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FACULTY INTERESTED IN TAKING STUDENTS IN FALL 2025 |
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Molecular and genetic basis of Usher syndrome and oculocutaneous albinism |
Neurobiological mechanisms linking socioeconomic adversity and protective factors to youth socioemotional development |
Interactions between cognition and emotion/motivation in the human brain |
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Neural processing of speech across the lifespan |
Brain processes underlying human motor behavior |
Exploring innovative ways to support care partners of older adults with hearing loss and dementia |
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How the cells and circuits in the retina are built during development |
How brains of people with cochlear implants process sounds and understand speech |
Human-machine interaction |
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Neuromodulation of olfactory circuits and behaviors |
How eyes and ears work together to enhance and sometimes alter perception |
Understanding the nature and brain bases of anxiety-related states, traits, and disorders |
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How expectations and learning influence pain and emotion, and how these factors influence clinical outcomes |
How the normal and adverse prenatal environment shapes the cognition |
How brain circuits are shaped by experience and how these circuits are disrupted in neurodevelopmental disorders |
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Brain mechanisms that underlie individual differences in cognitive and affective processing |
How cerebellar circuitry influences motor control and cognitive flexibility during development |
Identifying and quantitatively describing neural computations performed in the brain's auditory system |
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Developing larger theories of system-level function in the visual and other sensory systems |
Animal behavior and its control by the nervous system |
How exercise and physical activity affect human brain function and mental health |
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Perceptual learning; how training-based improvements are implemented in the brain |
Human speech sounds and speech sound systems in language |
Development and plasticity of neural circuits for sensory perception |
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Understanding the normal brain processes by which physical signals that impinge on the sensory apparatus (eyes, ears) are transformed into perceptions, thoughts, and actions |
Identifying genes and neurons that regulate social behaviors |
Human memory and cognition in both healthy and aging/clinical populations |
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Developing computational models for EEG and connecting them to various tasks |
Speech perception and language acquisition |
Understanding brain function and cognitive mechanisms by analyzing and modeling spatiotemporal dynamics in the brain |
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Speech representation and statistical learning |
Behavioral and neurobiological interplay among language, memory, and cognitive control |
Understanding the neural correlates of human cognitive function using intracranial recordings captured during epilepsy surgery and deep brain stimulation surgery |
PHILOSOPHY
The graduate advisor is a mentor for all aspects of the scientific and professional education of the student. This implies frequent, substantive interaction with the student. The student is expected, through his/her scholarship, to contribute to the mission of the advisor's laboratory, research group, and department. However, the philosophy of the NACS program is that the advisor serves the student, not vice versa.
ADVISOR REQUIREMENTS
The advisor must be a Full Member of the Graduate Faculty at the University of Maryland, College Park and a NACS faculty member. Students who want to conduct research with a NACS adjunct faculty member will have co-advisors: The adjunct faculty member acts as the research advisor and the UMD faculty member acts as academic advisor.
FINDING AN ADVISOR
Only applicants in whom faculty members have expressed interest in will be considered for admission. Applicants should contact faculty with whom they would like to work prior to submitting their applications. It is best to send a relatively short email (2-3 paragraphs) to the faculty member whose research interests fit with yours. In the email describe your research interests, background, and goals, and attach your resume. It is fine to ask if the faculty member is taking new students in the coming year (not all faculty take students every year). Initiating steps to network and build collaborative professional relationships is part of being a scientist.
Additional information about the mentor can be found in the NACS Graduate Handbook.
