Neuroscience is a broad scientific field that includes physiological and psychological research on the brain and nervous system of humans. Neuroscience research brings together people with a variety of educational backgrounds in the hopes of combining their findings into a larger explanation of such a complex system. Neuroscience research is being conducted by many of today’s top psychologists, biologists, chemists, and medical researchers. Getting started in independent neuroscience research usually entails earning a master’s or doctoral degree and completing a post-graduate fellowship at a university, hospital, or private research laboratory, regardless of one’s area of expertise.
Students interested in conducting neuroscience research in the future should enroll in advanced science and math courses in high school. Biology, chemistry, and physics classes introduce students to scientific research principles and laboratory techniques. Students in advanced math and statistics classes learn how to interpret data and apply various formulas. Graduate students usually apply to four-year colleges and universities with prestigious science departments.
When it comes to choosing a major, undergraduates interested in neuroscience research have several options. Biological science majors are interested in the physiological aspects of the nervous system, whereas psychology majors are interested in behaviors, emotions, and other conceptual subjects. Many students participate in internships at their schools’ laboratories, giving them firsthand experience with the fundamentals of neuroscience research. Most neuroscience students apply to accredited master’s or doctoral degree programs after graduation.
Graduate and doctoral students typically receive intensive classroom and laboratory training, learning all of the skills they’ll need to conduct independent research. Many programs require students to write theses or dissertations on some aspect of neuroscience and defend their findings in front of a panel of professors and experts to assess their abilities as future scientists. After a dissertation has been approved and a degree program has been completed, a graduate can apply for an internship or fellowship at a research institution.
For new scientists and psychologists, many universities, hospitals, and research laboratories offer formal post-doctoral and post-graduate training programs. Trainees usually observe and assist experienced researchers with tasks like setting up laboratory equipment, conducting evaluations and experiments, recording results, applying for grants, and writing scientific papers. A scientist may be able to design and conduct neuroscience research experiments after one to three years of experience. Practicing neuroscience researchers are critical to the development of new medicines and therapy techniques that can save countless lives, in addition to enriching our understanding of the human brain.