Start learning
My learning

The Complete Excel Course with AI Integration

Excel course for laboratory scientists

For laboratory scientists and technicians who process, verify and chart results using Excel. The Complete Excel Course with AI Integration contains no laboratory data itself; this page highlights the skills a results workbook requires instead. You learn to write formulas with absolute references, apply IF statements and conditional formatting for limits, manage results in Excel Tables, measure turnaround with date functions, plot charts, use the TaskFlow tracker for samples, and code a VBA checking macro.

See the plans Watch free lessons

Taught by Sagnik Bhattacharya and Virginia Thorn

The Complete Excel Course with AI Integration: Sagnik Bhattacharya and Virginia Thorn

What you will be able to do

At work, you will be able to:

  • Work out dilutions and concentrations by pointing to a standard or factor in a single cell with an absolute reference, setting the number format to match the decimal places your method requires.
  • Identify a result beyond its upper and lower limits using IF, AND and OR logic, and apply conditional formatting to colour the cell.
  • Organise results inside Excel Tables keyed by sample ID, split exports from instruments into separate columns, and delete any duplicate rows.
  • Calculate turnaround times by comparing receipt and result dates and times, and use COUNTIFS to count late samples in each batch.
  • Plot results over multiple runs on line charts, and display the spread of a single batch using box and whisker plots and histograms.
  • Code a VBA macro to inspect a results sheet, highlighting any blank or non-numeric values before the data goes out.

Projects

What you will build.

The course has 14 projects. These four matter most here.

  • Personal budget tracker in Excel: spending by category with income, expense and saving totals beside a pie chart of expenses.

    Project 01

    Personal Budget Tracker

    Your first workbook: where the money goes each month.

    Calculate totals and averages for replicate readings, and deploy icon sets, data bars and highlight rules to colour a value that falls outside its limits.

  • Nine Excel chart types from the Marketing Engagement Dashboard: combo, bar, funnel, Pareto, waterfall, histogram, box and whisker, sunburst and treemap.

    Project 04

    Marketing Engagement Dashboard

    Nine charts, each picked for the question it answers.

    Visualise results with line charts for control values over successive runs, display the spread of a batch through box and whisker plots or histograms, and add a sparkline for each analyte.

  • Task tracker in Excel (TaskFlow): start and due dates, status, priority and a progress bar for each task, with working days left, days past due and unfinished high-priority tasks highlighted.

    Project 07

    TaskFlow

    One sheet that shows what is done, what is late and what is urgent.

    Designed for tasks, the tracker serves your samples too: pick a stage from received to released via a drop-down menu, count the working days until each due date, and colour the late work.

  • Excel VBA macro editor (FormatWizard): a macro that runs every validation check on a sheet and reports when it has finished.

    Project 11

    FormatWizard

    One click that checks a whole sheet for you.

    Developed to verify a sales sheet, this VBA loop works as a release check on your results: it catches non-numeric or blank values using IsNumeric, colours the errors, and reports its findings before release.

Lessons

The lessons that matter, in course order.

The Complete Excel Course with AI Integration has 186 lessons. This page picks out 66 of them, 5 h 44 min of video. Each lesson keeps its number in the course.

Where to start

Lesson 5 Your first Excel spreadsheet

Start your learning at Lesson 5 if you record results in Excel but seldom write formulas: absolute references and number formats come first. If you are new to Excel, start at Lesson 1. When formulas are already routine, skip to Lesson 48 to learn charts, or jump to Lesson 136 to begin VBA and macros. Managing data in Excel, the clean-up and Tables part of this path, is free by email with its practice files.

