Author: Crystal Mills

IBRAiN Research Software Engineer Role – Apps Due 2/23

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The Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences (IBACS) is inviting graduate students to apply for the IBACS-BIRC Research Assistantships in Neuroimaging (IBRAiN) Program for the Research Software Engineer role ONLY. These graduate assistantships are for 10 hours per week during the Fall (2026) and Spring (2027) semesters at the Brain Imaging Research Center Core (BIRC). During the first year, assistants will be trained in neuroimaging methods, data science, and reproducibility. They spend the remaining allocated hours at BIRC, supporting users of the facilities. Examples of work include:
  • Helping design and implement experimental procedures for functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalogram (EEG), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), etc.
  • Advising users on how to effectively prepare research participants.
  • Advising users on data analysis.
  • Overseeing use of equipment by others.
  • Training undergraduate students with basics of equipment use.
Applicants will be expected to commit to the full duration of the assistantship (fall & spring). Research assistants may also be eligible for summer funding and an allocation of 20 hours of resource time to be used at BIRC during the fellowship.

Students will participate in common training activities but will primarily specialize in one of three roles at BIRC. Note – this call is for the Research Software Engineer role ONLY: 

  1. Research Software Engineer. This role assists researchers in using BIRC facilities including equipment training, data analysis, sing existing software, and engineering and implementing new analytic tools when needed, implement changes to BIRC webpage when necessary. Qualified candidates will have demonstrated proficiency in Python, MATLAB, or Julia, as well as Unix-like computing environments.

Key Application Dates: Opened on Feb. 2, 2026 and will close on Feb. 23, 2026. 

Subject to funding constraints, these assistantships could be renewed for a further year. Please view full details on our IBRAiN webpage before applying. 

If you have any questions, please contact the Institute Coordinator, Crystal Mills at crystal.mills@uconn.edu. 

IBACS Hosted Talk on 2/20: Dr. Rachel Theodore

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IBACS Hosted Talk: Dr. Rachel Theodore

Faculty in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences; Recent Program Director for the Linguistics and Dynamic Language Infrastructure – Documenting Endangered Language programs at the National Science Foundation (NSF)

Date/Time: Friday, February 20th from 3:30pm-4:45pm
 
Location: Moved to Zoom – please email crystal.mills@uconn.edu to receive the link.
 
Talk Title: Advancing the brain and cognitive sciences amidst the dynamic federal funding landscape
 
Abstract: Recent shifts in the federal funding landscape create uncertainty for brain and cognitive science researchers. This talk, which focuses on the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), situates current disruptions within a broader policy and historical context. Participants will gain knowledge that will help them succeed in this context, including how to align existing and emerging research with current NSF priorities without abandoning core scientific goals, and how to strengthen the durable components of competitive proposals, including broader impacts, which remain stable despite volatility. The goal is to provide the IBACS community with practical strategies for navigating uncertainty while continuing to advance fundamental science.

IBACS Outreach Fellowship Applications Due 2/20

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The Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences (IBACS) is pleased to offer summer fellowships of $5K each for up to four graduate students to be part of our Science Alliance Mobile (SAM) Outreach Team this year thanks in part to a generous donation. This fellowship offers affiliated graduate students the chance to inspire the next generation of brain and cognitive sciences scholars.
 

Students will be expected to participate in SAM’s outreach events, leading demos and engagement activities. We hope these activities can relate to fellows research interests or methods they are familiar with. Our goal is to host events and provide opportunities in areas with underrepresented populations to increase interest in education within the brain and cognitive science fields. During the academic year, time will need to be spent developing plans for demos and educational activities for all ages, but we expect the majority of outreach events to take place in the summer (3-4 in the summer and 1-2 per semester). Events will be on campus on Fairfield Way, at regional campuses, or at various other locations within the state. We understand that fellows will not be able to attend all events due to scheduling conflicts.

Preference may be given to students who (1) are members of a group that is underrepresented at the University of Connecticut; (2) have overcome obstacles such as socioeconomic, educational, or other societal disadvantages (arising, for example, through prejudice and/or discrimination); or (3) have worked with such groups to help overcome these or other obstacles.

