Neuroscience and Cognitive Science (NACS)
College: Behavioral and Social Sciences
The NACS program offers a wide range of research and training opportunities for students who are interested in pursuing doctoral-level research in a variety of areas within neuroscience and cognitive science. Faculty research interests center around seven main areas: Cellular & Molecular, Sensory & Motor Systems, Computational Modeling & Theory, Language & Speech, Cognition & Emotion, Development & Aging, and Disorders & Treatment. Research approaches include both the theoretical and experimental, with several laboratories doing both. Research and training activities of NACS take place within the laboratories of faculty in 23 participating departments and units: Aerospace Engineering, Animal and Avian Sciences, Behavioral and Community Health, Bioengineering, Biology, Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, English, Entomology, Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Hearing and Speech Sciences, Human Development, Kinesiology, Linguistics, Nutrition and Food Science, Philosophy, Psychology, and Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership, as well as the Center for Advanced Study of Language, the Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, the Institute for Systems Research, the Maryland Neuroimaging Center, and the Second Language Acquisition program. The NACS program requires the completion of two required core courses and three out of five core courses, including introduction to neurosciences, cognitive neuroscience, computational neuroscience, cellular and molecular neuroscience, and cognitive science. The goal of the Program is to bring together the diverse perspectives and strengths of all the included disciplines in order to understand the working of the nervous system, the mind, and behavior. For more information, please visit our website: http://www.nacs.umd.edu.
Fellowships are available on a competitive basis to both entering and continuing students, while qualified students may also receive teaching assistantships. In addition, some faculty have research assistantships for their students.
Joshua Singer
0218 Cole Student Activities Building
Email: jhsinger@umd.edu
Nan Bernstein Ratner
Graduate Director
Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences
0141G LeFrak Hall
Email: nratner@umd.edu
Pam Komarek
4095 Union Drive
Email: pkomarek@umd.edu
Matthew Roesch
2123G Biology-Psychology Building
Email: mroesch@umd.edu
Website: http://www.nacs.umd.edu
Courses: NACS
Statement of Purpose: The statement of purpose and three letters of recommendation will be required to be uploaded in the Supplementary Application (Acceptd), not the Graduate School's application.
Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
Graduate Application Deadlines-Fall
US Citizens and Permanent Residents 15 Nov
F (student) or J (exchange visitor) visas; A,E,G,H,I and L visas and immigrants 15 Nov
Other Deadlines: Please visit the program website at http://www.nacs.umd.edu
Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, Master of Science (M.S.)
The Program, by virtue of its breadth, has access to the facilities of all the departments, institutes, and centers of its faculty members. These include the Institute for Systems Research, the Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, the Center for Advanced Study of Language, the Maryland Neuroimaging Center, and the various well-equipped research laboratories and department facilities of the faculty. Animal facilities are available where necessary. NACS has developed close collaborations with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Children's National Medical Center (CNMC), and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC). NACS students can conduct research in laboratories with NACS adjunct faculty at these institutions. Thus, these relationships extend research and training opportunities for students while they get their degrees from the NACS program.
