Training in Learning and Memory

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The Center for Learning and Memory (CLM) at the University of Texas at Austin brings together researchers whose goal is to identify the neural mechanisms that support learning and memory. The CLM has grown to include eighteen faculty since its inception in 2004. The highly interdisciplinary and collaborative nature of the CLM faculty provide the key elements for an innovative and active training program in learning and memory. The CLM faculty represent a broad range of approaches to the mechanisms of learning and memory – from the molecules of neural signaling and synaptic plasticity to cellular and systems level studies to functional neuroimaging in humans. We will leverage the strengths of this collaborative faculty to provide structured training in rigorous research design and methodologies, state-of-the-art quantitative approaches, and professional development training activities to prepare graduate students and postdoctoral trainees to become innovative leaders in the field of learning and memory research. The proposed training will support four predoctoral and two postdoctoral trainees each year. Trainees are expected to be appointed to the training program for no more than 3 years before transitioning to individual grants and fellowships. The proposed training has four important components. First, we will provide our trainees with hands-on instruction in the implementation of interdisciplinary approaches to the study of learning and memory that cross levels of analysis. Second, we will provide extensive training in advanced statistical and computational neuroscience methods that are increasingly necessary to understanding the neural mechanisms that support learning and memory. Third, the proposed activities will provide our trainees with the ability to place their research in a biomedical context, with an emphasis on the role of learning and memory processes in disorders of mental health. Finally, the proposed activities and resources provide our trainees with many opportunities for career development, including the skills necessary to obtain a tenure track position (e.g., presentation and grant writing skills) as well as research-related careers outside of academia. These components will prepare our trainees to be the next generation of leading-edge researchers dedicated to understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of learning and memory and how they are impacted in disorders of mental health.