Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The Graduate Program of Neurobiology & Behavior is committed to taking actions to promote the participation of a range of students in neuroscience research and education. The co-directors in conjunction with the students and faculty of the NB&B program have been working together on a three-part initiative for enhancing broad participation in Columbia's Neuroscience PhD Training Programs.
- Pre-admissions: enhance the pool of motivated individuals interested in careers in neuroscience research.
- Recruitment and Admissions: systematize recruitment to help select graduate students while minimizing implicit biases.
- Graduate Climate: build and maintain an atmosphere that helps trainees flourish during training and eventually move into leadership.
- The Columbia Neurobiology and Behavior (NB&B) Doctoral Program receives 700-800 applications each year for a typical class of 15-18 students.
- Our applicants come from a range of institutions and backgrounds, reflecting outreach efforts.
- We have been highly successful in supporting PhD students to graduation.
- Our location in NYC provides access to a range of cultural opportunities for our students and clubs and organizations, open to all students, enhance connection and belonging.
- We seek to take advantage of resources available to us and create new resources for expanding recruitment and retention of students in our program.
Guidelines for Admissions
About 60 applicants are selected each year for interviews by a standing committee. A set of Guidelines were generated to explicitly target this stage. They articulated:
- Measures of 'excellence' based on candidates' engagement in research opportunities, academic performance, as well as indicators of resilience.
- Measures to minimize the effect of implicit bias.
Rubric for Interviews
The Rubric was designed for faculty interviewing candidates for admission. The Rubric comprised a set of suggested talking points for the interview, expanding upon the ideas articulated in the Guidelines.
The Guidelines and Rubric have been the basis for broader discussions at Columbia and have been adopted by other Departments.
CAN is a program designed to prepare undergraduate students to apply for graduate studies. We begin by reaching out to colleges and programs with likely limited neuroscience resources. Selected candidates are invited to Columbia for a two-day visit to meet Columbia students and faculty. The program includes advice on graduate applications, sessions to practice giving scientific presentations and participate in mock interviews, and panels on student life and on life after graduating with a PhD.
Participants are encouraged to maintain long-term connections with NB&B for ongoing advice.
- For our admissions process, develop metrics to gauge the effectiveness of the new guidelines.
- For CAN, reach out to an even broader group of institutions than this year. Combine forces with similar initiatives at other Columbia departments.
- For the graduate climate, develop a mentorship program for students and mentorship workshops for faculty in collaboration with CIMER and Columbia's Center for Teaching and Learning, as part of a broader initiative to improve mentoring at all levels, graduate, postdoc and faculty.