Abshire Pamela Full Member B.S., California Institute of Technology, 1992; M.S., The Johns Hopkins University, 1997; Ph.D., The Johns Hopkins University, 2001. Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Associate Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Associate Professor, Systems Engineering
Aloimonos John Full Member B.S., University of Athens-Greece,1981; M.S., University of Rochester, 1984; Ph.D., 1987. Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Professor, Computer Science
Affiliate Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Anderson Samira Full Member B.A., Indiana University, 1979;M.A., Indiana University, 1981;Au.D, University of Florida, 2000; Ph.D. Northwestern University, 2012 Assistant Professor, Hearing and Speech Sciences
Assistant Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Assistant Professor, Clinical Audiology
Araneda Ricardo Full Member B.S., University of Concepcion, 1986; M.S., Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1992; Ph.D., Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1997. Associate Professor, Biological Sciences
Babadi Behtash Full Member B.S., Sharif University of Technology, 2006; Ph.D., Harvard University, 2011 Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Ball Gregory Full Member B.A., Columbia University, 1977; Ph.D., Rutgers University, 1983 Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Professor, Psychology
Beier Jonathan Full Member B.S., Stanford University, 2001; Ph.D.,Harvard University, 2008. Assistant Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Assistant Professor, Psychology
Bernat Edward Full Member B.A., University of Arizona, 1989; M.A., University of Michigan, 1993; Ph.D., University of Michigan, 1997. Assistant Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Bolger Donald J. Full Member B.A., University of Massachusetts, 1998; M.S., University of Pittsburgh, 2002; Ph.D., 2006. Associate Professor, Human Development
Butler Lucas Full Member A.B., Harvard University, 2005; M.A., Stanford University, 2009; Ph.D., Stanford University, 2012 Assistant Professor, Human Development
Butts Daniel Full Member B.A., Oberlin College, 1994; Ph.D., University of California Berkeley, 2000. Professor, Biophysics
Associate Professor, Applied Mathematics & Statistics, and Scientific Computation
Associate Professor, Biological Sciences
Carleton Karen Full Member B.S., Yale University, 1980; Ph.D., University of Colorado, 1987 Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Professor, Biological Sciences
Carr Catherine E. Full Member B.Sc, University of Capetown, 1976; M.A.,State University of New York-Buffalo, 1977; Ph.D., University of California-San Diego, 1984. Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Carruthers Peter Full Member B.A., University of Leeds, 1975; M.Phil., University of Leeds, 1977; D.Phil., University of Oxford, 1979 Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Affiliate Professor, Second Language Acquisition
Cassidy Jude Anne Full Member B.A., Duke University, 1973; M.A.,University of Virginia, 1983; Ph.D., 1986. Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Castonguay Thomas W. Full Member B.A., Framingham State College, 1973; M.A., Mount Holyoke College, 1975; Ph.D., Rutgers State University, 1978. Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Professor, Nutrition and Food Science
Coleman Linda K. Full Member A.B., University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, 1973; M.A., 1973; Ph.D., University of California-Berkeley, 1982. Associate Professor, English Language and Literature
Dougherty Lea Full Member B.A., University of Delaware, 2001; Ph.D., Stony Brook University, 2008 Associate Professor, Psychology
Dougherty Michael Full Member B.S., Kansas State University, 1993; M.S., University of Oklahoma, 1996; Ph.D., 1999 Professor, Psychology
Dunbar Kevin Full Member B.A., University College Dublin, Ireland, 1977; M.A., University College Dublin, Ireland, 1979; Ph.D., University of Toronto, 1985 Professor, Human Development
Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Edwards Jan Full Member B.A., Barnard College, 1980;M.A., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1981;Ph.D., CUNY-Graduate Center, 1985 Professor, Hearing and Speech Sciences
Professor, Speech Language Pathology
Feldman Naomi Full Member B.A., University of Chicago, 2003; Ph.D., Brown University, 2011 Associate Professor, Linguistics
Affiliate Associate Professor, Computer Science
Fisher Heidi Full Member Assistant Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences
Fox Nathan A. Full Member A.B., Williams College, 1970; Ph.D., Harvard University, 1975. Distinguished University Professor, Human Development
Affiliate Professor, Jewish Studies
Gaudry Quentin Full Member B.S., Emory University, 2002; Ph.D., University of California San Diego, 2008 Assistant Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Gentili Rodolphe Full Member Assistant Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Glasper Andrews Erica Full Member B.A. Psychology/Biology, Randolph-Macon College M.A., Psychology, Ohio State University Ph.D., Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, Ohio State University Assistant Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Gordon-Salant Sandra Full Member B.A.,State University of New York-Albany, 1974;M.S., Northwestern University, 1976; Ph.D., Northwestern University, 1981. Professor, Hearing and Speech Sciences
