Yale Neuroscience Department Mission Statement

Our core community comprises all people associated with the Yale Neuroscience Department. Together, we endeavor to advance science, improve human health, and provide a collaborative and inclusive environment in which to work and train. We also endeavor to serve as a hub for the broader neuroscience community at Yale University, bringing together diverse groups with similar goals to create a curious, enthusiastic, and creative welcoming environment for exploration and discovery. Finally, we aim to engage the world outside Yale by sharing our research, impacting clinical practices, and by welcoming new members into our community from our local environment and around the globe.

The Yale Neuroscience Department aims to understand the fundamental mysteries of the nervous system, identify the neural underpinnings of psychiatric and neurological disorders, and develop novel diagnostic, treatment, and prevention approaches to improve human health. Our research explores the function of molecules and organelles, computation and communication by chemical and electrical signals, representation of the environment by neural circuits, and the generation of complex behaviors. We develop and apply a wide variety of experimental systems and approaches. Current interdisciplinary areas within the Department include neuronal cell biology, sensory processing, the development and function of the cerebral cortex, and neurodegeneration. We strive to facilitate connections between all aspects of neuroscience, including molecules/cells, circuits/systems, and disease/translation.

The Yale Neuroscience Department realizes that the full potential of neuroscience research lies in the creative power that diverse perspectives bring to the field. We are working to foster an environment where individuals of any race, gender identity, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic class, sexual orientation, and geographical background feel supported and empowered to push forward the frontiers of neuroscience based on the principles of inclusivity and equity. We aim to nurture and expand the diversity of our community, especially at the faculty level, as we build in the years to come.

The Yale Neuroscience Department seeks to mentor the next generation of leaders in neuroscience. Working in Department laboratories, trainees at all levels acquire knowledge and skills while contributing to scientific discoveries. In addition to providing didactic instruction for undergraduate, graduate, and medical students, we organize seminars and workshops to introduce world class neuroscientists and state-of-the-art technologies to the neuroscience community at Yale.