Our community is the nexus for campus-wide multidisciplinary neuroscience research at UC Berkeley.
Our broad research focus is the study of the nervous system, from single molecules to human behavior, with an emphasis on interdisciplinary approaches and use-inspired research. Our research mission is to deepen our understanding of how the brain and the rest of the nervous system functions, develops, changes, and ages, and the processes involved in neurological diseases and disorders. We are building next-generation experimental, analytical, and theoretical approaches to probe neuronal function and to elucidate the mechanisms underlying sensation, perception, behavior, learning, and cognition, and develop new ways to diagnose and treat diseases and disorders. Visit our faculty(link is external) page to explore the research interests of our faculty.
We also support our faculty by sponsoring research initiatives and leading-edge research and technology centers.
Advances in understanding brain function and brain disorders are often enabled by cutting-edge technology and the focus of the brightest scientific minds from diverse disciplines around a common goal. HWNI fosters advances in neuroscience by sponsoring major research initiatives and research and technology centers. Our research initiatives, such as the Radical Ideas in Brain Science Challenge and the Rennie Fund for the Study of Epilepsy, provide funding for cutting-edge research and encourage interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches. We also support graduate students with the Mark and Christine Alper Fellowship in the Neurosciences.
Our research and technology centers bring together interdisciplinary groups of researchers to support new areas of research, develop tools for neuroscience research, and apply the new knowledge and tools to advance our understanding of the brain. Our centers are The Henry H. Wheeler, Jr. Brain Imaging Center (BIC), The Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences (ICBS), The Redwood Center for Theoretical Neuroscience (RCTN), The Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics (BCSP) and the Weill Neurohub.
A high resolution image of dendritic spines on neurons in the mouse cortex, produced using new microscopy technology developed by HWNI member, Eric Betzig