offers a unique opportunity for students, researchers, and professionals to deepen their knowledge, expand their networks, and explore the rapidly evolving field of data-driven science and technology.
The courses available to the students include various lectures and seminars.
The lectures are designed to build foundational knowledge—for example, with the lecture Introduction to Data Science—and gradually introduce more complex concepts, tools, and techniques used in modern data analysis and intelligent systems.
Other lectures emphasize real-world use cases, showcasing how machine learning drives decisions in areas such as mathematical modeling and finance.
The seminars offer students an opportunity to deepen their understanding of machine learning and AI. They range from the basics of data science to real-world applications.
A large selection in the field of medicine offers courses from lecture series to practical seminars and interdisciplinary discussions. The program combines AI, data science, and medical innovation.
08. - 11. Sept 2025
The special semester in machine learning kicks off with a summer school for Large Language Models for Digital Humanities Research, offering participants an intensive introduction to large language models and prompt engineering, followed by four different workshop tracks, participants can choose from:
Tuesdays, 04:00 - 05:30 pm
The lecture series Die Welt im Computer will introduce concepts related to big data, machine learning, deep learning, artificial intelligence, and various types of modeling complex systems. In addition to providing an overview of the methods and possibilities of using supercomputers, lecturers from a wide range of scientific applications will report on their current research in these areas. Students from all faculties and interested guests are welcome to attend!
The lecture series is organized byCompetence Area III: Quantitative Modeling of Complex Systems and will take place on Tuesdays, between 04:00 - 05:30 pm in lecture hall XXIV in building 101.
The detailed program can be found here.
Wednesdays, 04:00 - 05:30 pm
Throughout the semester, experts in fields such as (Scientific) Machine Learning and Data Science present their work in the SciML seminar series.
More information will follow soon.
Mondays, 02:00 - 03:00 pm
Prof. Dr. Oya Beyan, Institute of Biomedical Informatics
Artificial intelligence will fundamentally change medicine, and this change has already begun—but how do the underlying methods work, and what opportunities and challenges do they present? In this seminar series, each session will cover a new, practical topic, including the basics of some AI methods, ethical challenges, and possible solutions.
Register so you don't miss any information – even if you are not yet sure which sessions you can attend.
We look forward to welcoming you to our seminar series!
More information and registration via KLIPS.
More offerings on medical AI can be found under Courses for Students.
The events are thematically linked but self-contained, so you can participate flexibly without needing to have attended previous sessions.
Prof. Dr. Oya Beyan, Institute of Biomedical Informatics
Below you will find an overview of the selected topics offered by the Institute of Biomedical Informatics on the topic of artificial intelligence in medicine.
21.11.2025
The CDS workshop series Machine Learning + X hosts the first event in the field of astrophysics and will explore how modern machine learning techniques are applied to solve complex problems in astrophysical research.
TheMachine Learning & Astrophysics workshop is jointly organized by theCenter for Data and Simulation Science (CDS) and the SFB 1601.
Date: 21 November 2025, 09:00 – 14:30 (tentative time window)
Location:Building 125, Seminar Room 1.01
Registration is open until November 07, 2025.
24. + 25.11.2025
A Workshop organised by the SFB/CRC 1252: Prominence in Language
We invite you for a two-day workshop exploring the applications, challenges, and implications of using Large Language Models (LLMs) in linguistic research.
This workshop brings together researchers of all career stages to discuss how LLMs can be used as tools for e.g. automatic annotation, text analysis, stimulus generation, while critically considering their cognitive plausibility and inherent biases.
Two important applications of LLMs include using LLMs as tools for linguistic research and using LLMs as cognitive models of language processing. This workshop will focus on using LLMs as tools all the while acknowledging that this requires us to critically consider their cognitive and psycholinguistic plausibility. How can LLMs be used as tools for automatic annotation, text analysis, generation, etc.? What are the cognitive and psycholinguistic implications of LLM-based language processing? What biases do LLMs introduce, and how can we deal with biases in automated linguistic analyses?
To register for the workshop, please fill out the registration form below.
Registration is handled through a survey.uni-koeln form.
For poster submissions, use the same form and indicate your interest in presenting.
If you encounter any issues or need assistance, please contact: job.schepens@uni.koeln.de
The workshop schedule can be found on the website.
February 23 – 27, 2026
We are pleased to announce that Astroinformatics 2026 will be hosted by Prof. Dr. Stefanie Walch-Gassner at the University of Cologne, with Dr. Kai Polsterer from the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies gGmbH (HITS) acting as co-host. The conference will be held within the focus of the Key Profile Area “Dynamics of the Universe” and DYNAVERSE. It continues the successful conference series dedicated to the latest advances in computational methods for processing and analysing astronomical data.
Registration for on-site participation is now open here: REGISTER HERE
Please note that registration is mandatory to participate in the conference.
The second annual meeting of the EMS Topical Activity Group Scientific Machine Learning takes place from 10–12 in March 2026. This conference will be hosted by the Center for Data and Simulation Science at the University of Cologne.
More information will follow soon here: 2nd Annual Meeting Website
The lecture series “Die Welt im Computer” will introduce concepts related to big data, machine learning, deep learning, artificial intelligence, and the various types of modeling complex systems. Students from all faculties and interested guests are welcome to attend!
This one-day workshop is part of the CDS workshop series Machine Learning + X and is the first event in the field of astrophysics. The workshop is jointly organized by the Center for Data and Simulation Science (CDS) and the SFB 1601.
We are pleased to announce that Astroinformatics 2026 will be hosted by Prof. Dr. Stefanie Walch-Gassner at the University of Cologne, with Dr. Kai Polsterer from the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies gGmbH (HITS) acting as co-host. The conference will be held within the focus of the Key Profile Area “Dynamics of the Universe” and DYNAVERSE.
The second annual meeting of the EMS Topical Activity Group Scientific Machine Learning will be hosted by the Center for Data and Simulation Science at the University of Cologne, and it will take place in March, 2026.
21Oct
Prof. Dr. Nils Reiter
22Oct
Dr. Robert Speck
28Oct
Prof. Dr. Christian Heinze
04Nov
Prof. Dr. Annika Kurzmann
21Nov
Machine Learning & Astrophysics
24Nov
Workshop: Large Language Models for Linguistic Analyses - Applications and Limitations