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Neuroscience Young Investigator Extramural Seminar

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The University of Rochester Neuroscience Young Investigator Extramural Seminar (NEURO YES) is a series designed to elevate and highlight early career investigators while creating a network of scientists committed to conducting research that will increase our understanding of the brain, mind, and body. NEURO YES is hosted by the Neuroscience Diversity Commission, and Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department at the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience. We are committed to building an inclusive and equitable culture by uplifting underrepresented early career scientists who will help transform the future of science.  As part of this mission, speakers from underrepresented populations, as defined by the NIH, will be selected and supported by the Neuroscience Diversity Commission.

This seminar is open to postdoctoral researchers from across the United States regardless of citizenship status.

An application period to be a NEUROYES visiting speaker occurs January through March/mid-April on an annual basis. Please watch this page and social media for notifications of the application portal opening for the 2024/25 speaker series.

All selected speakers will present their work, meet one-on-one with UR faculty members, and engage with fellow postdocs and graduate students to share their research and educational experiences.

Eligibility

  • Candidates should be an advanced postdoc with at least one accepted or in-development paper from their postdoctoral lab. Candidates do not have to be the first author on this paper.
  • Strongly encouraged
    • Candidates demonstrate a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusivity in the sciences.
    • Postdocs from underrepresented populations, as defined by the NIH, are strongly encouraged to apply.

The following groups have been shown to be underrepresented in biomedical research:

  • Blacks or African Americans
  • Hispanics or Latinos
  • American Indians or Alaska Natives
  • Native Hawaiians, and other Pacific Islanders
  • Individuals with disabilities - physical or mental impairments
  • Individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, defined as those who meet two or more of the following criteria:
    • Were or currently are homeless
    • Were or currently are in the foster care system
    • Were eligible for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program for two or more years
    • Have/had no parents or legal guardians who completed a bachelor’s degree
    • Were or currently are eligible for Federal Pell grants
    • Received support from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) as a parent or child
    • Grew up in one of the following areas:
      • a U.S. rural area, as designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer
      • a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services-designated Low-Income and Health Professional Shortage Areas

for further information, visit the NIH Diversity page

2022/23 Seminars

  • Tahra Eissa, PhDThe impacts of environmental inference on human decision-making
    Tahra Eissa, PhD
    University of Colorado, Boulder
    October 27, 2022 4-5PM
    366 Meliora Hall
  • Shahzad Khan, PhDConsequences of LRRK2 hyperactivity on nigrostriatal circuits
    Shahzad S. Khan, PhD
    Stanford University
    January 26, 2023 4-5PM
    1-9576 Ryan Case Method Room
  • Sunday Francis, PhDTransdiagnostic Targets: Compulsivity in Neurodevelopmental Disorders
    Sunday M. Francis, PhD
    NIH/NIMH
    March 2, 2023 4-5PM
    3-7619 Upper Auditorium
  • Ipshita Zutshi, PhDExtrinsic control and intrinsic computation in the hippocampal CA1 network
    Ipshita Zutshi, PhD
    NYU School of Medicine
    April 20, 2023 4-5PM
    3-7619 Upper Auditorium

Past Seminars

  • Updating Internal Models of Autism
    Jean-Paul Noel, PhD
    New York University
     April 11, 2022 - 3:30 p.m.
     Meliora 269, Kresge Room
  • Photoreceptor Specification in the Human Eye
    Kiara Eldred, PhD
    University of Washington
     May 18, 2022 - 3:00 p.m.
     Rm 2-6408, K207 Auditorium at URMC

For other seminars, visit the CVS postdoc page.

General Seminar Information

  • One hour seminar talk (recorded for the postdoc's review/analysis)
  • Assigned a faculty mentor to provide career and professional advice before and after the presentation
  • Meeting/luncheon with graduate students and fellow postdocs
  • Dinner with a small group of faculty
  • Travel/lodging expenses provided
  • Small honorarium will be awarded

* Itinerary subject to change based on University COVID-19 policies

Committee Members

  • Sarah Latchney, PhD* – Assistant Professor, Biology and Neuroscience, St. Mary's College of Maryland
  • Sara Patterson, PhD – Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Visual Sciences, University of Rochester
  • Nathan Smith, PhD* – Incoming Associate Dean of Equity and Inclusion, Associate Professor, Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester
  • Benjamin Suarez-Jimenez, PhD* – Assistant Professor, Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester

* Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience Diversity Commission Member

Contact Us

For more information contact: NSDiversityInfo@URMC.Rochester.edu

Please write ‘NEURO YES’ in the subject line.