Get the free section by email

66 of 186 lessons · 5 h 44 min

01 Microsoft Excel fundamentals: building a foundation from scratch 8 of 13 lessons · 37 min Learn the arithmetic of a results workbook: set data types and number formats to the correct decimal places, write formulas to multiply, divide and add, and fix #DIV/0! and #VALUE! errors. Keep a standard's concentration or a dilution factor inside a single cell with an absolute reference, and calculate recovery percentages. The lessons use a personal budget.
  1. 5 Start here Your first Excel spreadsheet Cells, rows, columns and data types in a budget 8 min
  2. 6 Number formatting in Excel Currency, date and percentage formats for a budget 5 min
  3. 7 Cell formatting in Excel AutoFit column width, the #### error and cell styles 6 min
  4. 8 Basic maths in Excel Add, subtract, multiply and divide with formulas 3 min
  5. 9 SUM and AutoSum in Excel Total income, expenses and savings with MAX 6 min
  6. 10 Relative vs absolute references in Excel Dollar signs and mixed references 3 min
  7. 11 Calculating percentages in Excel Each expense as a percentage of income 2 min
  8. 12 Common Excel errors and how to fix them DIV0, NAME, VALUE errors and IFERROR 4 min
02 Project: personal budget tracker 2 of 5 lessons · 7 min Apply SUM and AVERAGE to replicate readings, and set up conditional formatting to colour a result outside its limits using icon sets, data bars and highlight rules. The lessons use a personal budget tracker.
  1. 14 SUM and AVERAGE in Excel Personal budget tracker totals and average expense 4 min
  2. 15 Conditional formatting in Excel Highlight rules, data bars and icon sets 3 min
03 Managing data in Excel: sort, filter and tables (Dunder Michael Paper employee database) 9 lessons · 1 h 1 min Manage results inside Excel Tables keyed by sample ID: filter and sort by test or batch, clean entries using Find and Replace and TRIM, delete duplicate sample rows, split instrument exports using Text to Columns, freeze the header, and prepare a clean print. The lessons use an employee database.
  1. 19 Excel tables Create and format a table, structured references and total row 8 min
  2. 20 Sorting data in Excel Single and multi-level sort on an employee database 6 min
  3. 21 Filtering data in Excel AutoFilter, text and number filters on employee data 10 min
  4. 22 Cleaning data in Excel TRIM, Paste Special values and Find and Replace 13 min
  5. 23 Remove duplicates in Excel Find and delete duplicate rows in an employee list 6 min
  6. 24 Flash Fill in Excel Split first and last names automatically 3 min
  7. 25 Text to Columns in Excel Split data by delimiter into separate columns 6 min
  8. 26 Freeze panes in Excel Lock header rows and columns while scrolling 3 min
  9. 27 Printing in Excel Print area, page orientation, scaling and page layout 6 min
04 Essential formulas and functions (IF, SUMIF and more) 12 of 13 lessons · 1 h 9 min Build limits into your formulas: use IF for a pass or fail, apply AND and OR for a result within both limits, and create result categories with IFS and nested IF logic. Find missing results with COUNTA and COUNT, count failures in each batch using COUNTIFS, and measure turnaround times with date and time functions like NOW.
  1. 28 Logical functions in Excel TRUE and FALSE comparisons for beginners 5 min
  2. 29 The IF function in Excel Pass or fail results with a single condition 3 min
  3. 30 IF function practice in Excel Categorise sales data with IF formulas 6 min
  4. 31 Nested IF and IFS in Excel Customer value tiers with nested IF 6 min
  5. 32 Nested IF and IFS in Excel Sales performance labels with the IFS function 5 min
  6. 33 AND and OR with IF in Excel Flag high-value deals with multiple conditions 8 min
  7. 34 SUM, COUNT and COUNTA in Excel SUM with FILTER and counting numbers with COUNT 7 min
  8. 35 SUM, COUNT and COUNTA in Excel COUNTA, unique counts and completeness checks 4 min
  9. 36 SUMIF and COUNTIF in Excel Conditional sum and count with one criterion 8 min
  10. 37 SUMIFS and COUNTIFS in Excel Sum and count with multiple criteria 7 min
  11. 38 The Excel function library Insert Function dialog and Formula AutoComplete 5 min
  12. 39 Date and time functions in Excel TODAY, NOW, MONTH and date arithmetic 6 min
06 Data visualisation: charts and graphs 9 lessons · 45 min Draw charts for your results: display values across runs on line and column charts, plot combo charts across two axes, format the visuals, and place a sparkline beside each analyte. Show the spread of a batch with box and whisker charts and histograms. The lessons chart marketing data.
  1. 48 Choosing the right Excel chart Column, line, pie, combo and modern chart types 4 min
  2. 49 Column charts in Excel Insert, format and label a column chart 5 min
  3. 50 Line charts in Excel Show trends over time with a line chart 4 min
  4. 51 Pie charts in Excel Show proportions and parts of a whole 4 min
  5. 52 Combo charts in Excel Column and line chart with a secondary axis 4 min
  6. 53 Formatting charts in Excel Titles, data labels, colours and chart styles 7 min
  7. 54 Sparklines in Excel Line, column and win-loss mini charts in cells 5 min
  8. 55 Funnel, Pareto and waterfall charts in Excel Modern charts for business data 5 min
  9. 56 Histogram, box and whisker, treemap and sunburst Advanced Excel chart types 6 min
09 Project: task automation with data validation and forms 9 lessons · 49 min Deploy TaskFlow as a sample tracker: assign a priority and status to each batch or sample from drop-down lists, highlight overdue work, build a timeline, count working days to a due date, and protect the sheet. The project tracks tasks; a sample moving from received to released fits the same columns.
  1. 79 TaskFlow project tracker in Excel Overview of the task tracker dashboard 4 min
  2. 80 Designing a task tracker in Excel TaskFlow layout, columns and headers 5 min
  3. 81 Data validation in Excel Status and priority drop-down lists in TaskFlow 8 min
  4. 82 Conditional formatting in Excel Highlight overdue and completed tasks 8 min
  5. 83 Gantt chart in Excel Build a project timeline with conditional formatting 6 min
  6. 84 Data bars and icon sets in Excel Visual priority and progress in TaskFlow 6 min
  7. 85 NETWORKDAYS and TODAY in Excel Days remaining and task deadlines in TaskFlow 5 min
  8. 86 Protect a sheet and lock cells in Excel Secure the TaskFlow tracker workbook 4 min
  9. 87 Testing an Excel task tracker Stress test TaskFlow with sample data 3 min
14 VBA and macros in Excel: FormatWizard 17 lessons · 1 h 16 min Build the FormatWizard: begin with recorded macros, then write VBA with loops, variables and If statements to flag missing values. Catch text inside a numeric column with IsNumeric, highlight cells using Interior.Color, test with Debug.Print, and wrap one checking macro in an error handler. The project checks a sales sheet; a results sheet takes the same checks.
  1. 136 Excel macros and VBA for beginners What macros are, the FormatWizard project 3 min
  2. 137 Record your first Excel macro Name, run and use absolute references 6 min
  3. 138 Relative references in Excel macros Make recorded macros dynamic 4 min
  4. 139 Developer Tab in Excel Run macros from a button and the quick access toolbar 4 min
  5. 140 Save macros in Excel Macro-enabled workbooks and the XLSM file format 3 min
  6. 141 The VBA Editor in Excel Open it with Alt+F11 and learn the workspace 4 min
  7. 142 Working in the VBA editor Macro security, trust settings, switching to Excel 6 min
  8. 143 Your first VBA code Modules, worksheets, rows, columns and formatting 4 min
  9. 144 VBA variables and data types Sub vs function for Excel beginners 6 min
  10. 145 VBA functions in Excel Build GetLastUsedRow with find and exit function 5 min
  11. 146 Clear old flags with VBA Reset messages and fill colours with if statements 5 min
  12. 147 For Next loop in VBA Flag missing region values in Excel 4 min
  13. 148 VBA If Else and loops Check missing sales data and build a FlagText message 5 min
  14. 149 Highlight cells with VBA Interior.Color and RGB for missing data 5 min
  15. 150 IsNumeric in VBA Validate unit price and amount data types in Excel 7 min
  16. 151 Debugging VBA for beginners Debug.Print and the Immediate window 5 min
  17. 152 Complete Excel validation macro One VBA subroutine with an error handler 3 min

