BBC Program

Ph.D. program in Brain, Behavior, and Cognition

What neural and computational substrates support cognition and behavior? Students and faculty in the Brain, Behavior, & Cognition (BBC) program use a diverse set of experimental and theoretical approaches to address this core question in psychology. BBC researchers focus on topics such as learning, memory, attention, perception, decision making, executive function, language, and substance abuse. In pursuing these topics, BBC labs use a host of research techniques, including functional neuroimaging, psychophysics, electrophysiology, psychopharmacology, brain stimulation, computational modeling, and behavioral and neuropsychological testing. Faculty in the BBC program are affiliated with a number of interdisciplinary centers, including the Center for Systems Neuroscience, Center for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Center for Memory and Brain, and Center for Sensory Communication & Neuroengineering Technology.

The BBC graduate program is designed to be rigorous, collaborative, and cross-disciplinary. A chief goal is to promote an understanding of neural and cognitive processes at multiple scales and multiple levels of analysis. To this end, the program brings together researchers working in the subdisciplines of cognitive neuroscience, behavioral & systems neuroscience, cognitive science, computational neuroscience, and neuropsychology. Graduate training follows an apprenticeship model, placing primary emphasis on laboratory research. Graduate students join laboratories and begin developing a research program in their first semester of graduate school. The program includes coursework covering fundamental topics in cognition, neuroscience, and research methods; coursework is normally completed in the first 2 years of study.