Georgia Tech to pursue Ph.D. in neuroscience and neurotechnology, new minor

On By Vaseline

The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia has approved a new system Neuroscience and neurotechnology Ph.D. Program at Georgia Tech.

The interdisciplinary degree is a joint effort between the Colleges of Sciences, Computing and Engineering. The program expects to enroll its first graduate students in fall 2025, pending approval by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

The Institute’s Curriculum Committee has also approved a new one Minor Neurosciencewhich will be available in the Georgia Tech 2024-2025 catalog.

BS in Neuroscience

The Ph.D. and Minor offerings build on the recently launched Neuro Next Initiative in Research and the established Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience, respectively.

Approved by the Board of Regents in 2017, the interdisciplinary BS in Neuroscience degree in the College of Sciences has enrolled more than 400 students in 2022 and is the fastest growing undergraduate major at Georgia Tech.

The BS in Neuroscience is also key to a strong ecosystem of undergraduate neuroscience education across the state, including peer programs at Mercer University, Augusta University, Georgia State University, Agnes Scott College and Emory University.

Ph.D. in neuroscience and neurotechnology

The new doctorate will provide a pathway for the state’s rapidly growing pipeline of neuroscience students and young alumni, while also welcoming a broader range of graduate researchers to campus.

The Ph.D. The program’s mission is focused on educating students to advance the field of neuroscience through an interdisciplinary approach, involving scientists and engineers from diverse backgrounds – ultimately integrating neuroscience research and technology development to benefit all levels of the study the function of the nervous system.

Professor of biological sciences Lewis A. Wheaton, who chaired the Ph.D. Program Planning Committee shares that a cohort model will “combine experimental and quantitative skills development, creating opportunities for students to work in science and engineering laboratories to foster collaborations, while also fostering a program and community unique to the state and is contrary to the offer of national colleagues.”

Expand innovation – and impact

Wheaton explains that the new Ph.D. aims to equip graduates for a wide range of employment opportunities and growing specializations, including computational neuroscience, neurorehabilitation, cultural and social neuroscience, neuroimaging, cognitive and behavioral neuroscience, developmental neuroscience and neurolinguistics.

The new degree will also help meet the country’s growing demand for a neurocentric workforce. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth for medical scientists (including neuroscientists) was approximately 13% from 2012 to 2022, faster than the average for all occupations tracked.

Wheaton, who is also director of the Cognitive Motor Control Lab and director of the Center for Promoting Inclusion and Equity in the Sciences (C-PIES) at Georgia Tech, adds that the program will equip neuroscientists to conduct research that will significantly impact lives. can improve. .

Looking for students

The Planning Committee anticipates a tentative application deadline of February 1, 2025 for fall 2025 registrations – and encourages students with the following interests to learn more and apply in the upcoming school year:

  • Developing deeper quantitative, computational and/or technical skills to make scientific discoveries that support innovations in neuroscience
  • A clear, comprehensive understanding of the nervous system at all scales, from molecular to systems
  • Understand how to use and innovate new tools and approaches to investigate the nervous system at all levels
  • Become uniquely qualified to translate knowledge from neuroscience and related disciplines to create new knowledge in their professional pursuits

Looking for a director

The participating colleges will soon be looking for one program director, appointing a tenured Georgia Tech faculty member to serve as administrator of the new program. a graduate program committee consisting of five faculty members and mentors from the Colleges of Sciences, Computing and Engineering, will also be created.

During their meeting in April 2024 Regents also announced budget approvals and tuition changes for the 26 member institutions of Georgia.

The Ph.D. Program Planning Committee included the following faculty:

  • Lewis Wheaton (Biological Sciences Committee Chairman)
  • Constantijn Dovrolis (Computer Science)
  • Christopher Rozell (Electrical and computer engineering)
  • Eric Schumacher (Psychology)
  • Garrett Stanley (biomedical engineering)
  • David Collard (Office of the Dean of the College of Sciences)