# Training in Complex Systems and Data Science Approaches Applied to the Neurobiology of Drug Use

> **NIH NIH T32** · UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT & ST AGRIC COLLEGE · 2022 · $176,813

## Abstract

The purpose of this program is to train pre- and post-doctoral scholars in the application of complex systems
and data science approaches to the neurobiology of substance abuse, with the dual strategies of: (1) training
candidates with expertise in data science, applied mathematics, computer science, and complex systems to
apply their skills to the neuroscience of addiction; and (2) training candidates pursuing addiction research from
neuroscience, psychiatry, psychology and genetics in the theory and application of Big Data methods,
including network analysis, machine learning algorithms, and Bayesian statistical models. Trainees will be
paired across disciplines, and academic stages, for research collaboration and reciprocal tutoring to facilitate
the development of proficiency in each trainee's new field. Each trainee will also be dual mentored, their
secondary mentor being their partner's primary. Over its five-year duration, the program will provide three
years of funding for each of five pairs of pre- and post-doctoral researchers, with an initial cohort of four (two
pairs), and additional pairs entering in each of the middle three years. The core curriculum will incorporate: (1)
the established complex systems and data science graduate certificate at the University of Vermont; (2) course
work in neuroscience, psychology and addiction, including classes focused on developing human subjects
research skills; as well as (3) specialized courses designed to directly and effectively bridge the gap between
the core disciplines. Trainees will also attend a biweekly journal club and monthly seminar, led by senior
participants in the program, to further support the acquisition of multidisciplinary research skills.
 The overarching aim of the program is to produce researchers poised to apply state-of-the-art analytic tools to
understand the neurobiology of drug abuse. The focus will be characterizing the neural substrates of addiction
and other comorbid psychopathologies, always with an eye toward clinical application. Recent increases in the
quantity and quality of large-sample, multi-modal datasets that address the neural, genetic and environmental
substrates of addiction make this a propitious time for such a training program. Researchers at UVM are ideally
suited to provide this training as there exist close links between addiction research, cognitive neuroscience,
complex systems and data science, and the mentoring faculty have access to exceptional datasets that are
ideal for interrogation with Big Data methods. Armed with coherent domain knowledge and practiced with
advanced methods for complex systems, trainees will develop analysis pipelines that: (1) incorporate
sophisticated aggregation of longitudinal and multi-modal datasets, including various neuroimaging modalities,
genetic information, survey and clinical data; (2) harness the power of supercomputing and modern machine
learning algorithms to step beyond linear and univariate effects; a...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10397010
- **Project number:** 5T32DA043593-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT & ST AGRIC COLLEGE
- **Principal Investigator:** Peter S. Dodds
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $176,813
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-07-01 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10397010

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10397010, Training in Complex Systems and Data Science Approaches Applied to the Neurobiology of Drug Use (5T32DA043593-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10397010. Licensed CC0.

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