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Neuroscience Graduate Program

The NSP at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is an interdisciplinary program of study and research leading to the doctoral degree.

We offer a rigorous yet flexible program designed to foster the growth of the student through research activities, close interactions with faculty, and exposure to top neuroscientists through our seminar series and attendance at professional meetings.

Graduate Admissions Faculty by Department

Neuroscience Program Events Calendar

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Neuroscience News

14 Million Honeybees Escape After a Truck Rolls Over in Washington State

From The New York Times: In the northwest corner of Washington State on Friday morning, the authorities issued a most unusual all-points bulletin, rather, an A.P.Bee.“250 million bees are now loose,” the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Department...

Kids who eat foods with soy more focused at school

Children who eat foods containing soy are more focused at school, according to a study.American researchers found that school-aged youngsters who consumed more isoflavones from soy foods...

Saif Honored by Grainger Engineering for Career of Prominence

Bioengineering, Mechanical Science and Engineering, and The Grainger College of Engineering community recently celebrated a new named appointment for professor Taher Saif. In an investiture ceremony held in the Beckman Institute...

Two LAS professors elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Two faculty members from the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences have been newly elected as members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the oldest honorary societies in the United States. History...

Graduate student Jonathan Cerna monitors heart data from a “smart shirt” that tracks electrical activity as graduate student Laila Shaaban exercises and rests. Researchers are working to develop the technology to make heart-related predictions more widely accessible through the use of wearables.

Wearable technology continuously monitors heart-rate recovery to predict risk

Two articles were recently published highlighting the work of Neuroscience Program faculty, Manuel Hernandez and Neuroscience Graduate student Jonathan Cerna:Wearable...

Mutation increases enzyme in mouse brains linked to schizophrenia behaviors

Shared from UIUC Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau, 2/18/25 CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A genetic mutation found in two human patients with schizophrenia also increased schizophrenia-related behaviors in mice with the same mutation, a rare finding of a direct genetic...

Recent Award Winners

Dajin Cho recieves Dr. Albert Feng Graduate Research Support Fund
April 2024, Dajin Cho, in Patrick Sweeney's lab
Robbie Ingram recieves Neuroscience Outstanding Service "Forebrain" Award
April 2024, Robbie Ingram, Catherine Christian-Hinman lab
Allison Louie recieves C. Ladd Prosser Graduate Student Research Award
April 2024, Allison Louie, in Andrew Steelman's lab.
Robbie Ingram recieves C. Ladd Prosser Graduate Student Research Award
May 2023, Robbie Ingram, in Catherine Christian-Hinman's lab
Catie Cutia recieves Dr. Albert Feng Graduate Research Support Fund
May 2023, Catie Cutia, in Catherine Christian-Hinman's lab.

Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Jason Climer - Unraveling the Mysteries of the Brain

by Shreya Rana, April 2025Jason Climer, a dynamic researcher at the Beckman Institute, brings a unique blend of engineering and neuroscience to his work. Climer is a Neuroscience faculty member with his home unit being Molecular and Integrative Physiology. Driven by personal experiences with neurodegenerative diseases, Climer is dedicated to understanding the intricate workings of the brain, particularly in the areas of memory and forgetting.Climer's research delves into the fascinating world of "place cells," neurons that fire when an animal occupies a specific location. His work explores...

Alumni Spotlight: Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Jake Carpenter-Thompson

Dr. Jake Carpenter-Thompson serves as the director of clinical research at the Kutcher Clinic for Sports Neurology. He recently published research in conjunction with Dr. Jeffery Kutcher regarding the evaluation and management of sports-related concussions. He and his team are currently working on an assessment of technologies that claim to be able to diagnose a concussion. “When you look at previous research that’s been done, the quality is not there,” he said. “We’re applying a very rigorous clinical diagnosis of concussion, making sure that the way that these technologies are studied is...

Recently Published: Looking for transfer in all the wrong places: How intellectual abilities can be enhanced through diverse experience among older adults

Elizabeth A.L. Stine-Morrow, Ilber E. Manavbasi, Shukhan Ng, Giavanna S. McCall, Aron K. Barbey, Daniel G. Morrow, "Looking for transfer in all the wrong places: How intellectual abilities can be enhanced through diverse experience among older adults," Intelligence, Volume 104, 2024, 101829, ISSN 0160-2896, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2024.101829. Abstract: Research with cognitive...

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Land Acknowledgement

As a land-grant institution, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has a responsibility to acknowledge the historical context in which it exists. We are currently on the lands of the Peoria, Kaskaskia, Peankashaw, Wea, Miami, Mascoutin, Odawa, Sauk, Mesquaki, Kickapoo, Potawatomi, Ojibwe, and Chickasaw Nations. It is necessary for us to acknowledge these Native Nations and for us to work with them as we move forward as an institution with Native peoples at the core of our efforts.