At the graduate level, the Department of Neuroscience offers both a Master of Science and a PhD program in neuroscience. Around 40 current graduate students are conducting cutting-edge research in various areas including neurodegeneration, stem cell research, mood disorders, concussion and chronic pain.
With a faculty of less than 10, John Stead, chair of the department says the program’s professors are a successful group of grant and award-winning academics, many of whom have won funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
“(The faculty) makes an effort to engage with students and they are willing to go the extra mile for students,” says Stead.
The department is involved in community outreach, hosts public lectures, and holds an annual art show where students sell art work and give proceeds to charity.
Stead says neuroscience has become more relevant than ever before because of an aging population – many of whom face dementia and other mental health problems.
He adds: “Everyone knows someone who has mental health issues, and there’s a growing interest in how the brain works and when the brain doesn’t work the way it should.”
When students graduate with a degree in neuroscience, Stead says many doors open for careers in research, health sciences, genetic counselling, pharmaceuticals and forensic sciences.
