Neuroscience

Neuroscience is the interdisciplinary study of neural function, development, and behavior. The University of Oregon offers an undergraduate major in Neuroscience.  The graduate training program in neuroscience is centered in the Institute of Neuroscience (ion.uoregon.edu). Affiliated faculty members in the undergraduate major as well as participating faculty members in the graduate training program are drawn from the Departments of Biology, Human Physiology, and Psychology, along with the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact.

Graduate Studies

The Interdepartmental Neuroscience Graduate Program (INGP), administered through the Institute of Neuroscience offers robust graduate training in Neuroscience across departments at the University of Oregon.  The goal of INGP is to train students to think independently, creatively, and critically about problems in neuroscience. We aim to train students in a variety of  skills that will prepare students for  a successful research, teaching, policy or industry career. Students can enter INGP through the department of biology, human physiology, psychology, mathematics, and physics, depending on their interest. The majority of our students enter through the department of biology, which allows students to complete three rotations during their first year, in order to help students identify a laboratory in which to do their dissertation research. Students who enter through psychology, human physiology and mathematics begin in their dissertation labs immediately. Regardless of how students enter INGP, they are provided with a set of mentors at the peer, and faculty level. All graduate students are required to teach for at least one academic year during their graduate career; at least a portion of this teaching takes place the first year.

The two training programs we offer are: 1) cellular, developmental and molecular neuroscience, and 2) systems, cognitive and theoretical neuroscience. Students take courses and journal clubs specific to these topics to enhance their knowledge. 

Typical courses, journal clubs and meetings:

• Cellular, Developmental and Molecular 
  • Courses: Molecular genetics, advanced biochemistry, developmental neurobiology, developmental genetics, cellular neuroscience, systems neuroscience. 
  • Journal clubs: developmental and cell biology, developmental neurobiology.
  • Meetings: developmental interest group, zebrafish groupie.  
• Systems, Cognitive and Theoretical 
  • Courses: cellular neuroscience, systems neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, computational neuroscience, combinatorics, stochastic processes, neural networks.
  • Journal clubs: systems neuroscience, theoretical neuroscience. 
  • Meetings: neural circuits and behavior, zebrafish groupie, joint theory lab meetings. 

Students who want to enter the neuroscience graduate program should apply to the PhD program of a participating department and indicate their interest in neuroscience. Typically, students interested in cognitive neuroscience apply to the psychology department; students interested in molecular, cellular, developmental, or systems neuroscience apply to the biology department. Such applications are reviewed by the neuroscience faculty as well as the departmental admission committee. Answers to specific questions about prerequisites and deadlines may be obtained by writing directly to one of the participating departments, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403. Additional information about the Institute of Neuroscience may be obtained from the institute website. See also the Institute of Neuroscience section in the Research Centers and Institutes area of this catalog.