Program and Faculty (please scroll down for affinity clusters)

The Interdepartmental Ph.D. Program for Neuroscience (Neuroscience Graduate IDP) is the largest neuroscience graduate program at UCLA. What characterizes the educational program of the Neuroscience Graduate IDP? The goal of this program is to train students to be conversant in all levels of analysis used in neuroscience, from the molecular and cellular to the system levels, while specializing in their chosen field of research. How large is the Program? Currently, the Neuroscience Graduate IDP comprises 95 doctoral students.  On average, 15 new students enter the program every year. Who are the faculty in the Neuroscience Graduate IDP? All UCLA faculty with an active research program in neuroscience can be members of the Neuroscience Graduate IDP. The faculty belong to many departments in the School of Medicine, College of Letters & Sciences, School of Engineering, School of Nursing and School of Dentistry.  For details on individual faculty click here. What areas of neuroscience are represented in the Neuroscience Graduate IDP? Because of its breadth, the Neuroscience Graduate IDP includes distinguished faculty in many areas of neuroscience. Several areas are represented by a large group of faculty who closely interact with each other. Examples are listed below in alphabetical order. Some of these “affinity clusters” have regular journal clubs, brown bag lunches, and seminar series to which students are invited as well as training grant support. Please note that some investigators conduct research that span several areas and that many faculty are not listed in these affinity clusters because they work in other areas of neuroscience. Please consult the alphabetical listing of faculty for more details and a complete list of Neuroscience Graduate IDP faculty. Brain Imaging Bearden, Carrie Bilder, Robert Bookheimer, Susan Cohen, Mark Dapretto, Mirella Engel, Jerome Harper, Ronald Harris, Neil Hovda, David Iacoboni, Marco Kornblum, Harley Liu, Xin Liu, Zili  London, Edythe Mayer, Emeran Mazziotta, John McCracken, James Melega, William Phelps, Michael Small, Gary Sowell, Elizabeth Thompson, Paul    Toga, Arthur Zaidel, Eran Developmental Neuroscience Arnold, Arthur Banerjee, Utpal Bhat, Suraj Bronstein, Jeff Campagnoni, Anthony Carpenter, Ellen Chesselet, Marie-Françoise de Vellis, Jean Fan, Guoping Faull, Kym Fisher, Robin Geschwind, Daniel Gomez-Pinilla, Fernando Grinnell, Alan Guo, Ming Hartenstein, Volker Herschman, Harvey Houser, Carolyn Hovda, David Kaufman, Daniel Kornblum, Harley Levine, Michael Liu, Xin McCracken, James Novitch, Bennett Phelps, Patricia Portera-Cailliau, Carlos Sagasti, Alvaro Spigelman, Igor Taylor, Anna Vilain, Eric Waschek, James Weinmaster, Gerry Yang, Xian-Jie Zipursky, Larry Learning and Memory Balleine, Bernard Blaisdell, Aaron Buonomano, Dean Colicelli, John  Colwell, Christopher Engel, Jerome Fanselow, Michael Faull, Kym Fried, Itzhak Fuster, Joaquin Glanzman, David Herschman, Harvey Knowlton, Barbara Krasne, Franklin Liu, Xin Liu, Zili  Martin, Kelsey Mazziotta, John Mody, Istvan O'Dell, Thomas Olsen, Richard Otis, Tom Portera-Cailliau, Carlos Schweizer, Felix Silva, Alcino Small, Gary Smith, Desmond Watson, Joseph White, Stephanie Xie, Cui-Wei (Tracy) Neural Repair and Neurodegeneration, including growth factors, stroke, epilepsy, retinal diseases, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and Alzheimer diseases   Bronstein, Jeff Campagnoni, Anthony Carmichael, S. Thomas Chesselet, Marie-Françoise Clarke, Steven de Vellis, Jean Dobkin, Bruce Edgerton, V. Reggie Engel, Jerome Fan, Guoping Farber, Debora Faull, Kym Geschwind, Daniel Gomez-Pinilla, Fernando Grinnell, Alan Guo, Ming Guo, Zhefeng Gylys, Karen Harris, Neil     Hovda, David Jen, Joanna Kagan, Bruce Kaufman, Daniel Kornblum, Harley Levine, Michael Liau, Linda    Maidment, Nigel Melega, William Mischel, Paul Mody, Istvan Novitch, Bennett Phelps, Patricia Portera-Cailliau, Carlos Scheibel, Arnold Siegel, Jerome Small, Gary Sofroniew, Michael Spigelman, Igor Sun, Yi Teplow, David  Vinters, Harry Voskuhl, Rhonda Waschek, James Wasterlain, Claude Watson, Joseph   Yang, X.William Neuroendocrinology Arnold, Arthur Faull, Kym Mayer, Emeran Micevych, Paul Schlinger, Barney Stefani, Enrico Taylor, Anna Vilain, Eric Waschek, James Wayne, Nancy White, Stephanie Neuroengineering  Arnold, Arthur Bookheimer, Susan Buonomano, Dean Cohen, Mark Edgerton, V. Reggie Feldman, Jack Frye, Mark  Fuster, Joaquin Garfinkel, Alan Judy, Jack  Levine, Michael Maidment, Nigel Mazziotta, John Mody, Istvan Narins, Peter Otis, Tom Ringach, Dario Smith, Desmond Sofroniew, Michael Thompson, Paul   Toga, Arthur Neurogenetics and Pharmacogenetics Arnold, Arthur Baloh, Robert Bearden, Carrie Bilder, Robert Fan, Guoping Farber, Debora  Freimer, Nelson Geschwind, Daniel Guo, Ming McCracken, James Nelson, Stanley Ray, Lara Siegel, Jerome Small, Gary Sun, Hui Vilain, Eric Wright, Ernest   Yang, X.William Small Systems, Synaptic Physiology,  Channel Biophysics and Receptors   Boulter, Jim Brecha, Nicholas Chandler, Scott Charles, Andrew Colwell, Christopher Engel, Jerome Evans, Christopher Fain, Gordon Feldman, Jack Garfinkel, Alan Glanzman, David Grinnell, Alan Gundersen, Cameron Jen, Joanna Kagan, Bruce Krantz, David Krasne, Franklin Krasne, Sally Levine, Michael London, Edythe Maidment, Nigel Micevych, Paul Mody, Istvan Narins, Peter O'Dell, Thomas Olcese, Riccardo Olsen, Richard Otis, Tom Papazian, Diane Ringach, Dario   Schweizer, Felix Silva, Alcino Spigelman, Igor Stefani, Enrico Toro, Ligia Vergara, Julio Watson, Joseph Wayne, Nancy White, Stephanie Wright, Ernest Xie, Cui-Wei (Tracy) Who should apply to the Neuroscience Graduate IDP? Students interested in a competitive program characterized by a broad-based curriculum and the opportunity to train with a large number of faculty without restrictions from departmental boundaries. Are there other opportunities for neuroscience graduate training at UCLA? Yes, several departments have department-based graduate programs. For more information, check individual departmental websites. All qualified neuroscientists in these programs also belong to the Neuroscience Graduate IDP. How can I get more information and apply to the Neuroscience Graduate IDP? For more detailed information, please go to the faculty list, program curriculum page and our admission procedures.