Neurobiology and Behavior

At the end of August before the fall semester, the incoming cohort of graduate students participate in "Boot Camp" run by current students and a faculty mentor. The purpose of boot camp is to familiarize incoming students with techniques used in neuroscience research. This is done through lectures and laboratory demonstrations. Topics include basic methods in microscopy, biochemistry, electrophysiology, genetics, computational neuroscience, behavior, imaging, anatomy, and cell culture. Faculty, postdocs and students lecture and participate in lab demonstrations.

In their first year in the program, students engage in rotations in the labs of training faculty. Rotations are designed to help students choose a dissertation mentor, and broaden their practical and theoretical knowledge of neuroscience. Rotations are initiated by students according to individual interests and typically last one semester.

The Qualifying Examination, taken near the end of year 2 in the program, establishes that students are ready to undertake the research required for the PhD degree. Students must possess an in-depth understanding of the literature in their field and formulate a research proposal addressing an important scientific problem. The exam is comprised of a written NIH NRSA-style proposal and an oral presentation. The proposal should have been conceived of and written by the student, but input from advisors is allowed. The proposal is defended in an oral presentation to the qualifying examination committee. This committee consists of three faculty members associated with the Doctoral Program in Neurobiology and Behavior. The committee members should be pre-approved by the program directors, and the chair pre-assigned. Mentors are required to attend the exam, although they are asked to provide input only should it be absolutely necessary. The exam is scheduled for a total of 2 hours. The oral presentation should be about 45 minutes in length. The written proposal must be distributed 2 weeks in advance of the exam date unless the committee approves a shorter time span between distribution and exam.

The goal of the Thesis Committee (TC) is to provide additional support and guidance to the student as they proceed through their dissertation studies. Committee members are responsible for evaluating the student’s progress, ensuring that the work is proceeding at a reasonable pace, providing feedback to student and mentor to maximize training, and serving as resources for career guidance and advice. Given these roles, it is expected that the interaction between a student and their TC members will evolve as the student progresses through the PhD. Initially, the goal of the TC meetings will be to ensure that the scientific question is clearly defined, that the approaches are feasible, and that goals are reasonable. Later, they will help you decide when it is time to write your dissertation. Finally, they will serve as readers and examiners as you present your thesis seminar and defense. The TC consists of 3 faculty members (in addition to your mentor). One of the 3 faculty members will be selected by the program co-directors to Chair the committee. The Chair must be an approved dissertation sponsor of the NB&B doctoral program, but other members of the committee do not. Your first TC meeting should take place between 9-12 months after your quals with subsequent meetings occurring every 3, 6, or 12 months, as indicated by the committee.

The dissertation is an extended piece of scholarly, experimental and/or theoretical work typically arranged as an introductory chapter followed by chapters presenting the results of experimental or theoretical work and a chapter on overall conclusions.

The PhD defense or Dissertation Committee consists of five faculty members, including the mentor. This committee typically includes the members of the thesis advisory committee, as well as an external faculty member with particular expertise in the subject of the thesis.

The thesis defense typically includes an open research seminar in which the work is presented followed by a closed session in which the PhD candidate is examined by the Dissertation Committee. At the conclusion of this examination, the candidate is asked to step outside of the room and the committee votes. The three options are: pass, incomplete (typically additional experiments) or fail. After the vote, the candidate is informed of the result and any textual revisions (assuming the thesis is in the pass category) are outlined. The dissertation mentor is usually responsible for making sure that these revisions are complete before the thesis is deposited (1 or 6 months after the date of the defense, as voted by the committee).

The retreat is a 2 day, 1 night trip for all students and program mentors to become acquainted with new members, discuss and collaborate on research efforts, and gather socially. Events include talks from department faculty, a poster session, and social activities.