Skip to main content
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Northwestern University Interdepartmental NeuroscienceNorthwestern University
Interdepartmental Neuroscience

Program Values

 
Explore the many ways our PhD students engage in community outreach.
Explore the many ways our PhD students engage in community outreach.

Learn how NUIN's mission and vision of the past 20 years has created a learning environment that is welcoming to students from all backgrounds and identities.

Our Mission

The mission of the NUIN program is to enroll, retain, educate, and support students who will be leaders in their respective areas of neuroscience. Our goal is to enroll a student body reflective of the full range of backgrounds, identities, and cultures represented in our society, and to see this representation reflected at the national level in academia, government and industry. We believe that cutting edge neuroscience research benefits from a breadth of perspectives and experiences shared by the scientists at its core. 

Our Vision

Our vision is that any student, regardless of their background, will have the opportunity to strive for excellence in the quest for knowledge in understanding the brain and addressing its ailments. Students will choose Northwestern not only because of its reputation as a research intensive university but also because of its commitment to training and nurturing a generation of neuroscientists that are reflective of the richness and heterogeneity of our society at large.

Mission in Action

NUIN strives to support our mission and vision by providing a learning environment that is inclusive of all needs. 

Through partnerships with the NUIN Student Advisory Council, NUIN Faculty Leadership, and NUIN staff, we continually assess how our program milestones, student and faculty representation, environment, curriculum, admissions/recruitment, committees, resources and events create a supportive culture and community for our students.

Recent initiatives include:

  • Modifying the format of the Qualifying Exam to a more individualized experience
  • Creating the required first year class, "NUIN Graduate Foundations" that is focused on orienting students to the unique challenges of graduate school
  • Creating the second year class, "Finding Your Voice as a Scientist" to provide training on oral and written forms of science communication, including those required for the qualifying exam and thesis proposal milestones
  • Adopting the use of a comprehensive holistic rubric system for admissions application and interview evaluations
  • Requiring all NUIN PhD advisors to complete mentor training 

We Are NUIN

Follow NUIN on