Instructors

Who teaches it.

Virginia Thorn smiling at the camera, dark hair tied back, wearing a navy top.

Instructor, Excel with AI

Virginia Thorn

Emmy Award winner. Teaches Excel with AI at Coding Liquids.

Questions

Asked before starting.

Is there an Excel course for laboratory scientists?

Yes. The Complete Excel Course with AI Integration from Coding Liquids covers the spreadsheet skills a laboratory results sheet demands: absolute references for concentration and dilution formulas, IF logic using AND and OR for results outside limits, conditional formatting to highlight them, Excel Tables keyed by sample ID, charts spanning multiple runs, and a VBA macro that inspects a sheet before release. It contains no laboratory data. This page highlights 66 lessons, making 5 hours 44 minutes of lessons in all.

Can a laboratory scientist calculate dilutions and concentrations in Excel?

Yes, using the formula lessons from The Complete Excel Course with AI Integration: divide to find a concentration, or multiply a reading by a dilution factor stored in a single cell with an absolute reference, ensuring the formula copies down the column without shifting the reference. Set the number format to match the decimal places your method requires, and use IFERROR to prevent a blank reading from displaying an error. The lessons use a budget; the arithmetic remains the same for your work.

Can a macro check my laboratory results sheet before release?

Yes. The FormatWizard project inside The Complete Excel Course with AI Integration builds a VBA routine that loops through each row, catches text in a numeric column with IsNumeric, alerts you to blank values, colours the cell using Interior.Color, and manages errors, testing the code with Debug.Print. In the lessons it inspects a sales sheet; aimed at your result columns, the same checks run in one click. It adds to your laboratory review, but never replaces it.

Can laboratory technicians track sample turnaround times?

Yes. Log the date and time each sample is received and resulted. The Complete Excel Course with AI Integration covers date and time functions like NOW and date arithmetic, meaning subtracting receipt from result gives the turnaround time, and multiplying that by 24 converts it to hours. An IF statement flags a sample exceeding its target, COUNTIFS tallies the late ones in each batch, and the TaskFlow tracker highlights overdue work.

Does it teach statistics, calibration curves or LIMS to laboratory scientists?

No. The Complete Excel Course with AI Integration focuses on Excel, not laboratory science: calibration curves and regression with LINEST and trendlines, statistical tests, quality control rules, method validation and LIMS are not taught, and no lesson includes laboratory data. Rules for patient samples and their results are not covered either. The training addresses the spreadsheet mechanics: calculations, tables, charts, limits, tracking, and VBA checking macros.

Excel with AI

See the whole course.

The Complete Excel Course with AI Integration: 16 hours of video in 186 lessons, built around 14 projects, with lifetime access, a Certificate of Completion and a 14-day money-back guarantee.

See the plans Watch free lessons

The same course

For another job, level or topic.

By job

Finance and accounting
HR and office administration
Operations and supply chain
Data and reporting
Sales, marketing and customer service
Business and management
Engineering, construction and manufacturing
Retail, property and hospitality
Healthcare and life sciences
Education and careers
Public sector, non-profit and legal
Technology

By level and topic