Neuroscience Research Training

This is an application to renew the Stanford Neurosciences graduate program, which leads to the only neuroscience-specific PhD degree at Stanford University. This interdisciplinary program consists of 88 students and 84 faculty from 23 departments (10 clinical, 13 basic science/engineering) across 3 schools. The range of departments illustrates the breadth of research areas, spanning from molecular/cellular to systems and behavior, human cognition, and translational work. The objective is to identify, recruit, and train predoctoral PhD students to become the next generation of leaders in neuroscience. Faculty receive training on admission standards, outreach to prospective students, and mentorship, and the program supports an active and engaged community that supports these priorities. The training grant and its implementation are the foundation of the program, providing a main source of student support for the first two predoctoral years. Stanford adds considerable value by subsidizing stipends to meet the high cost of living, paid administrative and faculty support, subsidies for 2 additional years of stipend and tuition, and many scientific and educational resources. The curriculum is designed to meet NIH standards for excellence in broad-based research training, experimental design, neural basis of disease, quantitative literacy, statistical methodology, rigor and reproducibility, and professional skills development. These curricular goals are achieved from day one, when students participate in an immersive neuroscience course to promote collaboration through active learning and mini-rotations. The first year provides broad-based learning through core modules that engage students in different ways within neuroscience subfields (anatomy, cellular, molecular, genetics, developmental, systems, cognitive, computational) to generate and test hypotheses using modern experimental, quantitative, and technological approaches. In the journal club, students broadly read the scientific literature, make oral presentations, critique rigor and statistical methodology, and engage in professional development activities. Students receive formal training in quantitative approaches, statistical analysis, rigor and reproducibility, and responsible conduct in research. Students select advanced topic and statistical courses to meet their scientific goals. Research training is provided by first-year rotations, followed by choice of a thesis lab, passing of an oral qualifying exam, thesis project, yearly committee meetings, and oral and written defense. Students receive mentoring from first-year advisors, thesis advisors, committee members, and peers. Program directors meet regularly with each student cohort and hold town hall meetings. Leadership is encouraged through student-run initiatives such as the annual retreat, teaching opportunities in courses and summer programs, outreach to local schools, and participation with faculty in committees including admissions, mental health, and curriculum.