Graduate Director, Clinical Audiology
Goupell Matthew Full Member B.S., Hope College, 2001; M.S., Michigan State University, 2003; Ph.D., Michigan State University, 2005. Associate Professor, Hearing and Speech Sciences
Associate Professor, Clinical Audiology
Hatfield Bradley D. Full Member B.P.E., University of New Brunswick-Fredericton, 1974; B.A.,1975; M.S., Pennsylvania State University, 1976; M.S.A., Ohio University, 1982; Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University, 1982. Chair, Kinesiology
Professor, Kinesiology
Professor, Physical Activity
Herberholz Jens Full Member B.S., Albert-Ludwigs-University, Freiburg, Germany; M.S., Albert-Ludwigs-University, Freiburg, Germany; Ph.D., Tehnical University, Munich, Germany Associate Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Associate Professor, Psychology
Horiuchi Timothy Full Member B.S., California Institute of Technology, 1989 Ph.D., 1997. Associate Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Hornstein Norbert R. Full Member B.A., McGill University-Montreal, 1975; Ph.D., Harvard University, 1979. Professor, Linguistics
Huang Yi-Ting Full Member B.A., Northwestern University, 2003; Ph.D., Harvard University, 2009. Assistant Professor, Hearing and Speech Sciences
Affiliate Assistant Professor, Linguistics
Idsardi William Full Member B.A., University of Toronto, 1988; Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1992 Chair, Linguistics
Professor, Linguistics
Israel Michael Full Member B.A., U.C. Berkeley, 1989 Ph.D., U.C. San Diego, 1998 Associate Professor, English Language and Literature
Jacobs David Full Member Ph. D. MIT, 1992 Professor, Applied Mathematics & Statistics, and Scientific Computation
Jiang Nan Full Member B.A., Nanjiang Normal University, China, 1984; M.A. East China Normal University, 1987; Ph.D. University of Arizona, 1998. Associate Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Associate Professor, Second Language Acquisition
Juntti Scott A. Full Member B.S., University of Wisconson-Madison, 2001; Ph.D., University of California-San Francisco, 2010 Assistant Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Kanold Patrick Full Member Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University, 1999. Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Professor, Biophysics
Affiliate Associate Professor, Bioengineering
Killen Melanie A. Full Member B.A., Clark University, 1978; M.A., University of California-Berkeley, 1981; Ph.D.,1985. Professor, Human Development
Lasnik Howard Full Member B.S., Carnegie Institute of Technology, 1967; M.A., Harvard University, 1969; Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1972. Distinguished Scholar-Teacher, Linguistics
Distinguished University Professor, Linguistics
Distinguished University Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Lau Ellen Full Member Assistant Professor, Linguistics
Levine William S. Full Member B.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1962; M.S., 1965; Ph.D., 1969. Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Research Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Li Anna Xuan Full Member B.S., Ocean University of China, 2005; Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Lidz Jeffrey Full Member B.S., Northwestern University, 1990; M.A., University of Delaware, 1992; Ph.D., University of Delaware, 1996. Distinguished Scholar-Teacher, Linguistics
MacSwan Jeff Full Member B.A., California State University-Long Beach, 1985; M.A., California State University-Long Beach, 1987; Ph.D., University of California-Los Angeles, 1997 Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Professor, Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership
Professor, Curriculum and Instruction
Affiliate Professor, Linguistics
Miller Ross H. Full Member B.S., Iowa State University, 2003; M.S., Iowa State University, 2005; M.S., Iowa State University, 2006; Ph.D., University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2010. Assistant Professor, Kinesiology
Assistant Professor, Physical Activity
Newcomb Robert W. Full Member B.S., Purdue University, 1955;M.S., Stanford University, 1957; Ph.D., University of California-Berkeley, 1960. Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Professor, Applied Mathematics & Statistics, and Scientific Computation
Newman Rochelle Full Member B.S., Northwestern University, 1991; M.A., State University of New York at Buffalo, 1995; Ph.D., State University of New York at Buffalo, 1997. Chair, Hearing and Speech Sciences
Affiliate Associate Professor, Second Language Acquisition
Norman Kent L. Full Member B.A., Southern Methodist University,1969; M.A., University of Iowa, 1971; Ph.D., 1973. Associate Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Novick Jared Full Member B.A., University of Rochester, 1998; A.M., University of Pennsylvania, 2001; Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, 2005 Assistant Professor, Hearing and Speech Sciences
Assistant Professor, Speech Language Pathology
Paley Derek Full Member B.S., Yale University, 1997; Ph.D., Princeton University, 2007. Professor, Applied Mathematics & Statistics, and Scientific Computation
Associate Professor, Aerospace Engineering
Payne Richard Full Member B.A., University of Cambridge, 1977; Ph.D.,Australian National University-Canberra, 1982. Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Payne-Sturges Devon Full Member Assistant Professor, Environmental Health Sciences
