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Gomez-Ramirez lab experiment

How do we perceive touch?

An experiment on haptic perception in Dr. Gomez-Ramirez's lab

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Four-area population recording in the Snyder lab

How does the brain compute visual information?

Four-area recording and modeling of overlapping receptive fields from Dr. Snyder’s lab.

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How do our eyes parse the world?

High-precision eye-tracking in the active perception lab of Drs. Poletti and Rucci.

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How do groups make decisions?

An experiment on collective decision-making in ants from Dr. Sasaki’s lab.

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How do we learn to communicate?

Studying language acquisition in Dr. Kurumada’s lab

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Bristol Mountain 2024 group photo

Who are we?

Department retreat at Bristol Mountain

People in BCS

Majors & Minors

Pursue a degree or take courses in brain and cognitive sciences. We also administer a concentration in neuroscience.

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Graduate Studies

In our nationally ranked PhD program, graduate students are considered junior colleagues and future peers.

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Research

Our research spans a large domain and straddles several disciplines in the cognitive, computational, and neural sciences.

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Featured News

Woman with a string of lit lights around her head and arms raised during the nighttime to illustrate the concept of bioluminescent optogenetics.

Turning brain cells on using the power of light

October 3, 2024

University of Rochester researchers have demonstrated a noninvasive method using BL-OG, or bioluminescent optogenetics, that harnesses light to activate neurons in the brain. The ability to regulate brain activation could transform invasive procedures such as deep brain stimulation that are used to treat Parkinson’s disease and other neurological conditions.

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A new study reveals that difficulties in adapting to speech prosody may affect how adolescents with autism understand tone and meaning.

Why teens with autism struggle with speech intonation

September 16, 2024

A new study reveals that difficulties in adapting to changes in speech patterns may affect how adolescents with autism understand tone and meaning.

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Nolan Sparks UR baseball

Sparks Picked by the Cardinals in the 2024 MLB Draft

July 16, 2024

University of Rochester Neuroscience major and right-hander Nolan Sparks was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals with the 381st pick in the 13th round of the 2024 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft.

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Duje Tadin profile

Tadin named interim dean of the School of Arts & Sciences

July 10, 2024

Duje Tadin, chair of the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences (BCS), has been named interim dean of the School of Arts & Sciences. In this role—a position he also held in summer 2023, just before Nicole Sampson began as dean—Tadin will assume oversight of the school’s 19 departments and numerous centers, institutes, and programs in the arts, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.

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Close up of a woman's eyes and mid-face looking off camera to illustrate why eye blinking is important in humans

Why do we blink so much?

April 19, 2024

Researchers find that blinking plays a pivotal role in processing visual information—adding to a growing body of evidence revising our conventional views of vision.

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UG Research

Undergraduates are encouraged to become engaged in research projects and gain valuable experience for postgraduate education, medical school, or employment.

Student in research study

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Collaborations

Research in BCS is greatly enhanced by our strong ties with departments, programs, and research centers across the University, including the Medical Center.

Piazza lab fMRI experiment

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Want more information about the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences? Contact us.
The Department of Psychology also offers PhD training in Clinical, Social, and Developmental Psychology.