# Training Program in Basic Neuroscience

> **NIH NIH T32** · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $681,682

## Abstract

The Stanford Neuroscience Training Program remains the only doctoral degree granting entity for
Neuroscience at Stanford. This interdisciplinary program consists of 91 students and 99 faculty from 28
departments (11 clinical, 17 basic scientists) and 4 schools. The breadth of departments illustrates the breadth
of research areas which span molecular/cellular to systems and behavior, from human cognition to
translational work. The training grant and its implementation is the central funding source, with 14 slots, and
the foundation of the program. Our mission is to identify, recruit and train predoctoral PhD students to become
the next generation of leaders in neuroscience at all societal levels. This training plan has four components:
curriculum, research, mentoring and leadership, typically accomplished in under 6 years. The curriculum uses
best practices in teaching to provide a foundation in neuroscience that allows for the rigorous identification of a
scientific question, design, implementation and analysis of a research project culminating in an independent
publication. A core module system challenges students to learn how different fields approach scientific
problems. Students participate in journal clubs, a recurring responsible conduct and ethics course, and higher-
level courses specifically governed by the interests and needs of each individual student. Research begins with
rigorous and challenging rotations that allow students to explore new research areas and new technologies.
From these rotations, students select a research laboratory to do their thesis work that is supervised by a
faculty mentor and committee of experts. Training in experimental design, rigorous data collection and
statistical analysis, is achieved through both didactic course work and direct application to their own work. Our
mentoring approach is that it takes a village. From day 1 students have a First Year advisor and a senior
student advisor. After selecting a laboratory students have a personal faculty mentor as well as a committee of
advocates. They also have access to a senior advisory panel of faculty and both individual and group focused
peer-mentoring groups. And finally, leadership includes involvement in directing all aspects of the program as
student representatives on all committees as well as TAs for major courses, designing and teaching
neuroscience courses and engaging in university and community outreach such as Brain Day and Stanford
Summer Research Program. Within each component, we include elements for professional development like
reading, critically evaluating and writing scientific papers, preparing and presenting scientific presentations to
both professional and lay audiences, networking both academically and in industry as well as professional
interactions related to biases such as gender, socioeconomic and race. The program's infrastructure combines
faculty, student and administrative feedback on all major levels. There is a program commi...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10004522
- **Project number:** 5T32MH020016-23
- **Recipient organization:** STANFORD UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Nirao Mahesh Shah
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $681,682
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2007-08-03 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10004522

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10004522, Training Program in Basic Neuroscience (5T32MH020016-23). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10004522. Licensed CC0.

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