Princeton Neuroscience Institute (PNI)
Director
Jonathan D. Cohen, Psychology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute
David W. Tank, Molecular Biology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute
Director of Graduate Studies
Carlos D. Brody, Molecular Biology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute
Executive Committee
Michael J. Berry, Molecular Biology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute
Matthew M. Botvinick, Psychology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute
Lisa M. Boulanger, Molecular Biology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute
Carlos D. Brody, Molecular Biology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute
Jonathan D. Cohen, Psychology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute
Lynn W. Enquist, Molecular Biology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute
Asif A. Ghazanfar, Psychology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute
Elizabeth Gould, Psychology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute
Michael S. Graziano, Psychology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute
Charles G. Gross, Psychology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute
Uri Hasson, Psychology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute
Barry L. Jacobs, Psychology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute
Sabine Kastner, Psychology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute
Mala Murthy, Molecular Biology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute
Yael Niv, Psychology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute
Kenneth A. Norman, Psychology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute
David W. Tank, Molecular Biology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute
Samuel S. H. Wang, Molecular Biology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute
Associated Faculty
William Bialek, Physics and Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics
Jonathan T. Eggenschwiler, Molecular Biology
Elizabeth R. Gavis, Molecular Biology
Alan Gelperin, Molecular Biology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute
Philip J. Holmes, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Coleen T. Murphy, Molecular Biology, Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics
Nicholas B. Turk-Browne, Psychology
Understanding how the brain works, and how it gives rise to mental function, is one of the most exciting challenges in science. This effort is inherently interdisciplinary, and the Princeton Neuroscience Institute (PNI) draws upon developments in molecular and cell biology, genetic engineering, and cognitive and social psychology, as well as applied math, chemistry, computer science, economics, engineering, and physics, for new methods of measuring and understanding neural function.
One of the goals of the institute is to understand how the whole system works together as one unit from all of the very complex interactions and underlying parts. Princeton collaborators utilize their expertise in quantitative disciplines to answer these questions. There is a particular emphasis on the close connection between theory, modeling, and experimentation using the most advanced technologies.
One of the most important objectives of the institute is to provide Princeton undergraduates with training at the forefront of neuroscience. The program encourages the serious study of molecular, cellular, developmental, and systems neuroscience as it interfaces with cognitive and behavioral research. Current research at Princeton includes molecular, genetic, and pharmacologic analysis of learning and memory; the role of neural stem cells in the adult brain; viral infections of the nervous system; optical and electrical recordings of neuronal function; brain imaging studies of cognitive functions, such as attention and memory in humans; and mathematical and computational analysis of neural network function. A more extensive listing of research opportunities in neuroscience is available online.
In addition to providing centralized curricular resources for students and faculty, the institute offers shared scientific facilities and access to state-of-the-art instruments for studying the brain, including a Siemens 3T MAGNETOM Allegra head-only MR system and laser scanning confocal microscopes, to name a few.