Overview
The Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences (BCS) at the 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ comprises 17 faculty with primary appointments as well as many closely associated faculty with primary appointments in other departments. BCS faculty and their research are in several fields.
Our research spans a large domain and straddles several disciplines in the behavioral, neural, and computational sciences. However, all of our work is connected by the idea that to understand behavior we must study not only behavior but also the processes—both neural and computational—that underlie it.
The importance of this work is recognized in the numerous honors given to faculty, and in their great success in attracting funds to support their research (principally from the and the ).
We are also committed to educating and training future researchers. Our nationally ranked graduate program attracts students of the highest caliber, and we invest heavily in our students while they work with us.
Undergraduate students also have a place in this enterprise. The study of brain and cognitive sciences provides superb general intellectual training, as well as opportunities for students to engage in research with faculty and learn the logic of scientific inquiry.
Interdepartmental Research
Our department provides a focus for studying cognition, complex behavior, and brain function. But we also recognize this pursuit as an interdisciplinary endeavor. As a result, we have strong ties to other academic departments, programs, and centers, including:
- Several neuroscience departments in the
Students interested in one or more of these associated programs can take courses and obtain research experience with faculty in any of these units while maintaining a primary connection to the brain and cognitive sciences program.