SfN Awarded $1.35 Million to Support Underrepresented Neuroscience Researchers
WASHINGTON — The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) successfully competed for a $1.35 million, five-year grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) to continue its longstanding Neuroscience Scholars Program (NSP). In existence for over 40 years, the NSP has provided enhanced career development and professional networking opportunities for graduate and postdoctoral neuroscience researchers from diverse backgrounds, such as individuals from underrepresented populations, those living with disabilities, or those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
"SfN has a longstanding commitment to ensuring that the best and brightest, no matter who they are or where they come from, can succeed in neuroscience,” said SfN President Marina Picciotto. “With this support from NINDS, our Neuroscience Scholars Program can engage five more years of diverse neuroscientists, providing them professional development and access to a strong NSP alumni network.”
The renewed grant, awarded under NIH’s R25 research education program mechanism, will enable SfN to develop new courses promoting agile leadership, update its existing library of courses, facilitate access to hands-on research experiences, and expand its mentoring program to include a peer mentoring system. The next iteration of the program will focus on the development of agile leaders by providing resources to navigate professional environments with greater confidence, and on fostering a sense of belonging and thriving within the global community of NSP participants, alumni, and neuroscience leaders.
For each year of the renewed grant, the NSP will select at least 16 Fellows and approximately 70 NSP Associates. NSP Fellows enjoy a two-year experience with formal mentoring, access to a comprehensive curriculum of professional development and research-enhancement workshops and webinars, financial support to attend SfN’s annual meeting, and enrichment funds to support professional and leadership development. NSP Associates benefit from a two-year program that offers access to interactive webinars on neuroscience research and career-related topics; an online community for discussion and learning; and access to mentoring, networking, and scientific exchange events, including NSP activities at the SfN annual meeting.
Since its 1982 launch, more than 1,200 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers have completed the program, with many going on to serve in leadership positions in the NSP, SfN, and the larger biomedical and behavioral science community. SfN’s NSP efforts have received formal recognition: in 2014, NSP was recognized with a Summit Award by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), which recognizes associations that go above and beyond everyday missions to deliver initiatives recognized at the highest levels of excellence and as change-makers whose work betters communities in the U.S. and world. In 2018, NSP was awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, & Engineering Mentoring at a White House ceremony, the nation’s highest recognition of science mentoring excellence. In 2022, SfN received a two-year award from the Catalyst Fund of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), recognizing high-performing programs advancing diversity in the sciences. For more information on the NSP, please see https://www.sfn.org/initiatives/diversity-initiatives/neuroscience-scholars-program.
The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) is an organization of nearly 35,000 basic scientists and clinicians who study the brain and the nervous system. The Neuroscience Scholars Program (NSP) is supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R25NS089462.
