Solving the mysteries of bioscience
Foundational Science Fuels Breakthroughs
Inspiring Next-Generation Scientists
Application FAQs
The course is intended for upper level PhD students and postdocs
No, applicants must have completed one year of a PhD program by the time of the course.
No, but we encourage you to have your students apply.
If you have completed a PhD, your research is related to the course content, and you are at an equivalent career stage to a postdoc, yes.
This course is intended for graduate students and postdocs who are professionally pursuing research in areas related to the course content. We encourage you to explore our other events and symposia to learn more about neuroscience research at the Allen Institute.
You are encouraged to apply no matter what department you are affiliated with.
Yes, applications are welcome from any nationality of residence or citizenship. There is no additional cost for international participants. If you are accepted, we encourage you to work with your organization’s travel office or a travel agency to determine whether you need a visa. The Allen Institute will provide a letter of invitation if needed for a visa application, but we cannot provide visa advice.
There is no fixed format for letters of interest other than a one page length limit.
Please submit a standard academic CV. Do not submit an NIH/NSF-style biosketch.
No, but you may list them in your CV.
No, we will not accept late applications. In 2022, applications were due February 1. To receive email notifications when applications open, please subscribe to our newsletter and select the Brain Science option. We also cannot accept revisions to your application materials after the application deadline.
We are looking for applicants who:
Are early-career researchers with an active area of research related to the topics covered in the course.
Have some relevant background knowledge and skills for the course (we do not expect prior Python experience).
Would have a significant impact on their skills and career from participating.
Successful applicants may have a primarily experimental, primarily computational, or mixed background. Note that we receive many more qualified applications than we are able to accept into the course or on the waitlist.
No, we do not require or expect that you must have any coding experience at the time of application. Accepted students have the option to participate in our Python bootcamp to develop their coding skills, if you have no prior coding experience or your coding experience is in a different language.
Letters of recommendation are also due on the application deadline. In 2022, this was February 1.
You must have exactly two letters of recommendation. Additional letters will not be accepted or considered. Incomplete applications will also not be considered.
Your letters of recommendation should come from writers who can speak to your research interests and skills. We recommend, but do not require, that at least one of your letters comes from a current or former advisor.
Yes, co-written letters are welcome. You must still have two letters of recommendation even if one is co-written.
After you have applied, you can email dynamicbrain@alleninstitute.org within the week before the application deadline to check on the status of your letters of recommendation. Allen Institute staff cannot see whether your letters have been submitted in our system until you have submitted your application, so please apply before contacting us to check on your letter status.
Yes, we will notify all applicants on the decision on their application.
The waitlist is selected from the application pool at the time acceptance decisions are made. You will be notified whether you have been placed on the waitlist when decisions are released.
We are sometimes able to provide partial travel support to students after the course, but we currently cannot provide upfront travel support and we cannot guarantee travel funds will be available.
The course acceptance rate is typically around 10%.
Please contact us at dynamicbrain@alleninstitute.org.
