Neuroscience Training Program at UC Berkeley

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 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal requests support for 15 predoctoral training slots for a broad, multidisciplinary Neuroscience Training Program (NTP) at the University of California, Berkeley. Our training program provides rigorous academic and research training and emphasizes multi-disciplinary approaches and new, emerging methods, with the goal of fueling paradigm shifts in how we study the brain. Our 48 training faculty are from 12 departments, and represent neuroscience research from molecules and genes, to cells and circuits, systems and computation, behavior and cognition. Our faculty is well-integrated, collaborative, and united under the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute (HWNI), which is the intellectual center for neuroscience at UC Berkeley. This training program will primarily support PhD students in the Neuroscience PhD Program, which offers broad-based training in neuroscience research, plus a smaller number of students in 3 additional PhD programs in our training faculty laboratories. All students will receive the same broad-based neuroscience coursework, research, and professional skills training. Each student will be supported in Years 1-2 of PhD training. Our program provides training across a wide range of neuroscience, from molecules to mind. We combine flexible coursework, rigorous research training, quantitative skills, and a major focus on advanced research methods. Our multi-disciplinary approach to neuroscience leverages Berkeley's deep expertise in molecular and cell biology, physical and computational sciences, engineering and psychology. We require broad-based neuroscience coursework, laboratory rotations and thesis research, an experimental Boot Camp course, and a Statistics/Quantitative Methods class. We provide substantial professional skills training and career advising. Seminar series, journal clubs, and an annual campus-wide retreat provide rich exposure to modern neuroscience research. A multi-tiered advising system provides extensive scientific and career advising. We conduct yearly program evaluations to guide improvements. This program builds on, and updates, our many years of NIH-sponsored Neuroscience training at Berkeley. Our students conduct innovative research and publish in top journals. We have a solid track record in recruiting and graduating diverse PhD students. The great majority of past trainees have gone on to productive careers in academic biomedical research and industry. Innovative new training elements will further prepare our students for cutting-edge research careers. We believe this training program will educate scientists who can translate basic discoveries into solutions for human neurological diseases.