Application Deadline: The application  will close on 2/20/26

Please view all details, including eligibility and conditions, on the Outreach Fellowship webpage prior to applying.

Questions about the fellowship or application/selection process can be directed to Crystal Mills at crystal.mills@uconn.edu. 

Science Stories Series Talk on 2/11: Hannah Mechtenberg, PhD Candidate

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Science Stories Series: Hannah Mechtenberg

PhD Candidate in the Perception, Action and Cognition Division of Psychological Sciences

Hosted by the IBACS Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) Committee 

Date/Time: Wednesday, February 11th at 11:30am 
 
Location: McHugh 301
 
Official Story: Hannah Mechtenberg earned her BS in Neuroscience with a concentration in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience and a minor in Biomedical Sciences from Colorado State University in the winter of 2017. After taking a moment to catch her breath, she joined Emily Myers’ lab as a lab manager in July of 2017. She elected to stay at the University of Connecticut for her PhD after spending a few years learning the ins and outs of speech perception. She received her MS in 2022 and is now in the final stages of her dissertation. She plans to graduate with her doctorate in May of 2026. Her work, broadly construed, is concerned with how people cope with uncertainty. She uses a multi-method approach to examine how listeners confront and resolve uncertainty in spoken language with aims to develop a neurobiologically grounded model of perceptual adaptation. Beyond empirical research, she also works to reduce uncertainty about science in the general public. Upon her arrival at UConn, she started The Spoken Word magazine to make research in the fields of aphasia and speech perception more accessible to non-expert communities. She has also completed an internship with the Psychonomic Society’s press office, been a senior team lead with the NSF-funded Language Science Station since 2022, and most recently accepted a part-time role as an outreach and communications specialist with an app that makes archives more accessible for researchers all over the United States.
 
Unofficial Story: Hannah grew up in Colorado and always planned to be some sort of scientist. Well, there were brief moments when she wanted to be an Olympic swimmer or an architect or a philosopher or a novelist, but she eventually settled on scientist because she had an insatiable desire to know more about the natural world. From an early age, you could find her sprawled in the grass observing the hunting habits of wolf spiders or cataloguing how many crawfish currently lived in the stream across the street. Her grandmother, who lived in Chicago, would frequently mail her owl pellets to dissect or strange mushrooms to identify. There was always more to observe and to learn about—from seashells to birds to the stars—it was endless. It wasn’t until she took an anatomy class in high school did she know what type of scientist she was going to be. After spending a class dissecting sheep brains, her teacher noticed a spark and lead her back to a storeroom with a preserved human brain floating in a glass jar. And that was all it took. Her journey from then-on was fueled by that singular moment of wonder, though the path was not always smooth or straightforward. This talk will reflect on the interwoven influence of curiosity, wonder, and doubt and how they’ve shaped Hannah’s journey. From stargazing in the Utah desert to nearing the culmination of her PhD at UConn, she will use snapshots from her life to explore how we find meaning and purpose in science and beyond.
 
About the Science Stories Series: Inspired by the “Sense of Wonder” event a few years ago organized by graduate student Hannah Mechtenberg and others – the goal of the “Science Stories” is to get to know the members of our community. These stories may be about life before UConn, how you got here, the ups and downs; successes and failures; lightbulb moments or moments of regret. This talk series is an opportunity for members of our community to share their journeys in and around science—to learn about each other’s lived experiences/identities, obstacles/challenges faced, and the varied paths we each take.  We welcome nominations from all members of the IBACS community and particularly welcome nominations by/for international community members, first-generation faculty/students, and individuals from underrepresented identities in the sciences. Submit a nomination or self-nominate for a future talk or event. 

IBACS Affiliate Dr. Arielle Keller’s Publication Featured in UConn Today Article

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IBACS Affiliate, Dr. Arielle Keller, recently received an IBACS Publication Award for her joint-paper with a collaborator at the University of Minnesota, “Cognition Varies Across the Calendar Year in Multiple Large-Scale Datasets,”  This paper was recently featured in a UConn Today article called, “Study: Long Breaks Tied to Dip in Cognitive Test Performance.”

