Classification and Data Analysis in Biology

General Information

The workgroup is open for members as well as not-members of the GfKl, are confronted with the problem of classification and data analysis in biology in both research and in-field. The AG BT fosters development of new methods for data analysis, classification and systematization in the fields of biology, microbiology, genetics, medicine and public health as well as the use of such methods to solve issues in these fields.

The Research Area of AG BT

AGBT generally deals with the application and development of methods for classification and data analysis on data and questions from biology, chemistry and medicine. Biological taxonomy (BT) and systematics require procedures for hierarchical classification. Corresponding methods have been and are being dealt with and developed by GfKl within the AG-BT Working Group (before 1987 by AG “Data Analysis and Numerical Classification”). The current availability of extensive molecular data and the explosive development of corresponding data bases in the biosciences has made this field of activity very important and has established it as an interesting area of application for methods from data analysis and numerical classification.
Current advances in genome sequencing, especially in microbial genomes, lead to new applications for data analysis and bioinformatics. Methods for the hierarchical classification of orthologous and paralogous gene families are essential for the domain of genome analysis, both for the functional identification of new genes as well as for genome evolution studies. This current application area is a major focus of AG-BT’s activities.
Another focus is on classification and data analysis in epidemiology and public health.

Leader of AG BT:

Prof. Dr. Hans A. Kestler
Institute for Medical Systems Biology
University of Ulm
89069 Ulm
Tel.: 0731 50 24500
E-Mail: hans.kestler@uni-ulm.de

Deputy Leader of AG BT:

Prof. Dr. Ludwig Maximilian Lausser
Fakultät Informatik
Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt
85049 Ingolstadt
Tel.: +49 (0) 841 / 9348-2347
Email: Ludwig.Lausser@thi.de

Activities of AG BT

Besides special meetings during the annual GfKl-Conference, workshops and the cooperation with other scientific interest groups, the AG BT, together with the AG Statistical Computing and the German Biometric Society, convenes for their annual conference “Statistical  at Castle Reisenburg near Günzburg.

Form of Organization

The AG BT is designed as a formal workgroup of the GfKl. Participation in the AG BT kann be declared by an unformal Message to the current speaker of the workgroup (A membership in the GfKl is desirable but not needed). There are also no membership fees for the AG BT.

Leader and Deputy-Leader are elected every three years at the annual conference of the GfKl.

 

Former Leaders and Deputy-Leaders are:

  • Paul O. Degens, Bochum, (Leader) and Dr. Wolfgang Ludwig, München, (Deputy) (1987 – 1993)
  • Wolfgang Ludwig, (Leiter) and Dr. Berthold Lausen, London, (Stellvertreter) (1993 – 1999)
  • PD Dr. Berthold Lausen, Colchester, (Leader) and PD Dr. Hans-Peter Klenk, Braunschweig (Deputy) (1999 – 2010)