Stanford Report, May 13, 2009

New fellowship boosts neurosciences program

With the help of a generous donor, the Stanford Institute for Neuro-Innovation and Translational Neurosciences has established a fellowship that provides critical support for third-year students in the neuroscience PhD program.

The fellowships, funded by a gift from Frances B. Nelson, will extend full support through the third year of graduate education and training, allowing the neuroscience program to maintain its educational excellence during a time of financial strain.

The cost of graduate training in neuroscience has traditionally been funded through a mosaic of fellowships, training grants and research grants. In recent years, however, economic changes have put increasing financial strain on this system, especially for students during their third year, when they are in the midst of their most creative and productive research period.

"The first three years have the highest training costs," explained John Huguenard, PhD, director of the neuroscience graduate program, "because students are still taking courses while also receiving direct support and training from faculty in the lab they join." Costs decrease somewhat in later years because students are fully involved in research and no longer doing coursework, he added.

The result of the third-year cost pinch is that at universities around the country, graduate students are being priced out of research. Faculty may be hesitant to take on a graduate student when a postdoctoral researcher costs less and may be more experienced and productive. While other universities are trying to patch together a system to keep third-year graduate students in research labs, Stanford has been fortunate to find a donor to provide crucial student support. The graduate neurosciences program has always provided complete coverage for students during their first two years, largely through the support of the School of Medicine and the NIH. These new fellowships extend the support through the third year.

"This forward-looking donation will be a critical component in maintaining the vitality of the Stanford neuroscience graduate training program," said Huguenard.

Because the program is starting near the end of the academic year, it will provide a fellowship for one student this year. Next year, however, fellowships are expected to support up to seven out of the 14 third-year students in the PhD program.