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Neuroscience Program

The brain is the organ of destiny. It holds within its humming mechanism secrets that will determine the future of the human race.

—Wilder Penfield , The Second Career, 1963

Dieters take heart! Research shows that increased levels of dopamine—a chemical in the brain involved in mediating reward, motivation, and learning through reinforcement—can make people more likely to opt for instant gratification, rather than waiting for a more beneficial reward.

Parkinson’s disease affects nearly a million people in the United States alone; Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as “Lou Gehrig's Disease,” debilitates nearly 300,000 people and kills as many as 5,000 each year; and diseases such as Alzheimers, alcoholism, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), and stroke incapacitate thousands. Could gene therapies be the key to cures for these devastating diseases? 

As many as one in every 150 children in the United States “has autism or a closely related disorder.” And according to an article in the Washington Post, it isn’t that the numbers are going up, it is that researchers are only now identifying those with variations of this “urgent public health issue.”

With a focus on behaviors and the function of the human nervous system, George Mason University’s Neuroscience Program is interdisciplinary and well grounded in biology, chemistry, and psychology. The undergraduate bachelor of science in neuroscience is administered by the Department of Psychology in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Contact Jane Flinn for details. The graduate program in neuroscience, which culminates in a doctorate and is administered by the College of Science, is a joint effort of the College of Science, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS), and the Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study.

Research, Internships, and Career Opportunities

PhD candidates’ study at George Mason University is research based and focused on the broad areas of behavior, anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, computational modeling, and informatics.


Graduate research assistantships and fellowships, which can provide financial assistance, are available beginning in the fall semester to outstanding candidates.

Applications must be completed by February 1 for fall admission. The deadline for applications for candidates who hold non-U.S. undergraduate degrees is December 15. Details are available at http://neuroscience.gmu.edu.

For more information, contact Kim “Avrama” Blackwell, director of the Neuroscience PhD Program.

Learn More at: 
http://neuroscience.gmu.edu/

Did you know?

  • The interdisciplinary Neuroscience PhD program at George Mason University is a joint program between The College of Sciences (CoS), the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS), and the Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study at George Mason.

  • If you're interested in behavior or cognitive neuroscience, you also may be interested in the biopsychology or cognitive psychology PhD programs.