Assistant Professor, Environmental Health Sciences
Perlis Donald R. Full Member B.S., Purdue University, 1966; Ph.D., New York University, 1972; Ph.D., University of Rochester, 1981. Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Pessoa Luiz Full Member Position: Professor CV: B.S., Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, 1989; M.S., Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, 1990; Ph.D., Boston University, 1995 Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Phillips Colin Full Member B.A., Oxford University, 1990; Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1996 Distinguished Scholar-Teacher, Linguistics
Polinsky Maria Full Member Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Prather Richard Full Member S.B., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2002; Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2009 Assistant Professor, Human Development
Quinlan Elizabeth Full Member Ph.D., University of Illinois at Chicago, 1993. Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Ratner Nan Bernstein Full Member B.A.,Jackson College-Tufts University, 1974; M.A., Temple University, 1976; Ed.D.,Boston University, 1982. Professor, Hearing and Speech Sciences
Redcay Elizabeth Full Member B.A., Duke University, 2001; M.A., University of California-San Diego, 2003; Ph.D., University of California-San Diego, 2008. Assistant Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Reggia James A. Full Member B.S.,University of Maryland-College Park, 1971; M.D., University of Maryland at Baltimore, 1975; Ph.D.,University of Maryland-College Park, 1981. Professor, Applied Mathematics & Statistics, and Scientific Computation
Resnik Philip S. Full Member A.B., Harvard University, 1987; M.S.E., University of Pennsylvania, 1990; Ph.D., 1993. Professor, Linguistics
Affiliate Professor, Computer Science
Rey Georges Full Member B.A., University of California-Berkeley, 1970; M.A.,Harvard University, 1975; Ph.D., 1978. Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Riggins Tracy Full Member B.S. University of California - San Diego, 2000 Ph.D. University of Minnesota, 2005 Assistant Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Roesch Matthew Full Member B.S., University of Pittsburgh, 1997; Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University, 2004. Associate Professor, Psychology
Roth Stephen M. Full Member B.S., University of Montana, 1996; M.A., University of Maryland, 1998; Ph.D., 2000. Professor, Physical Activity
Associate Professor, Kinesiology
Rubin Kenneth H. Full Member B.A., McGill University-Montreal, 1968; M.S.,Pennsylvania State University-University Park, 1969; Ph.D., 1971. Professor, Human Development
Shackman Alexander Full Member B.A., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1997; Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2008 Assistant Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Shah Yasmeen Full Member B.S., All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, 1995; M.S., All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, 1997; Ph.D., Northwestern University, 2004. Associate Professor, Hearing and Speech Sciences
Shamma Shihab Full Member B.S., Imperial College, 1976; M.S.,Stanford University, 1977; M.A., 1980; Ph.D., 1980. Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Professor, Systems Engineering
Shim Jae Kun Full Member B.A., Kyunghee University-Seoul, 1999; M.S., Ball State University, 2002; Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University, 2005 Associate Professor, Kinesiology
Simon Jonathan Full Member BA: Princeton University, 1985; MS: University of California, Santa Barbara, 1987; Ph.D.: University of California, Santa Barbara, 1990 Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Singer Joshua Full Member Associate Professor, Biological Sciences
Slevc Robert Full Member B.A., University of Colorado-Boulder, 1999; Ph.D., University of California-San Diego, 2008. Assistant Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Smith Carson J. Full Member B.S., Arizona State University, 1993; Ph.D., University of Georgia, 2000 Associate Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Solway Alec Full Member B.S., Computer Science, 2007; M.S.Eng., University of Pennsylvania, 2009; Ph.D., Princeton University, 2014 Assistant Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Speer Colenso M. Full Member B.S., Arizona State University, 2004; Ph.D., University of California-Davis, 2010 Assistant Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Stricklin William R. Full Member B.S.,University of Tennessee-Knoxville, 1968; M.S., 1972; Ph.D.,Pennsylvania State University-University Park, 1975. Associate Professor, Animal Sciences
Taneyhill Lisa Full Member B.A., Western Maryland College McDaniel College 1995; M.S., Princeton University, 1997; Ph.D., Princeton University, 2000. Associate Professor, Animal Sciences
Uriagereka Juan Full Member B.A., University of Deusto-Spain, 1983; M.A.,University of Connecticut-Storrs, 1986; Ph.D., 1988. Professor, Linguistics
Wang Jian Full Member B.S., Nanjing Agricultural University, 1984; M.S., Nanjing Agricultural University, 1988; Ph.D., Shanghai Institute of Entomology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1998. Associate Professor, Entomology
Yager David D. Full Member B.A., Wesleyan University, 1972; Ph.D., Cornell University, 1989. Associate Chair, Psychology