McGovern Institute for Brain Research

The McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT is a research and teaching institute committed to meeting two great challenges of modern science: understanding how the brain works and discovering new ways to prevent or treat brain disorders.

Our research employs the full range of modern neuroscience techniques, from molecular genetics to functional neuroimaging and computational modeling. A deeper knowledge of the human brain will have profound implications, both for our understanding of our own minds and for the treatment of the many brain diseases that lead to human suffering.

The institute currently has 21 investigators and continues to grow. All McGovern Institute faculty members hold dual appointments in departments at MIT. Each of our faculty members leads a research team, and the institute as a whole comprises a community of more than 300 researchers and support staff.

The main focus for undergraduate neuroscience education at MIT is Course 9, leading to the Bachelor of Science in Brain and Cognitive Sciences. Another offering at MIT is Course 9-6, offering a joint curriculum leading to a Bachelor of Science in Computation and Cognition that focuses on the emerging field of computational and engineering approaches to brain science, cognition and machine intelligence.  There are many opportunities for undergraduates to work in McGovern labs, for example through the MIT Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP).

The McGovern Institute does not operate its own graduate program. Instead, graduate students must enroll in one of the departmental or interdepartmental graduate programs at MIT. The majority of graduate students within the McGovern Institute are enrolled in one of the Brain and Cognitive Sciences graduate programs.

For more information about undergraduate and graduate opportunities at the McGovern Institute, visit the website. To learn more about the institute, contact Gayle Lutchen, Room 46-3160, 617-452-2507.