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How to Become a Cognitive Neuroscientist

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How to Become a Cognitive Neuroscientist How to Become a Cognitive Neuroscientist Dr Maria Wimber Lecturer and Cognitive Neuroscientist University of Birmingham “Cognitive Neuroscience – with its concern about perception, action, memory, language and selective attention – will increasingly come to represent the central focus of all Neurosciences in the 21st century.” Eric R. Kandel (Nobel Laureate) Overview of the presentation . What is Cognitive Neuroscience? . What are the careers paths related to neuroscience? . Where do neuroscientists work? . What degrees do I need? . What skills does the job require? . My route into neuroscience . A typical day . Best things and challenges . Further helpful resources What is Cognitive Neuroscience? . As cognitive neuroscientists we are studying how the human mind works in relation to the brain. The goal is to understand how the brain creates and controls thought, memory, language and action. This knowledge can then be used to prevent and treat developmental, neurological or psychiatric disorders. Tools Used in Cognitive Neuroscience Cognitive neuroscientist try to understand how brain creates the mind using a variety of tools including . Brain imaging techniques to image the brain “at work” . Electrophysiology to understand how brain waves (oscillations) are relate to cognition in quasi real-time . Brain stimulation to understand how influencing brain activity changes performance in different tasks Cognitive Neuroscience vs. Neuropsychology . Neuropsychology is a discipline on its own, but on the research side the two fields are closely related. Neuropsychologists work with patients who have impairments following brain damage (e.g., following a stroke or tumour) . Neuropsychologists are Chartered Psychologists, typically within clinical psychology. Cognitive Neuroscience vs. Neurology . Neurology is simply the medical application of neuroscience. Neurology involves diagnosing and treating diseases of the nervous system, like Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, or dementia. Neurologists are doctors with a medical degree who specialise in this area. Career Paths in Cognitive Neuroscience . Cognitive Neuroscientists come from a variety of backgrounds, including – Psychology – Medicine – Biology – Computer science – Physics . The standard career route is via a PhD and then work as a post-doctoral researcher, or to become a medial doctor and then specialise in neuroscience. Where Neuroscientists Work Careers in neuroscience are typically research-based, with most scientists working in . Higher Education Institutions (e.g. unis) which typically involves a mixture of research, teaching and admin . Specialised Research Institutes (e.g. MRC) . Industry (e.g. pharmaceutical, medical devices, marketing) . Policy and Research Administration (e.g., NHS, Research Councils) . Hospitals . Teaching . Publishing and Media What Degrees Do I Need? Bachelor’s degree Master’s degree (desirable; ideally research-oriented, e.g. a MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience) PhD/doctorate in a relevant field (3-4 years) Typically work as a postdoctoral researcher (2-6 years) before getting into a permanent position What Skills Does the Job Require . Passion, enthusiasm and determination! . A brain that enjoys analytic, independent and in-depth thinking . Scientific writing and communication skills . Strong numerical (especially statistics) skills . Computer and programming skills . A bit of creativity . Patience and a high frustration threshold – research progresses slowly… My personal route into neuroscience ~ 1999: Became fascinated with the brain 1998-2003: Diploma (equals BSc + MA) in Experimental Psychology University of Regensburg, Germany 2003 - 2008: PhD (working on neuroimaging of human memory) University of Regensburg, Germany My personal route into neuroscience 2008-2010: 3-year postdoc on a research project on human memory University of Magdeburg, Germany 2011 - 2013: 2-year postdoctoral fellowship at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit (CBU) in Cambridge, UK My personal route into neuroscience since 2014: Researcher and Lecturer School of Psychology University of Birmingham, UK A Typical Day Involves… . Meetings with lab members and collaborators to discuss data and future research projects . Catching up on literature in my research field . Meetings with students . Programming experiments . Analysing data . Writing papers and grants . Preparing lectures . Marking essays and project reports . Administrative tasks . A lot of coffee! Best Things about Being a Neuroscientist . Science is fun! . Much of the time you get to work on something you are really passionate about . Being part of a community of very open-minded, inspiring and interesting people from all over the world . Job involves traveling to stimulating meetings and conferences around the world Challenges of Being a Neuroscientist . Be prepared for constant ups and downs – science doesn’t always work out the way you planned! . Patience - from the time you graduate it is likely that it will take another 10 years until you end up with a permanent position . Flexibility - the job market is quite competitive so you need to consider moving around between cities or even countries Further Helpful Resources British Psychological Society (BPS) careers information: http://www.bps.org.uk/careers-in-psychology British Neuroscience Association (BNA): http://www.bna.org.uk/images/Neuroscience_careers_leafl et.pdf More information about neuroscience research www.brainfacts.org/ .
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