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. Past NeuroDataReHack participants are not eligible to apply.

What the application asks for

The application is a single online form and takes about twenty minutes. It asks for your contact details, institution, position, ORCID iD (required; creating one takes a few minutes), the programming languages and data modalities you work with, whether you have attended a previous NeuroDataReHack, and how you heard about the school. The substantive part is a project proposal: a title, an abstract of up to 1,500 characters, and the DANDI IDs of the Dandiset or Dandisets you would analyze. The proposal should describe a scientific question you could pursue by reanalyzing one or more specific existing datasets on the DANDI Archive; the projects from past installments show the range of what teams have done. We use it to judge your understanding of the data and your readiness for the week. You will not be required to carry out this project at the school; many participants change projects or join a different team once they have seen what is possible.

The form also asks for up to three publications and up to three software tools you have contributed to, an optional link to your CV, and an optional statement of up to 300 words on how you hope to benefit from participating.

Cost and travel

There is no registration or application fee. Participants stay in a private room on the HHMI-Janelia campus, checking in the evening of Sunday, July 18 and checking out on Saturday, July 24 or the morning of Sunday, July 25. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and coffee breaks are provided, and the kitchen accommodates dietary restrictions; the form asks about yours. We reimburse up to $550 of travel costs per participant. A limited amount of additional support is available, used primarily for international participants who could not attend without it; the form asks whether you would need it. 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. We provide a letter of invitation on request.

Accessibility and attendance

The HHMI-Janelia campus and guest rooms are accessible. If you need an accommodation to take part, write to us at support@neurodata-ai.org so we can plan for it. Dependent care is not provided.

The school is in person only, with no remote attendance. Lectures are recorded and posted on the lectures page, where anyone can watch them.

Timeline

Applications are open now and close on Friday, January 29, 2027. They are reviewed on a rolling basis, so applying early helps, and it gives accepted participants more time to arrange travel and visas. Every applicant hears back by the end of February 2027. Preparatory materials are sent six to eight weeks before arrival.