With nearly 100 billion neurons and trillions of connections, the human brain is the last frontier in our pursuit of self-knowledge. Over the last century, traditional disciplines have generated foundational knowledge about phenomena occurring in the brain at different levels or scales, from molecules to cognitive processes. The challenge now is to provide the next generation of neuroscientists with the conceptual and practical skills needed to integrate this knowledge into coherent models that span these levels and provide mechanistic explanations for the observed data.

UVA has established a Brain Institute to study the question articulated by the NIH as to “how the brain enables the human body to record, process, utilize, store, and retrieve vast quantities of information, all at the speed of thought.”  Developing and testing new models, such as analyzing gene expression in thousands of individual neurons in real time while observing complex behaviors, requires a foundation in computational and quantitative methods in order to analyze the massive datasets that new technologies are enabling us to collect.

Possible areas of study

Quantitative methods are best acquired via hands-on, research-based learning with exposure to a wide variety of approaches and perspectives to gain an appreciation for the integrative and interdisciplinary needs of the field.  The departments of Biology and Psychology are home to a number of neuroscience faculty who can collectively meet this training need. Many of us share a core interest in understanding the neural basis of behavior, one of the ultimate goals in brain research. These range from innate behaviors such as feeding, locomotion, fear and stress to sensory perception, learning, memory, decision-making and social interactions.

Mentoring Plan and Resources

Interdisciplinary Doctoral Fellows will have coordinated access to the following resources and opportunities at UVA.