Navigating Educational Trajectories in Neuroscience

Project Summary The proposed research education program, Navigating Educational Trajectories in Neuroscience (NET Neuro), is an innovative cohort-model designed to accelerate pre- and postdoctoral trainees’ success by fostering community among peers and faculty at critical transition periods in their education and as they define and navigate their professional and academic goals. Grounded in a framework of responsive, individualized mentorship and community-building, NET Neuro aims to build critical skills and leadership capacity through collaborative mentoring experiences, formal and informal mentorship training, and new Graduate Education Modules to build skills needed by the changing neuroscience workforce. By integrating well-established institutional research training programs with new evidence-informed practices and curriculum offerings, we offer new resources to support graduate students and postdocs from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds at key transitions along their training pathway, and thereby facilitate their professional and leadership development and prevent the loss of talent at each level of educational advancement. Building on the University of Oregon’s strength in interdisciplinary neuroscience research and training, NET Neuro will annually enroll 7 graduate students and 3 postdocs to participate in a 2-year training program, with the opportunity for continued engagement as program alumni. Graduate students will be recruited at the end of their first year of study, given the clear need to support students as they transition from intense rotation experiences or completion of Master’s theses to the relatively unstructured task of refining their independent research. Postdoctoral scholars will be targeted for participation in their final two years of training, when there is a significant need for mentorship and professional skill building as they prepare to enter the job market. The program focuses on two specific aims: 1) to establish mentoring communities and train the next generation of neuroscience researchers in culturally-aware mentoring practices, and 2) to develop and integrate curriculum to enhance skill development and prepare trainees for successful educational transitions and long-term career trajectories. Evidence-based practices in mentoring, including the creation of mentor networks, opportunities for “mentored mentoring” experiences, and formal mentorship training will offer individualized support to trainees from underrepresented backgrounds and foster an inclusive training climate. Core knowledge development through a series of courses on grant writing, coding data science, rigor and reproducibility, and professional development will build critical skills and prepare trainees for successful transitions to the next stage of their educational and career pathways. By fostering a productive climate of mentorship and advancing core skills, NET Neuro will contribute to the diversification of the region and nation’s research workforce in neuroscience and facilitate the future success of the next generation of neuroscience scholars.