Welcome Back, IBACS Affiliates!

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Please find below some very important Spring 2026 reminders about our services:  
 

Staffing and Research Support 

 
IBACS affiliates can work with I-BRAIN Fellows, who offer specialized skills to support projects that use the Brain Imaging Research Core’s facilities. Please email us at ibacs@uconn.edu if interested.  
 

Research Facilities 

 
E-Lab is a shared research facility administered by IBACS. It offers space, equipment, training, and support for researchers who wish to monitor the human body’s physiological responses to a wide range of stimuli. Current equipment includes EEG (32 and 64 channel), eye-tracking, and tDCS.
 
MBNF is a shared research facility administered by IBACS. It provides behavioral phenotyping services for engineered mouse models and other mouse models with human clinical relevance.  
 
This shared facility is a mobile laboratory for research, community outreach, training, and clinical services. It is available to anyone in the UConn community by reservation. Click on the link above to view photos and the fee structure. IBACS affiliates can apply for awards to use SAM if funds are not available. 
 

Other Resources & Services 

 
Desks in Arjona 311 Available  
There are desk spaces available for graduate students, post-docs, visiting scholars, and sponsored undergraduates working in IBACS-affiliated labs in Arjona 311. Desks can either be signed out individually or if you plan to use the space sporadically, access can be provided to use our flex-space desks. Access to our kitchen/lounge and meeting rooms will also be provided. Please contact Crystal to sign out a desk.  
  
Arjona Meeting Space Available   
IBACS has three Arjona meeting/classroom spaces available for use by affiliates, including recent technology additions for hybrid participation. Please email Crystal to inquire about access to the spaces and making reservations (Arjona 324, 340, and 307 with capacity up to 22 people).    
 
Facilities, Resources, & Equipment Documentation for NIH/NSF Applications
The Institute offers extensive documentation of facilities, resources, and equipment that can serve as a template for your external grant application. Email Crystal to request a copy.
 
EAR supports faculty affiliates applying for competitive external awards. IBACS-affiliated investigators can submit their proposal drafts for formal review by an advisory committee, who will make recommendations for the final proposal. Additionally, external advisors with domain-specific expertise can provide input to significantly enhance the likelihood of achieving a fundable score.  
Open to: Faculty affiliates  
Key Application Dates: accepted on a rolling basis 
 
Seed Grants provide funding to eligible faculty for interdisciplinary projects and research initiatives. Successful applications typically involve collaborations that require expertise across laboratories and traditional disciplinary boundaries. We prioritize projects that will lead to publications and external awards. 
Open to: Faculty and postdoctoral affiliates 
Key Application Dates: Large awards (>$10K) spring deadline: April 1, 2026.
A reminder: All proposals with a UCH investigator must also have at least one Storrs investigator. We hope this will change as we negotiate future support from UCHC.  
 
IBACS offers funding for one-time or recurring meetings, workshops, and conferences that support the Institute’s mission.  
Open to: Faculty, graduate students, postdoctoral, and external affiliates  
Key Application Dates: accepted on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted 
 
IBACS affiliates can apply for awards to use our Science Alliance Mobile (SAM) for research or outreach. Please visit the webpage for more information and use the meeting/event support form to apply. 
 
This award provides funding for undergraduate students conducting an independent research project. The student’s project must contribute to the Institute’s mission. Students can apply for awards of up to $1,000.  
Open to: Undergraduate students working with an IBACS-affiliated faculty member  
Key Application Dates: spring deadline is February 2, 2026.  
 
This award provides funding for undergraduate students conducting an independent research project. The student’s project must contribute to the Institute’s mission. The award consists of $5,000  or a single summer. Students may use up to $3,500 of the award on fellowship funds to covering living expenses and remaining funds to purchase materials and equipment in support of the research project.    
Open to: Undergraduate students working with an IBACS-affiliated faculty member  
Key Application Dates: closes on January 30, 2026.  
 
