Software Carpentry Workshop: Introduction to Python for Researchers

Ready to start programming with Python for data analysis? This beginner-friendly Software Carpentry workshop provides researchers with a solid foundation in Python 3, teaching essential programming concepts through hands-on practice with real scientific data. Running online across two half-day sessions (8–9 July 2026, 09:30–12:30), the course is designed specifically for research staff and postgraduate students at the University of Birmingham with little or no prior programming experience. You'll learn to set up Python on your own machine and work with Jupyter Notebooks, the industry-standard interactive development environment for data science. The curriculum centers on practical data analysis skills: understanding Python variables and data types, reading tabular datasets into Pandas DataFrames, exploring and manipulating data with Pandas, and creating publication-quality visualizations using Matplotlib. By the end of the workshop, you'll know how to write, save, and execute Python programs independently. ## What You'll Learn - Installing Python 3 and navigating Jupyter Notebooks - Core Python concepts: variables, data types, and program structure - Data manipulation with Pandas DataFrames - Creating visual representations of data with Matplotlib - Writing reusable, reproducible analysis scripts The course requires you to install Python 3 before the first session and assumes basic computer literacy (understanding files, directories, and how to launch applications). Course materials follow the established Software Carpentry Python curriculum, recognized globally as a high-quality resource for researchers learning computational skills. Organized by the BEAR Training program at the University of Birmingham's Advanced Research Computing team, this workshop runs three times annually. If you can't attend the live sessions, recordings from previous courses are available through the university's Canvas platform. Post-workshop support is available through the Research Software Group, ServiceDesk tickets, or regular drop-in sessions to help you continue developing your Python skills. Register for this workshop on Eventbrite and