In this competing renewal application, we request funds to continue support for an integrated, multidisciplinary, neuroscience training program at New York University, one that prepares trainees for the intensely collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of modern neuroscience research. Historically, two neuroscience graduate programs existed in parallel at NYU. However, with substantial support from the University over the past seven years, we have reached a new phase of program integration that seamlessly merges neuroscience graduate education at NYU and offers far greater breadth and depth of training than each program offered individually. Our program, which includes 81 training faculty, combines the strengths in systems, cognitive, and computational neuroscience from the Washington Square-based Center for Neural Science with those in cellular, molecular, developmental, translational, and clinical neuroscience at the NYU School of Medicine campus, and it serves as the foundation for the extensive neuroscience community at NYU. Our graduate program is highly competitive at the national level, proven by our success during the previous funding period in recruiting outstanding graduate students as well as a number of new junior and senior faculty. Since our last submission, the Medical School also recruited Richard Tsien to establish the NYU Neuroscience Institute, which has created even greater enthusiasm around the neuroscience program here at NYU. The specific goals of our neuroscience training program are: (1) To provide a rigorous, high-quality, and broad-based graduate education in neuroscience within the context of an interactive, collegial, and cutting-edge research environment; (2) To increase the number of high caliber students that apply to and participate in the program, including active recruitment of underrepresented minorities; (3) To provide students with guidance of a rigorous mentoring system that ushers students through a series of milestones to a doctoral degree typically in 5-6 years; (4) To train students in necessary professional skills, including critical reading, grant writing, oral presentation, leadership, management, and networking; (5) To encourage a broad perspective on the field of neuroscience that encompasses basic, translational, and clinical research; and (6) To prepare students for the variety of scientific career opportunities that will be available to them after graduate school. We request funding for 12 predoctoral students in their first and second years. The increase in slots over the previous funding period is amply justified by the large increase in faculty and student populations. Through our newly integrated graduate program, we provide trainees with a vast and rich intellectual environment, as well as the resources and experience, to confidently pursue their own scientific interests and become independent scientific leaders, who will make future breakthroughs in basic, translational, and clinical neuroscience.
Neuroscience is a highly multidisciplinary science that incorporates diverse areas of research from biology, psychology, genetics, computer science, and physics. The proposed program will provide students with integrated, multidisciplinary training in the molecular, cellular and system properties of the nervous system. It will significantly contribute to the training of a new generation of neuroscientists that will positivel impact our understanding of diverse neurological and psychiatric diseases and be prepared for a diverse range of scientific careers.
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