These awards provide up to $500 to be used for meeting/conference travel expenses where data will be presented that aligns with the IBACS mission.  
Open to: Graduate student and postdoctoral affiliates; undergraduate students who are members of an IBACS-affiliated lab 
Key Application Dates: accepted on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted 
 
Have something you want to share with our affiliates? Please submit to the IBACS soapbox! Anyone can submit on topics such as events, training opportunities, course announcements, talks, funding opportunities, and more. Our soapbox is sent out to our listserv every other Monday at 2pm.  
  
The Institute is always looking to expand our base of University affiliates, helping researchers network and connect to generate collaborative research.  If you know of others in your department that would like to be affiliated with the Institute, please forward this email or recommend they check out the benefits of affiliation by clicking on the link above.   
 
Join the IDEA Committee
The IBACS Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) Committee meets monthly and focuses on facilitating activities and events that offer discussion around these topics for undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, post-docs, staff, and more in the brain and cognitive sciences community. All are welcome to join our committee to plan and run these events. Email us if you are interested!
   
Best wishes for a safe and productive semester ahead!  
  
Emily Myers, Director of Training, IBACS 
John Salamone, Director of Communication and Outreach, IBACS  
Holly R. Fitch, Interim Director of Research, IBACS 
Crystal Mills, Institute Coordinator, IBACS  

IBACS Undergraduate Summer Research Award Apps Due 1/30/26

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IBACS is offering another year of the undergraduate summer research awards! Please share with the undergraduate students in your labs.
 
Note: The summer award is different from the academic year research supply award application for up to $1,000 which is still open – the spring deadline is 2/2/26. See separate email for details. 
 
This summer award provides funding for undergraduate students conducting an independent research projectover the summer consistent with the Institute’s mission. Funds can be used for research supplies and a stipend to support students over the summer. Students can apply for awards of up to $5,000.
 
Open to: Undergraduate students working with an IBACS-affiliated faculty member. Students who received academic year funding are eligible to apply for the summer research grant program, provided that they are still a UConn student at the time.
Key Application Dates: The summer application deadline is January 30, 2026.
Applicants must fill out the online application including a research plan, budget, and letter of support from a faculty sponsor. The funding is meant to defray the research-related costs such as materials & supplies, software, animal or participant-related costs. The budget should reflect these expenditures.
The IBACS undergraduate award academic year applications are reviewed based on the following criteria:
  • The project description is well-written and clearly explains the project and the project timeline is feasible.
  • The project clearly focuses on a research area associated with the IBACS mission.
  • The budget is itemized, appropriate to the project described, and reports the total cost of the project (even if it exceeds the funding requested).
  • The faculty advisor is familiar with the student’s project and rates the student’s work to date highly.
  • Students are expected to develop the submission with the mentorship of their research advisor, and research mentors are encouraged to provide feedback to applicants, but the submission should be primarily the student’s own work. Where project applications are equally meritorious, the reviewers will take note of how the student’s project will contribute to the advisor’s research goals.
  • The student and his/her project meet the eligibility criteria.
  • The student has secured research compliance approval(s) if necessary for the project. No award will be issued until documentation of approval(s) is received.
Please visit the award webpage for more information and contact our Institute Coordinator, Crystal Mills at crystal.mills@uconn.edu f you have any questions.

Reminder: IBACS Undergraduate Research Supply Award Apps Due 2/2/26

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A reminder that the Institute for the Brain & Cognitive Sciences (IBACS) undergraduate research supply award spring 2026 deadline is February 2, 2026. Please share with the undergraduate students in your labs.
 
This academic year award provides funding for undergraduate students conducting an independent research project consistent with the Institute’s mission. Students can apply for awards of up to $1,000.
 
Note: The academic year supply award is different from the undergraduate summer research award, which is for up to $5,000 as it includes funds to support student living expenses over the summer. The application deadline for the summer award is 1/30/26. See separate email for details. 
 
