This block course for bioinformaticians and biologists discusses the evolutionary forces (genetic drift, migration, selection, mutation, recombination) that shape the evolution of DNA sequences and genomes. Students will learn population genetical, statistical, mathematical and computational concepts and methods that can be used for analyzing patterns of genetic variation in natural populations and the evolutionary processes affecting them, including for example the estimation of population structure and tests of natural selection.

There will be distinct course modules given by different instructors on different aspects of molecular population genetics, population genomics and phylogenetics. Each module will consist of a series of lectures and computational / numerical exercises in R; in the exercises, the students will learn how to analyze patterns of genetic variation in real-world datasets. There will also be some homework assignments, including reading assignments and brief data analysis reports which will be used for grading the course.