Neurobiological Engineering Training Program

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SUMMARY The mission of the NBETP is to train early-mid stage graduate students to become future leaders at the interface between neurobiology and engineering. This is accomplished via a blend of course requirements in neuroscience and engineering, including several dedicated neurotech- nology classes, as well as through mentorship and community-associated events that encourage student leadership and career development. Students admitted into the program are selected based on intellectual caliber, leadership potential, commitment to neurobiological engineering research, willingness to take on risky and potentially game-changing projects, and diversity. Stu- dents are engaged in innovation of emerging bioengineered technologies that enable fundamen- tal biological discoveries with translational potential related to a broad spectrum of neurobiolog- ical diseases including neuropsychiatric and neurological conditions, as well as addiction. Goals of the program are thus very well aligned to the objectives of NIBIB-funded T32 grants and to the mission of NIBIB overall, and they also synergize with interests of ICs such as NIMH, NINDS, and NIDA. An administrative structure oversees the training program’s direction, student admis- sion, and assessments. Preceptors associated with the NBETP include a set of faculty with di- verse, multidisciplinary expertise encompassing multiple departments and intersection of multi- ple traditional disciplines such as bioengineering, electrical engineering, chemistry, and neuro- biology. The program thus closely fits the profile of a “broad-based NRSA training program,” as described in NOT-EB-07-005. Funding currently provides for four predoctoral students to partic- ipate in the program for two years each. In its first five years, the program has attracted a diverse set of trainees and offered them important and enriching experiences during and after their funded periods. The program has also contributed to substantial research and leadership ac- complishments by individual trainees, as well as to significant expansion of the footprint and visibility of neuroengineering research and education at MIT and beyond. In the next five years, if our renewal application is supported, we will have exciting opportunities to enhance the pro- gram, develop further experiences for our trainees, and begin to observe outcomes following graduation of our first cohorts of trainees. We hope that the program can be renewed with further funding from the NIH, and we are confident that the program can continue to offer outstanding benefits to our trainees and to the broader community.