The Brain Research Institute (BRI)

The UCLA Brain Research Institute (BRI) is a catalyst for education, outreach, and research collaborations among current and future scientists, engineers and clinicians who seek to understand the healthy and diseased brain. Formed in 1959 by a small cadre of neuroscientists, the BRI is one of the first neuroscience research collectives established in the United States. Now, with approximately some 300 faculty members representing nearly 30 departments from 6 schools, the institute is UCLA’s central force in its mission to advance interdisciplinary basic and clinical neuroscience. In order to accomplish this mission, the BRI provides multiple financial, informational, and operational resources to invigorate research programs and support collaborations bringing together investigators from disparate scientific fields. The BRI also co-ordinates a large portion of neuroscience educational programs on campus, including the undergraduate and graduate Neuroscience Interdepartmental Programs (NSIDP). Through its outreach programs the BRI strives to enrich scientific knowledge in the community, Highlights of outreach are summer research programs and hosting visits to and from local K-12 schools. The BRI Director heads a leadership team composed of the Neuroscience Interdepartmental Programs Chairs and the Directors for Research, Education and Outreach. 

The BRI embraces equity, diversity, and inclusiveness. The Institute believe in an inclusive approach to STEM programs where equal opportunities and equitable outcomes can exist for all its trainees. More importantly, all members of the BRI have a voice and are encouraged to contribute to the community even beyond their academic excellence. The BRI strives to acknowledge the systemic effects that follow disparities in socioeconomic backgrounds, race, gender, sexuality, or additional factors which serve as barriers to success in academia. Through its ongoing education and outreach efforts, the BRI aspires to impart neuroscience knowledge especially to the underserved communities and is committed to encourage changes that will create and maintain opportunities for engagement, education, and discourse. Progress in science relies on collaborations. The BRI supports initiatives that foster open-mindedness, compassion, and inclusiveness among individuals and groups. People coming from diverse backgrounds and experiences, with different perspectives, that can ask different questions, and that can be creative and innovative, are the ones that will drive science forward.

For more information, please visit the BRI website.

Last updated
January 3, 2024