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Studying Neuroscience at UCL: first impressions from new PhD students
10 December 2010
Links:
icn.ucl.ac.uk/nih-gpp/" target="_self">UCL-NIMH/NINDS Joint Doctoral Training
Program in Neuroscience
UCL provides an outstanding environment for training future generations of interdisciplinary researchers in basic and clinical neuroscience.
In this article, American PhD student, Raphael Kaplan, the first student to enrol on the UCL-National Institute of Mental Health Joint Doctoral Training Program in Neuroscience, shares his experience of living and studying in the UK. Also, Dutch student, Peter Smittenaar explains why he chose to enrol on UCL's 4 year PhD programme in Neuroscience.
Raphael Kaplan
"Two years ago, I was applying to PhD programs in neuroscience and had no idea where in the United States I would end up attending university. Unbeknownst to me, my PhD would not even end up being from America and my graduate experience would be quite different than I could have ever envisioned.
"A few weeks before my graduate applications were due I received an email from the National Institute of Mental Health Office of Fellowship Training. They were piloting a joint neuroscience graduate program between the NIMH and UCL. The idea of living and studying in London had never crossed my mind.
"I was very interested in the field of cognitive neuroscience and I knew that UCL had one of the best cognitive neuroscience centers in the world. And I also enjoyed the independent working style that I had adopted during my time as a research assistant at the NIMH. So I applied and wrote a research proposal for a potential collaboration between the two institutions. I was accepted to the program and incredibly I was on my way to beginning my first year studying in London just a few months later.
"Before I interviewed at UCL, I had never been overseas and now I was living and working in a foreign country. My life was changing quite quickly. I was not only working on a self-designed collaborative PhD between two different labs, but I was also doing it in an unfamiliar city, thousands of miles away from my hometown.
"I was undertaking a challenging collaborative project between the UCL spatial cognition and memory lab of Neil Burgess and Peter Bandettini's functional brain imaging methodology lab at the NIMH. I was interested in using different human brain imaging modalities to look at the interaction between brain regions during spatial memory tasks. At UCL, I was to begin my collaboration in Neil's laboratory at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience (ICN). I was going to investigate how the brain activity that is observed when rats move around new environments, also could be observed in humans using the non-invasive technique, magnetoencephalography (MEG), and linked with cognitive functions like memory performance.
"I was unsure whether I would be able to carry out my research right away at a prestigious place like the ICN. Luckily, the ICN surprised me. The ICN is an intimate environment full of supportive and friendly people, more so than I had ever expected. Most of the labs were small compared to the US and as a result there was a lot of collaboration between and within labs. At the ICN and also the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging (where I conducted some of my research), I have had great experiences learning from so many different students, fellows, and investigators from around the globe.
"However, my favorite experiences that I enjoyed at the ICN were the subtle ones. One of these experiences was our daily afternoon tea-time, which was always a great way to meet other people and learn about their research. Interestingly enough, the relaxed atmosphere would sometimes devolve into de facto lab meetings where we would throw around ideas in more informal environs.
"I guess I also made an interesting first impression in my lab. We all got on swimmingly, but I apparently did a poor job of upholding the archetype of a macho American guy. The post-docs in my lab were quite surprised that although I faintly resembled the Marlboro Cigarette cowboy, I did not smoke, eat meat or drive a pickup truck like a 'true American'. My colleagues handled this disappointment graciously though, and I would like to think that despite being a poor representative of their imagined American stereotype, they have at least appreciated my company.
"All in all, it has been quite a humbling experience. Not only from a research perspective, but also from being a 23 year old American working full time in a foreign country. Living and working abroad is usually an opportunity afforded to only people in the military and professional athletes.
"I am thankful to the NIMH and UCL School Life and Medical Sciences for funding this cutting edge collaborative program, which is unlike anything else available in the world. I look forward to continuing my research projects at NIMH. This unique opportunity is only possible because of the unparalleled research capabilities of both participating institutions and it has been a privilege to work with my NIMH and UCL advisors in this dynamic research environment.
For more information on the UCL-NIMH/NINDS Joint Doctoral Training Program in Neuroscience, please contact Dr Jonathan Roiser: j.roiser@ucl.ac.uk
Peter Smittenaar
"In September 2010, I started the 4-year PhD Programme in Neuroscience at UCL along with five other students (the Wellcome Trust, which originally set up the programme in 1996, funds 5 places while the MRC funds 1 place). The major draw of this programme, the so-called '1+3' structure, is that it allows students the opportunity to do three lab rotations and some minor coursework in their first year. After the first year of lab rotations, students then decide which lab to do their PhD in for the next three years of the programme.
"Like most aspiring PhD students, I did not have a defined research topic or supervisor in mind for my PhD. It is very difficult, after all, to predict how a lab and topic will turn out just by reading papers, looking at lab websites and chatting with professors.
"I chose this PhD programme because the first year lab rotations provided me with the unique opportunity to 'try before I buy'. Also, I knew that the programme committee would offer a great deal of support and supervision. Not only are they responsible for the somewhat nerve-wracking interview that I had to undergo, they also keep an eye on you and are always available to give advice or just for a chat.
"The first month of the programme is one of excitement and, admittedly, tough decisions. The six of us visited the 75 labs available for the rotation and eventual PhD placement. These are the very best molecular, cellular, systems and computational neuroscience labs at UCL. We spent half an hour talking with each principal investigator about their research, their lab and the available rotation projects.
"The sheer number of encounters was dazzling. One moment you're talking about single-channel kinetics with Prof Lucia Sivilotti, the next you witness the finishing touches to the third MRI-scanner at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at Queen's Square. Admittedly, I had trouble not glazing over if the final lab of the day was of no interest to me, but overall the experience was great.
"However, the dilemmas quickly kicked in: while three rotations seemed like a lot at first, I soon realised there's at least seven or eight labs that I want to do a project in. Deciding which lab to do my PhD in will surely be tricky! But this initial preparation, combined with the knowledge that all the people, in the 75 labs we visited, stressed that we can e-mail them, step by their office or speak to their students at any time, will surely make the decision process easier. Even though UCL is a highly ranked, competitive university, and both professors and students are busy, they are more than willing to free up time to talk to us. This helped me tremendously making the right choices, and it is this approachability and open atmosphere at UCL that has been a definite highlight for me.
For more information on the UCL's 4 year PhD programme in Neuroscience, please contact Prof David Attwell: d.attwell@ucl.ac.uk
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