Open to: Undergraduate students working with an IBACS-affiliated faculty member. Recipients cannot apply for another grant within the same academic year, however, are eligible for the summer research grant program, provided that they are still a UConn student at the time.
Key Application Dates: The fall deadline has passed; spring deadline is February 2, 2026.
Webpage Link: https://braincognitivesciences.institute.uconn.edu/services/undergraduate-research-supply-award/
Applicants must fill out the online application, and also submit via the online application, a relatively short research plan (maximum of 6,000 characters, approximately 3 pages). The funding is meant to defray the research-related costs such as materials & supplies, software, animal or participant-related costs. The budget should reflect these expenditures.
The IBACS undergraduate award academic year applications are reviewed based on the following criteria:
  • The project description is well written and clearly explains the project.
  • The project clearly focuses on a research area associated with the IBACS mission.
  • The budget is itemized, appropriate to the project described, and reports the total cost of the project (even if it exceeds the funding requested).
  • The faculty advisor is familiar with the student’s project and rates the student’s work to date highly.
  • The student and his/her project meet the eligibility criteria.
 
Please visit the award webpage for more information and contact our Institute Coordinator, Crystal Mills at crystal.mills@uconn.edu if you have any questions.

IBACS Summer 2026 Graduate Fellowship Application Now Open!

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The Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences (IBACS) is now inviting applications to its Graduate Fellowship Program.

These $5,000 summer fellowships are intended for graduate students working on topics with relevance to the Brain and Cognitive Sciences. This program prepares students to apply for competitive external funding and equips them with valuable career skills via a summer grant writing workshop taught by Prof. Nicole Landi. IBACS Graduate Fellows attend a short grant-writing workshop where they will write an NIH F31 or F32 application and participate in a mock review panel, styled after NIH review panels, during which fellows review peer applications. Students who eventually submit an NIH F31 or F32 will have the scientific portion of the application finished by the end of the workshop. Students interested in submitting NSF GRFP, NRSA (pre- or post-doctoral fellowship), or equivalent should still apply. 

Open to: IBACS Graduate student affiliates  

Key Application Dates: Opens on December 1, 2025, and closes December 31, 2025.  

Graduate students who are not US citizens are eligible to apply and are expected to work with their advisor to develop an external research proposal if they are not eligible for federal funding. Students who were fellows in summer 2025 may apply if they submitted the external grant proposal they developed last year and it was not funded, with the expectation that they will revise their previous grant or develop a new one. If you are fully funded for the summer period (e.g. you are a UConn Health graduate student or grant -funded), you are eligible to apply and attend the workshop without the funding component. If you are a student in any of these situations, please see the details on our website for more information. 

Please refer to the full details on our webpage, including eligibility and conditions on awards before you apply. If you have any questions, please contact Crystal Mills at crystal.mills@uconn.edu. 

IBACS Undergrad Research Supply Awards

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This award provides funding for undergraduate students conducting an independent research project consistent with the Institute’s mission. Students can apply for awards of up to $1,000.  

Open to: Undergraduate students working with an IBACS-affiliated faculty member. Recipients cannot apply for another grant within the same academic year, however, are eligible for the summer research grant program, provided that they are still a UConn student at the time.
Key Application Dates: Now open. The fall deadline is September 15, 2025; spring deadline is February 2, 2026.
Applicants must fill out the online application, and also submit via the online application, a relatively short research plan (maximum of 6,000 characters, approximately 3 pages). The funding is meant to defray the research-related costs such as materials & supplies, software, animal or participant-related costs. The budget should reflect these expenditures. The IBACS undergraduate award academic year applications are reviewed based on the following criteria:
  • The project description is well written and clearly explains the project.
  • The project clearly focuses on a research area associated with the IBACS mission.
  • The budget is itemized, appropriate to the project described, and reports the total cost of the project (even if it exceeds the funding requested).
  • The faculty advisor is familiar with the student’s project and rates the student’s work to date highly.
  • The student and his/her project meet the eligibility criteria.
  • The student has secured research compliance approval(s) if necessary for the project. No award will be issued until documentation of approval(s) is received.