This Marie Curie Training Site will prospectively resume operation on April 1, 2006.

Scope

The Center for Systems Neuroscience (ZSN) is a virtual cooperative center established in September, 2002, by the Hannover Medical School (MHH), the School of Veterinary Medicine Hannover (TiHo), the University of Hannover, and the Hannover University of Music and Theatre.

Neuroscience has become one of the leading biomedical research fields. In this rapidly evolving field it is important to stress a multidisciplinary, systemic approach in order to develop therapies for neurological and mental disorders of great public interest.  The Center for Systems Neuroscience (ZSN) Hannover focuses on multidisciplinary systems neuroscience to strengthen overlapping areas of basic and clinical research. The ZSN covers all modern methods in basic and clinical research including highly innovative techniques. Its interdisciplinary approach has proven to be a promising way to strike at the root of neurological disorders and to analyze complex systems functions and their restoration.

The ZSN uses its platform to provide  for outstanding graduates of biology, veterinary and human medicine, biochemistry and affiliated natural sciences, such as e.g. physics. In the 3-year-program PhD-students will gain broad multidisciplinary knowledge in the field of neuroscience and develop valuable complementary skills. The program will prospectively be funded by the European Commission with Marie Curie Host Fellowships for  Early Stage Research Training (FP 6).

The course of study (see Table 1) runs parallel to the individual thesis project and includes obligatory (compulsory) and elective classes (50%/50%), all of which are held in English. During the 3-year-program, 150 obligatory and 150 elective hours must be covered to be admitted to the final exam. The majority of classes can be covered during the first four semesters, allowing the focus on the individual research projects and to write the thesis during the last year of the program.

The obligatory classes cover interdisciplinary lectures, tutorials, laboratory classes, a seminar in statistics, biweekly seminars on current neuroscientific topics, regular meetings of all PhD-students and a joint project of choice.

Each student is coached by his main supervisor (who provides the project) and two co-supervisors throughout the program. Based on the needs of the student they develop an individual career plan and select suitable elective classes. Those include lectures, seminars and laboratory courses offered by participating or cooperating groups of the ZSN as well as attended congresses. The course catalogue is announced by the ZSN-coordination office prior to the beginning of the semester and published on the ZSN-website. The PhD-commission encourages students to apply for acknowledgement of neuroscientific training courses provided by other graduate schools as well as conferences, to which they contribute either by poster or oral presentation.