The International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) has offered a two-decade long program that provides support and training in neuroscience to mostly graduate students. While several IBRO trainees have made their way up within universities and research institutions across Africa, training opportunities at the post-doctoral level are limited. Therefore, there is room for IBRO to support in sustaining neuroscience capacity and harness the potential of early career neuroscience researchers.
The ten-day school aims to provide a career developmental framework for postdoctoral trainees to (1) identify critical gaps and needs in contemporary neuroscience research, (2) understand how to develop necessary collaborations to build neuroscience teams and capacity to compete for neuroscience funding, and (3) understand how emerging technologies (e.g., genomics) and innovations shape the future of neuroscience both in terms of research, training, and (personalized) care. Select disease entities and/or conditions (infectious, toxiconutritional, and neurodegenerative) of the nervous system will be used as a model to elucidate the critical aspects of genomics, neurobiology, and neuropathology underlying pathogenesis. For each of the neuropathological conditions of interest, attempts will be made to elucidate biomarkers and pathways to diseases as well as the potential targets for treatment.
The school/workshop foresees an intensive face-to-face interactive program to allow participants to improve their postdoctoral research proposals while staging their own grant application process. Special modules will focus on ethics, responsible conduct of research, networking and effective scientific communication, as well as NIH grant applications. Designed post-school activities will also lend support to participants to achieve career development targets set during the school.
Who should apply to this School?
(1) PhD degree in neuroscience-related fields within the past 10 years, (2) Affiliation with African academic and/or research institutions and (3) Authored at least two neuroscience-
related publications in peer-reviewed journals. Reference letters are required from both the head of the Department, the post-doctoral mentor, and, when applicable, the principal investigator of a project in which the candidate has been participating at the time of the application.
What costs will be covered for selected participants?
Cost of travel, accommodation, and meals will be covered by IBRO.
Application dates:
June 15, 2022 – Jul 15, 2022 (5:00 p.m. CET)
School dates and location:
October 5-15, 2022
Kinshasa, DRC
Apply HERE
For any queries, please contact Desire Tshala-Katumbay (tshalad@ohsu.edu) or Thomas Tagoe (tatagoe@ug.edu.gh)