Training Program in the Neuroscience of Human Cognition

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal is to form a Training Program in the Neuroscience of Human Cognition at Northwestern University. A multidisciplinary group of scientists has been assembled to participate. Their research explores a variety of human cognitive functions, including language, memory, problem solving, perception, attention, executive functions, motivation, planning, motor control, social cognition, aging, and development. The program will be led by Ken Paller as Director and Marsel Mesulam as Associate Director, with the assistance of an internal Steering Committee and an External Advisory Committee (Ron Mangun, Marcia Johnson, and Larry Squire). Following a competitive selection process, 4 predoctoral students who have advanced to candidacy for the PhD and 4 postdoctoral trainees will be funded. Trainees will conduct their research under the guidance of one or more of the 25 preceptors, who are affiliated with 7 departments of 3 schools on the Chicago and Evanston campuses of Northwestern University. The program will offer a broad range of research and training opportunities in Cognitive Neuroscience. Trainees will be selected on the basis of their proposed research activities and the excellence of their prior course work and scientific training. We will preferentially fund trainees with research plans that will expand the breadth of Cognitive Neuroscience research at Northwestern through novel interdisciplinary approaches and, when possible, through dual mentorships. A concerted effort will be made to train women and minorities, to support training that entails new collaborative arrangements, and to foster a diversity of perspectives. This funding mechanism will thus encourage faculty and students to explore innovative strategies and novel methodological combinations in the neuroscience of human cognition. In the process, we will enhance our sense of community with new connections that build on the critical mass of cognitive scientists assembled at Northwestern. Preceptor faculty will monitor trainee progress through formal advising and evaluations. Trainees will also be mentored in written and oral scientific communication, grant writing, networking, and career development. Training will instill a solid understanding of responsible conduct in science and ethical issues that will confront cognitive neuroscientists in the coming decades. Our goal is to provide top-rate comprehensive training to young scientists who will become the next generation of leaders in cognitive neuroscience.