Training at NC

NC offers an inspiring and supportive environment to initiate a scientific career in neuroscience. The research groups in NC host approximately 40 doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers. In addition, we mentor undergraduate students from local and international MSc programs.
Undergraduate students

Research-oriented undergraduate students have several options for research training in NC. For local MSc students with no previous research experience, we recommend the , involving structured training in one of the NC research groups and parallel supervised group sessions covering various skills and competences that are important for scientific career path.   

For more experienced students, NC research groups offer positions for research internships and MSc thesis projects.  Given the interdisciplinary nature of NC, we mentor students from several local MSc programs (e.g. , , ), in addition to international neuroscience-oriented students from all over the world. 

Most training positions are agreed directly with the NC group leaders.

The Research-intensive study module has an application time in November – December every year, please follow the course web pages for further information. 

Mobility fellowships for master's students at Aix-Marseille University

For University of Helsinki MSc students in neurosciences: (up to 1,000 €/month; search for MSc incoming Mobility calls) are offered for 2 to 12 month-long mobility projects at Aix-Marseille University (AMU). Mobility can be research (up to 6 months) or a combination of research and courses. Conversely these scholarships enable students from AMU to come perform their internships in the University of Helsinki and the research groups in Neuroscience Center have already hosted several interns through the program.
Doctoral students

The doctoral students in NC are an integral part of the research community, bringing together a well-balanced mix of international and Finnish students. The interdisciplinary research environment in NC encourages scientific work and offers methodological expertise in a wide range of techniques ranging from molecular and cellular neurobiology to human brain imaging.

Most doctoral students in NC are recruited to the institute directly by group leaders and typically start with research internship or MSc thesis in the same group. All doctoral students apply for the right to pursue a PhD with a faculty at the University of Helsinki and join one of the local doctoral programs  (e.g. , , ). The students apply for salary funding from the doctoral program, or are paid by the research groups project funding. Some NC PhD students are also affiliated with .
Community

The NC PhD and Postdoc Council represents the voice of early career researchers at NC, addressing their needs by organizing various events and activities. The Council’s activities include coordinating the internal seminars series and code club, and organizing seminars and workshops focused on career development. In addition, the Council contributes to fostering a sense of community by helping plan social events such as the Pre-Christmas Party and NC Summer Days.