PhD Courses in Denmark

General course objectives The course will provide students with competence to perform experiments with aquatic animals (fish and crustaceans) in a laboratory setting. The course will cover aspects of planning, executing and analyzing experiments according to best practice procedures and under European legislation. Course participants will learn different experimental methods based on purpose and choosing the right design and statistical analyses. The course includes a practical part where participants will learn how to handle equipment and animals.

A student who has met the objectives of the course will be able to:

• Design laboratory experiments with fish and shrimp species, using best practice procedures.
• Explain ethical, legal, and welfare principles governing experimental work with aquatic animals.
• Carry out experiments with fish and shrimp in a wet-lab facility under proper biosafety requirements.
• Collect, sor, and analyse experimental data with suitable statistical methods.
• Critically evaluate experimental methods in aquatic research.
• Appraise ethical and welfare implications of experimental design.
• Compare and choose best practice to carry out experiment with fish and shrimp species.
• Select the appropriate experimental design for laboratory studies with fish and shrimp species.

Course description The course is designed for students enrolled in PhD or master’s degree programmes worldwide. It is a 5 ECTS course conducted by DTU Aqua. The course runs for 13 weeks and is offered during the autumn semester. The language of instruction is English. The course is offered as an online course, with a mandatory practical part in the wet-lab at DTU AQUA in Kgs. Lyngby The course is structured into modules, each addressing key aspects necessary to meet the learning objectives. These modules cover theoretical knowledge on experimental ethics, animal welfare and biosafety, the design of infection trials with fish species and (to a lesser degree) shrimp, tagging methods for aquatic animals, pathological evaluation of fish and shrimp, statistical analysis used in infection trials, and the design of non-infectious experimental trials. In addition to the theoretical content, the course includes a practical hands‑on module. The practical session is conducted on‑site during four days at the DTU Aqua wet laboratory facility. Attendance at the practical week is mandatory for successful completion of the course.