December 18, 2025: Applied AI Tools for Scientific Programming

AI coding assistants can accelerate learning, improve code quality, support debugging, and streamline scientific programming. This lecture provides an overview of how these tools can be integrated into research workflows. I will demonstrate GitHub Copilot (free for academics) inside Positron, a modern data-science editor developed as the successor to RStudio. Examples will use R and Python, but the concepts apply equally to other editors such as VS Code and are independent of the programming language.

Content

Core principles and capabilities of AI-assisted programming
Effective use of code completions and context-aware suggestions
Chat-based interactions with scripts and objects for writing and debugging code
Benefits, limitations, and considerations for responsible use

When: Thursday, December 18th, 4-5 pm

Where: Webex

Meeting link:
https://fu-berlin.webex.com/fu-berlin-en/j.php?MTID=mc00f0afb3f7634db8b1e932f461dc7b1

Meeting number:
2793 832 7263

Meeting password:
ZJup5uUD8d9

Join from a video system or application
Dial 27938327263@fu-berlin.webex.com
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95875883

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Keywords

Programming, AI tools

Overview Doctorate Procedure

1. Supervision, Topic and Funding

What are the requirements for admission? What has to be done before starting the doctorate? What funding opportunities are there?

2. Start of Work

What insurance cover is required at the start of work?

3. Admission

When and where should I submit my application for doctorate admission? What documents are required for admission?

Mitgliedschaftsverhältnis FU / Enrollment

4. FU Membership and Enrollment

Is there a need to become a member of the FU Berlin? Is enrollment including the student ID card and the semester ticket necessary?

Regelbearbeitungszeit / Standard Time to Completion

5. Standard Time to Completion

What is the standard time to completion for the doctorate? What should I do if the standard time can not be met? How can a change of supervisor take place?

Schreiben der Dissertation / Writing the Thesis

6. Writing the Thesis

Is a monograph necessary or may a cumulative work also be submitted? What must be considered? What should be on the title page?

7. Submission of the Thesis

How many copies have to be submitted? What should be taken into account when submitting a cumulative thesis? Which forms are necessary for submitting the thesis?

8. Review and Display Period

Who appoints the doctoral committee? How is the review procedure organized? How long is the display period?

9. Defense of the Thesis

Who organizes the disputation? When should the disputation be announced? How many members of the doctoral committee must be present? How long does the disputation take?

10. Publication of the Thesis

When does the publication take place? Which kinds of publication are possible? Is the publication required for the award of the certificate?

11. Awarding of the Doctoral Degree

When can the title be used? When and where do I get the certificate?

Das Alumni-Magazin „wir“ der Freien Universität Berlin erscheint zwei Mal im Jahr.

12. Offer: Joining the Alumni Network of ERG

How can I register for the alumni network of the Ernst-Reuter-Gesellschaft? What are the advantages?

Image Credits

Department of Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacy

Graduate Center / Doctorate