Neuroscience at The University of Chicago

The University of Chicago boasts a rich and pioneering history in the field of neuroscience. From its early days as a hotbed of comparative anatomy to its cutting-edge research on brain function and behavior, the University has consistently pushed the boundaries of our understanding of the mind.

The UChicago was founded in 1892, and that very same year, Harold Donaldson started a Neuroscience program that emphasized the study of brain structure and function in different species. This laid the foundation for the American School of Comparative Anatomy, a pioneering group of researchers who sought to understand the relationship between brain evolution and behavior.

The Neuroscience Institute 

Research in neuroscience at The University of Chicago is a multi-disciplinary endeavor, spanning a diverse range of topics and techniques from molecules and cells to neural circuits and behavior. Our community of neuroscientists includes more than 90 faculty members based in many academic and clinical departments, all of which are located on the Hyde Park campus — a key feature of our institution which facilitates interactions among researchers and scholars with diverse interests, backgrounds, and approaches.

Our faculty, students, and postdoctoral researchers are engaged in uncovering the principles by which the nervous system is organized, defining the mechanisms of perception and behavior, and developing the next generation of treatments for neurological disease and mental illness.