Computationally Enabled Integrative Neuroscience

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Summary / Abstract ! The Brain and Cognitive Sciences (BCS) Graduate Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) proposes the “Computationally-Enabled Integrative Neuroscience” (CEIN) predoctoral training program. Tremendous advances in the field of neuroscience are beginning to enable an integrated understanding of the brain. A convergence of new tools and methods, from optogenetics to CLARITY to CRISPR to deep neural network modeling and machine learning, is providing the means to address problems that once seemed intractable. MIT's BCS department is ideally organized to promote interdisciplinary, integrative training and research in neuroscience and behavior, combining the empirical power of modern molecular, cellular, systems and behavioral methods, with the theoretical and model-building strength of computational neuroscience and artificial intelligence. With world-renowned faculty and access to state-of-the-art equipment, CEIN trainees will be poised to lead the next generation of basic and translational neuroscience. The proposed CEIN training program maintains BCS's longstanding strength of integrative training across levels of empirical analysis. In addition, the proposed program reflects significant evolution in our field: the increased importance of computation in both data analysis and complex model building, and the increased importance of professional skills for leadership. The CEIN training objectives are focused on three training pillars (1) advancing empirical methods and concepts at multiple levels of neuroscience (2) computational approaches to theory development and brain data analysis, and (3) professional skills such as grant-writing, oral presentations, and clinical connection. Supported by MIT's world-class facilities, resources, and faculty, predoctoral students will achieve these goals through comprehensive coursework, new modules for professional skills development, mentorship by experts in the field, and advanced research experience. The research of CEIN trainees will lead to profound new discoveries about brain function in health and its modes of failure in disease. Insights from CEIN laboratories will impact diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's Disease, Autism Spectrum Disorders, dyslexia, hearing loss, and many other disorders with increasing impact on heath in the United States. The CEIN program is focused on training students in their first two years of graduate school. Funds are requested for five years to support 11 predoctoral trainees per year. The CEIN training program would be the only foundational neuroscience predoctoral training program at MIT.