PhD program in Neuroscience

Once the students are formally accepted in the program, through a personal on-line application they have to detail all their research activities in the program with dates and places. Every item has to be validated by the PhD supervisor.

JUSTIFICATION OF TRAINING ACTIVITIES ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION IN SEMINARS AND PRESENTATION OF THESIS PROJECT:

• Research Activities and Funding (60 hours) .
  6 ECTS credits. Offered by the UMH each semester.
  Schedule: Fall semester of the first year. Evaluation system: Objective evaluation.
  Students coming from a master with scientific background that includes a research project do not have to do this course.
• Research seminars at the Institute of Neuroscience (40 hours).
  One weekly seminar throughout the academic year: View IN seminars
• Presentation and discussion of the thesis project.
  At the end of the second semester of their first year, students publicly present their thesis project. The aim is to discuss its coherence and suggest improvements. The presentation and discussion are conducted in English. Duration: 30 minutes in a single session of seminars. Alternatively, the students can present their project in a Department/Unit seminar with the same format.
  Evaluation system: Evaluation of the presentation and incorporation of improvements.
• Participation in Institutional Scientific Activities.
  Conferences, seminars and symposia involving PhD students are carried out as part of the scientific activities of the Institute. This type of activity is variable in its frequency and content, but every year there is a Christmas Meeting (December) and a scientific Progress Report (June) by members of the Institute.
• Unit Seminars (40 hours)
  Detail and planning of the same: Each of the three research units of the INA organizes seminars every two weeks in which a component of a group -generally doctoral students in the final stages and postdoctoral researchers- presents experimental results in the development phase. The objective is to discuss the results from a conceptual and methodological point of view and to suggest improvements. The presentation and discussion is done in English. Duration: 30 minutes, seminar session Assessment system: Presentation of own results. In the case of part-time Doctoral Students, the time sequence of the training activities will be adapted to their needs without undermining their performance.
• Group Seminars (50 hours)

  Detail and planning of the same: Most research groups organize seminars in which the progress of the experiments is discussed and the latest publications in the field are analyzed. This type of meeting is designed -among other reasons- to allow doctoral students to acquire discussion and communication skills. The frequency is usually weekly and the presentation and discussion is done in English. Temporary planning: A weekly seminar during the academic year Assessment system. Presentation of own results. In the case of part-time Doctoral Students, the time sequence of the training activities will be adapted to their needs without undermining their performance.

• Participation in national and international conferences.

  PhD students generally attends two neuroscience conferences. Due to the annual alternation of the FENS (Federation of European Neuroscience Societies) and SENC (Spanish Society for Neuroscience) conferences, they generally complete their PhD program with communications (usually in the form of a poster) at national and international meetings. Furthermore, students have the opportunity of resubmit their posters for the poster session that takes place at the Christmas Meeting organized by the Institute.

• Participation in neuroscience courses.
  Organized by the Spanish society of Neurosciences or international societies (FENS, IBRO, Society for Neuroscience). It is expected that students attend 1-2 courses during their training.
• Stays in external laboratories both in Spain and aboard. It is expected that students spend at least 3 months in an external laboratory.
• Participation in dissemination activities (10 hours)
  The Brain Awareness Week is one of the activities the IN organizes to expose neuroscience to the public. There are several open-door sessions in which scientists of all levels explains the type of research going on at the Institute. These activities, which also include street exhibitions, have a significant commitment from PhD students.
• Progress Evaluation.
  Each year, the academic Commission of the PhD program will evaluate the Research Plan and the document of activities together with the reports that for this purpose must send the Thesis Director. Positive evaluation will be required to continue in the program. The students must register every academic year (including the year when the thesis is deposited) in order to confirm their status.

Application to attend scientific activities in the context of the PhD program.

For the reimbursement of the aid, up to 400 euros, the following documentation must be presented:

• Application for assistance approved by the CPAD dated prior to registration for the activity (Word document)

Important note*:

If the activity has its own aid program for the student, it will be a requirement to have requested said aid.

• Certificate of attendance at the congress.
• Invoice issued with the following information:

UNIVERSIDAD MIGUEL HERNÁNDEZ

-Prog.Doctorado en Neurociencias.

Avda. Santiago Ramón y Cajal s/n
03350 Sant Joan d’Alacant

VAT/CIF: ES-Q5350015C

• Proof of payment.
• Personal information:

Name and surname.

Full address.

Bank details to reimburse.

