New York University

About New York University

The Center for Neural Science at New York University is the focus for teaching and research in the brain sciences at the Washington Square Campus of New York University. Formed in 1987, the Center has been a department of the Faculty of Arts and Science since 1994. The research interests of the faculty span a broad range of topics in neural science, including mechanisms of perception, cognition, and action. Techniques in use in our laboratories include molecular and cell biology, neurophysiology and neuroanatomy, brain imaging, and human and animal behavior. Empirical work at every level of investigation benefits from fruitful interaction with a unique and distinguished group of theorists both within the Center and in the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. The Center also benefits from the outstanding academic environment at the Washington Square Campus, including major research programs the Departments of Biology, Chemistry, Economics, Physics, and Psychology. Beyond Washington Square, the Center enjoys a close cooperative relationship with the Neuroscience Institute and with other researchers in the basic and clinical neurosciences at the NYU School of Medicine. The Institute of Neuroscience (ION) at the University of Oregon is a group of biologists, psychologists, mathematicians, and human physiologists at the University of Oregon that has pooled its expertise to tackle fundamental questions in neuroscience – questions such as: How do neural circuits produce behavior? What can computational approaches tell us about how the brain operates? How do neural stem cells choose between self-renewal and differentiation? What mechanisms generate the large diversity of neurons within the brain? How do these neurons 'wire up' into functional circuits? What are the circuits of reward, addiction, memory, and cognitive flexibility? These questions are being explored at all levels of organization – from the relatively simple nervous systems of Drosophila, C. elegans, and zebrafish to the more complex networks in mice, owls, and humans. ION boasts a highly collaborative faculty with expertise in genetics, development, electrophysiology, optogenetics, computational modeling, theory and functional MRI. As a result, students enrolled in our PhD program come away with the broad conceptual and technical skills necessary to be an independent and successful scientist. Our state-of-the-art facilities and excellent support staff allow ION members to progress rapidly by making exploratory or pilot experiments accessible.