Apply to the 2027 school

Who should apply

The school is intended for PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, principal investigators, and researchers in similar positions. Advanced undergraduates are considered case by case. We welcome applicants from all areas of neuroscience, including experimentalists, computational neuroscientists, and data scientists. About four in five participants come from a primary background in neuroscience and want to develop skills in AI-enhanced data analysis; about one in five come from computational disciplines and want to apply their expertise to neurophysiology.

Applicants should have basic programming experience in Python or MATLAB and experience with neurophysiology research. For researchers with neuroscience backgrounds, that means evidence of computational proficiency, such as experience analyzing data in Python, MATLAB, or R, familiarity with a command line, or coursework in quantitative methods. For applicants from computational backgrounds, it means a demonstrated interest in neuroscience through coursework, research, or contributions to neuroscience software.

Preference is given to applicants who have a specific project in mind that involves reanalyzing existing neurophysiology data in NWB format, and to applicants who have not previously attended a NeuroDataReHack event.

What the application asks for

The application is a single online form. It asks for:

1. A curriculum vitae.
2. A list of scientific contributions: peer-reviewed publications, publicly available software, data analysis projects, or other relevant work.
3. A short statement (300 words at most) of how you hope to benefit from the school.
4. A short description (300 words at most) of a project you are considering proposing or contributing to during the week. This is not binding; many participants change projects or join a different team once they have seen what is possible.

The form also collects dietary restrictions and whether you need a letter of invitation for a visa application.

How applications are reviewed

Each application is read independently by four to six reviewers drawn from the course faculty and external experts. Reviewers score five dimensions on a ten-point scale: scientific productivity and contributions to date; the relevance of your research background to neurophysiology and computational methods; the degree to which your participation would advance neurophysiology research and the NIH mission; the appropriateness and feasibility of your proposed project within the week; and your technical preparation. Each reviewer also gives a single summary score, and reviewers recuse themselves from anyone they have mentored, taught, or collaborated with.

Admission proceeds in order of average summary score, with limited adjustments to keep the balance between neuroscience and computational backgrounds. We expect roughly 80 to 120 applications for 35 places.

Cost and travel

There is no registration or application fee. Lodging in a private room on the Janelia campus and all meals are provided. We reimburse up to $550 of travel costs per participant, and participants who need more than that can apply for additional support. You book your own travel, and you are responsible for determining visa and healthcare requirements for travel to the United States; plan early, since visa processing can take several months, and ask us for a letter of invitation if you need one.

Timeline

Applications open in early 2027 and close in the spring. Decisions go out about four months before the school so that participants have time to arrange travel and visas, and preparatory materials are sent six to eight weeks before arrival. Exact dates will be posted here when the form opens; join the mailing list to be notified.