23,6% (Total number of PhD students 2022-2023: 110)

The file “Guidelines for Foreign Researchers at the Instituto de Neurociencias” is available in the “ARCHIVOS” folder on the IN intranet.

• EMBO “Scientific Exchange Grants”
• FENS/IBRO-PERC Fellowships
• NENS Courses
• GENERALITAT VALENCIANA: Programa I+D+i (Grants for PhD students for stays in research centers outside the Comunitat Valenciana)
• Programa iMOVE CSIC: https://imove.csic.es

• FENS/NENS (Network of European Neuroscience Schools)
• VICERRECTORADO RELACIONES INTERNACIONALES UMH 
• UMH/OTRI/R&D Financing/Mobility

Have you been in a lab abroad? Where did you go? For how long? What finance did you get for that?

Share your experience with us!

Raquel García Hernández
New York / USA

“I would repeat it a thousand times”

During my research stay, I went to New York, USA, specifically at New York University’s Langone Center for 3 months. Under the guidance of M.D., Ph.D. György Buzsáki and Ph.D. Manuel Valero, my experience was truly amazing. I learned new technology like electrophysiological recordings in freely moving animals using multichannel systems, and the basics of analyzing it all, which I later shared with my lab and I want to use in my postdoc. I also gained a deeper understanding of how the brain communicates and even opened up new ways of conceptualizing information processing. Socially, it was fantastic too; I made lots of friends, had endless discussions, and explored the incredible city of New York. Additionally, I gained valuable insights into differing perspectives on science and academia across borders, aiding in shaping my academic trajectory and helping me in taking future decisions. 

I would repeat it a thousand times, thanks to everyone and who made it possible! 

Laura Frutos Rincón
Boston / Paris

“Both stays gave me a lot on a professional and personal level”

During my PhD I have completed two stays abroad of a completely different, but equally enriching, nature.

The first one, in 2019, was at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, MA, under the supervision of Dr. Pedram Hamrah. This one-month stay was part of a collaboration between the two laboratories, and during it, I set up the electrophysiology set-up that I use in my experiments in Spain there and trained the lab staff in its use.

In addition, the following year I spent three months at the Institut de la Vision in Paris, under the supervision of Dr. Annabelle Réaux-Le Goazigo, funded by a Generalitat Valenciana mobilty grant (“Subvenciones para estancias predoctorales fuera de la Comunitat Valenciana, BEFPI 2020). During this stay, I learned different techniques and carried out numerous experiments directly related to the topic of my doctoral thesis.

Both stays gave me a lot on a professional and personal level. Getting to know other laboratories, other techniques, different ways of working… is a fundamental process in professional growth. On the other hand, being away from your country makes you much more autonomous and resolute, as well as allowing you to get to know other cultures and ways of life, which is a turning point on a personal level.

Michael Joe Munyua Gachomba
Marseille, France

“The institute provides a very good scientific environment, with a vibrant community of researchers”

The doctoral fellowship INPhINIT, awarded each year by laCaixa foundation through a competitive call, counts with a fixed budget per year to be used for visits, courses, and congresses. Thanks to that, I spent three months at the Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone (INT, Marseille, France), joining a collaborative project between two labs. There, I learned to model and analyze stop-signal reaction times collected from a previous experiment combining fMRI and with a motor inhibition task. I also taught basic Python programming to an undergraduate, while she helped me to acquire coding skills in R. The institute provides a very good scientific environment, with a vibrant community of researchers who organize scientific and social activities on a regular basis.

Mohamed Kotb Selim
Brussels

“The experience was enriching in all aspects”

From September to December 2021, I joined the group of Prof. Philippe de Timary, a full clinical professor at the Institute of Neuroscience (IoNS), The Catholic University of Louvain and Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc (UCLouvain), Brussels, Belgium.

I was involved in the data acquisition and analysis of brain scans obtained from alcoholic patients, who were admitted to clinics for rehabilitation. The goal was to study the early brain adaptations after the 3 weeks of treatment course, combining volumetric and diffusion MRI with patients inflammatory profiles, in conjunction with the clinical and psychiatric measures before and after treatment, including depression and craving scores, this work is being prepared for publication.

The experience was enriching in all aspects, I learned new techniques and expanded my knowledge with the clinical work, something I was lacking due to the preclinical nature of my PhD project. Also, Brussels is a very nice and large city, as the capital of the European Union it is very vibrant, I enjoyed the city vibes and food, especially the legendary waffles. I really miss the cold breezes of Brussels.

Lastly, thanks to the International Mobility Grant offered by Universidad Miguel Hernandez (UMH) that covered most of my research stay expenses.