Document text
Principal Investigator: Cristopher M Niell
Organization: UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
Fiscal Year: 2024
Award: $258,691
Funding agency: National Institute of Mental Health
Project Summary
The proposed research education program, Navigating Educational Trajectories in Neuroscience (NET Neuro),
is an innovative cohort-model designed to accelerate pre- and postdoctoral trainees’ success by fostering
community among peers and faculty at critical transition periods in their education and as they define and
navigate their professional and academic goals. Grounded in a framework of responsive, individualized
mentorship and community-building, NET Neuro aims to build critical skills and leadership capacity through
collaborative mentoring experiences, formal and informal mentorship training, and new Graduate Education
Modules to build skills needed by the changing neuroscience workforce. By integrating well-established
institutional research training programs with new evidence-informed practices and curriculum offerings, we offer
new resources to support graduate students and postdocs from underrepresented and disadvantaged
backgrounds at key transitions along their training pathway, and thereby facilitate their professional and
leadership development and prevent the loss of talent at each level of educational advancement.
Building on the University of Oregon’s strength in interdisciplinary neuroscience research and training, NET
Neuro will annually enroll 7 graduate students and 3 postdocs to participate in a 2-year training program, with
the opportunity for continued engagement as program alumni. Graduate students will be recruited at the end of
their first year of study, given the clear need to support students as they transition from intense rotation
experiences or completion of Master’s theses to the relatively unstructured task of refining their independent
research. Postdoctoral scholars will be targeted for participation in their final two years of training, when there is
a significant need for mentorship and professional skill building as they prepare to enter the job market. The
program focuses on two specific aims: 1) to establish mentoring communities and train the next generation of
neuroscience researchers in culturally-aware mentoring practices, and 2) to develop and integrate curriculum to
enhance skill development and prepare trainees for successful educational transitions and long-term career
trajectories. Evidence-based practices in mentoring, including the creation of mentor networks, opportunities for
“mentored mentoring” experiences, and formal mentorship training will offer individualized support to trainees
from underrepresented backgrounds and foster an inclusive training climate. Core knowledge development
through a series of courses on grant writing, coding data science, rigor and reproducibility, and professional
development will build critical skills and prepare trainees for successful transitions to the next stage of their
educational and career pathways. By fostering a productive climate of mentorship and advancing core skills,
NET Neuro will contribute to the diversification of the region and nation’s research workforce in neuroscience
and facilitate the future success of the next generation of neuroscience scholars.
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