graduate study in the neural basis of cognition

[Dave_Touretzky@cs.cmu.edu]

The Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition (CNBC) offers interdisciplinary
doctoral training in affiliation with seven PhD programs at Carnegie Mellon
University and the University of Pittsburgh.  See our web site
http://www.cnbc.cmu.edu for detailed information.

The Center is dedicated to the study of the neural basis of cognitive
processes.  The Center's goals are:

1) To elucidate cellular and molecular mechanisms of information coding and
processing by neural circuits.

2) To understand how neural circuits interact in functional systems that
form the substrate for cognitive processes, including perception, thought,
behavior and language.

3) To identify mechanisms that enable genes, development and diseases to
shape cognition.

4) To promote the application of research results to problems in medicine,
artificial intelligence and robotics.

In order to foster innovative research, the Center encourages and supports
cross-disciplinary research between workers in the fields of neuroscience,
psychology, mathematics, computer science, and medicine.  In this
environment, students have access to world-class research facilities for
cellular and systems neurophysiology, functional brain imaging, confocal
imaging, transgenic methods, gene-chip technology and high performance
computing.  A variety of different experimental models are in use, ranging
from simple in vitro systems, to whole animal work on transgenic animals,
primates and neurologically and psychologically-defined patient populations.

As part of the Center's commitment to cross-disciplinary research, we have
recently instituted an IGERT program with support from the National Science
Foundation.  IGERT, which stands for Integrative Graduate Education and
Research Training, allows students to receive hands-on training in a
relevant crossover discipline.  For example, a computer scientist
specializing in neural modeling could learn to do neurophysiology, or a
psychology student working on functional brain imaging could receive
training in advanced statistical analysis of fMRI data.  The IGERT option is
available to all CNBC students.

Students are admitted jointly to a home training program and to the CNBC
Training Program.  Applications are encouraged from students having
interests in biology, neuroscience, psychology, engineering, physics,
mathematics, computer science, or robotics.  For a brochure describing the
program and application materials, contact us at the following address:

   Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition
   115 Mellon Institute
   4400 Fifth Avenue
   Pittsburgh, PA 15213
   Tel. (412) 268-4000.  Fax: (412) 268-5060
   email: cnbc-admissions at cnbc.cmu.edu

Application materials are also available online.

The affiliated PhD programs are:
  Carnegie Mellon University            University of Pittsburgh
     Computer Science                      Center for Neuroscience
     Psychology                            Mathematics
     Robotics                              Psychology
     Statistics

The CNBC training faculty includes:

John Anderson (CMU Psychology): ACT-R theory of cognition, problem-solving
German Barrionuevo (Pitt Neuroscience):  LTP in hippocampal slice
Marlene Behrmann (CMU Psychology): spatial representations in parietal cortex
Pat Carpenter (CMU Psychology): mental imagery, language, and problem solving
Cameron Carter (Pitt Neurosci., Psych): fMRI, attention, memory, schizophrenia
Carson Chow (Pitt Mathematics): spatiotemporal dynamics in neural networks
Carol Colby (Pitt Neuroscience): spatial reps. in primate parietal cortex
Steve DeKosky (Pitt Neurobiology): neurodegenerative human disease
William Eddy (CMU Statistics): analysis of fMRI data
Bard Ermentrout (Pitt Mathematics): oscillations in neural systems
Julie Fiez (Pitt Psychology): fMRI studies of language
Chris Genovese (CMU Statistics): making inferences from scientific data
Lori Holt (CMU Psychology): mechanisms of speech perception, perceptual learning
John Horn (Pitt Neurobiology): synaptic plasticity in autonomic ganglia
Allen Humphrey (Pitt Neurobiology): motion processing in primary visual cortex
Marcel Just (CMU Psychology): visual thinking, language comprehension
Robert Kass (CMU Statistics): transmission of info. by collections of neurons
Eric Klann (Pitt Neuroscience): hippocampal LTP and LTD
Roberta Klatzky (CMU Psychology): human perception and cognition
Richard Koerber (Pitt Neurobiology): devel. and plasticity of spinal networks
Tai Sing Lee (CMU Comp. Sci.): primate visual cortex; computer vision
Pat Levitt (Pitt Neurobiology): molecular basis of cortical development
Michael Lewicki (CMU Comp. Sci.): learning and representation
David Lewis (Pitt Neuroscience): anatomy of frontal cortex
Brian MacWhinney (CMU Psychology): models of language acquisition
Yoky Matsuoka (CMU Robotics): rehabilitation robotics, motor psychophysics
James McClelland (CMU Psychology): connectionist models of cognition
Paula Monaghan Nichols (Pitt Neurobiology): vertebrate CNS development
Carl Olson (CNBC): spatial representations in primate frontal cortex
David Plaut (CMU Psychology): connectionist models of reading
Michael Pogue-Geile (Pitt Psychology): development of schizophrenia
Lynn Reder (CMU Psychology): organization of memory, cognitive processing
Jonathan Rubin (Pitt Mathematics): oscillations in networks of coupled neurons
Walter Schneider (Pitt Psych.): fMRI, models of attention & skill acquisition
Charles Scudder (Pitt Neurobiology): motor learning in cerebellum
Susan Sesack (Pitt Neuroscience): anatomy of the dopaminergic system
Dan Simons (Pitt Neurobiology): sensory physiology of the cerebral cortex
William Skaggs (Pitt Neuroscience): representations in rodent hippocampus
Peter Strick (Pitt Neurobiology): basal ganglia & cerebellum, motor system
David Touretzky (CMU Comp. Sci.): hippocampus, rat navigation, animal learning

See http://www.cnbc.cmu.edu/people for further details.