Advanced Multimodal Neuroimaging Training Grant

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): A demanding program of interdisciplinary graduate training, together with an intensive short-term research education program, is proposed to meet this goal. This plan for Training in Neuroimaging rests on interdisciplinary collaboration between faculty members in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University, the Program in Neuroscience at Harvard Medical School, the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and the Health Sciences and Technology Program at MIT, and the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital. This training program that unites trainees whose backgrounds include quantitative, engineering, physical and chemical sciences as well as biomedical and biological sciences aims to prepare a new generation of scientists whose broad-based graduate training comprises fundamental neuroscience, the technologies and analytic methods of in vivo neuroimaging, and the application of those technologies for understanding crucial questions in neuroscience. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), magnetoencephalography (MEG), electroencephalography (EEG), positron emission tomography (PET), and near-infrared spectrography (NIRS) have emerged as central tools in cognitive neuroscience. By training students to understand the bases of these neuroimaging methods and apply them effectively to address the fundamental principles of neuroscience, our goal is to arm an entire spectrum of researchers with the tools and knowledge necessary to address those issues most pressing for modern neuroscience. Students in the pre-doctoral training program will be drawn from the Harvard and MIT departments and programs represented by the participating faculty, and will be expected to fulfill the requirements of the specific program in which they are enrolled. In addition, student trainees will take team taught courses, take part in a research seminar jointly taught by faculty, and engage in laboratory rotations involving hands-on research experiences. The goal of these requirements is to impart knowledge that is at once both broad and deep, and will engender new perspectives on and new directions for neuroscience research that play upon the collective expertise of individuals from seemingly disparate disciplines. Throughout their training, students will be co-advised by faculty at Harvard or MIT and the Martinos Center. The short-term research education program will provide a key common ground to provide outreach educational opportunities for scientists at various stages of career development. Central to the research education component will be paired mentorship with a senior neuroimaging researcher, and opportunities for extended stays to engage in hands-on research experiences.