Neuroscience at the University of Iowa
The University of Iowa has a long tradition as a leading center for the study of neuroscience. We have a large and diverse community of neuroscientists, with more than 100 faculty members across five colleges and 26 departments. Fields of study cover the full range of disciplines -- from cellular and molecular mechanisms to neurogenetics, systems and integrative neurobiology, cognitive neuroscience, neuroimaging, translational neuroscience and clinical research. Fundamental research is supported through the Neural Circuits and Behavior Core and NeuroBank Core. This rich intellectual environment offers many opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborative efforts with fewer barriers to interdepartmental collaborations.
The Iowa Neuroscience Institute provides a mechanism for establishing collaborative opportunities for the existing neuroscience community, as well as being the home for a substantial number of new faculty members with diverse neuroscience research interests. The institute creates synergy within the broad neuroscience community leading to transformative research and an intellectually stimulating environment that supports innovation in basic science, opportunities for translational applications and creative to understand how the nervous system mediates behavior and how this goes awry in neurodevelopmental, psychiatric and neurological disorders.
A cornerstone of the INI research effort is our Research Programs of Excellence, which focus collaborative efforts on key areas of research. A multidisciplinary approach is a key strength of these projects, which draw together researchers from the traditional neuroscience disciplines of neurology, neurosurgery, psychiatry, and psychology, but also include biomedical engineers, computer scientists, and experts in brain imaging, genetics, and cell biology. Additionally, the Early-Stage Investitgator Research Programs of Excellence support promising faculty researchers as they build their independent research careers.
