UCONN HEALTH

Neuroscience Department

Exploring Minds, Illuminating Futures

PhD Application portal now open.

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Application portal deadline is December 1, 2025.

Neurobiology of Disease Research

NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES

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NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISEASES

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PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS

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SENSORY PATHOLOGIES

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Basic Neuroscience Research

CELLULAR & MOLECULAR

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CIRCUIT & SYSTEMS

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DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROSCIENCE

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NEUROTRANSMISSION

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Welcome From The Chair

Riqiang Yan, PhD

Riqiang Yan, PhD

The Department of Neuroscience has a rich history of research excellence since it had been formally established by Dr. Richard Mains in the year 2000. Currently, we have 26 faculty members, who are actively funded their research from various sources including the federal grants and philanthropic support. Our faculty and their laboratories utilize an interdisciplinary approach to research with the goal of understanding the normal function and disorders of the nervous system that may hold the key to developing novel therapies. We nurture an exceptionally collegial academic environment with high level of interaction and collaboration among laboratories in the Department and with other laboratories at UConn Health Center and at the UConn Storrs campus, all of which make the Department of Neuroscience a vibrant and dynamic place to do science.

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Upcoming Events

  1. Aug 27 Neuroscience Journal Club 12:00pm
  2. Aug 28 Neuroscience Seminar Series - Teresa Sanchez, Ph.D. 11:00am
  3. Sep 3 Neuroscience Journal Club - Kumar 12:00pm
  4. Sep 10 Neuroscience Journal Club - Pathoulas 12:00pm
Ways To Give

Program Resources

Helpful contacts and series of milestones as you progress toward obtaining a Doctor of Philosophy degree from UConn Health.

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PhD in Biomedical Science

Our graduate students receive comprehensive interdisciplinary training in all areas of neuroscience and perform translational research at the highest level.

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Study Abroad Program

Held in Salamanca, Spain, this course is for graduate students in Neuroscience and Hearing Research and upper-level undergraduate students.

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Department and Program News

  • MiRNA based therapeutics for stroke treatment
    Dr. Rajkumar Verma has teamed up with Dr. Raman Bahal, an Associate Professor of the UConn Storrs School of Pharmacy and are ‘Turning Back Time’: UConn Researchers Developing Treatment to Reverse Brain Damage from Stroke. To read more about this exciting research, please click the link for the article from UConn Today below: Dr. Raj […]
    Posted on August 18, 2025
  • Renowned Stem Cell Expert Lecturing about MS repair
    Dr. Stefano Pluchino, the pioneer of the field of regenerative neuroimmunology and professor from the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Cambridge in the U.K., is the keynote speaker for the inaugural Petit Family Lecture and Visiting Professorship in Multiple Sclerosis and Immunology at UConn Health. The program is free, with registration required. […]
    Posted on June 3, 2025
  • Dr. Imitola: First Stem Cell Medicine Course Available for Free
    UConn School of Medicine Neuroscience Expertise and Leadership Contributes to International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) and Harvard Medical School’s First Global Continuing Education Course for Clinicians and Medical Students.   Dr. Jaime Imitola, co-led and is a co-creator of this major educational development for health care providers. Stem Cell Medicine: From Scientific Research […]
    Posted on May 29, 2025
  • Peter Brown wins the 2025 ARVO MIT Outstanding Poster Award
    Peter Brown, a second-year medical student at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, was recently awarded the Members-in-Training (MIT) Outstanding Poster Award at the 2025 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) conference. Among more than 11,000 scientists, Peter shared his recent efforts in the neuroscience vision lab of Drs. Royce Mohan and […]
    Posted on May 12, 2025