PROGRAMS

MindCORE offers numerous programs supporting our mission to understand human intelligence and behavior through Outreach, Research, Education, and Funding initiatives.

Not sure where to start? See what opportunities MindCORE offers to:

Undergraduate Students

Ask a Scientist: Have a question about the mind sciences or what it’s like to be a scientist? Ask a Penn researcher!

 

Behind the CV: Stories from Faculty: Hear from Penn faculty about their struggles & successes when they were students, ask them questions, and hear their advice for young scientists

DiveIn: A graduate school  recruitment & mentorship weekend for underrepresented and first-gen students interested in the mind sciences at any institution.

 

Interviews with ScientistsRead interviews of scientists doing cutting edge mind & brain science research as they talk about their work and lives

 

MindCORE Outreach LibraryWant to do science education & outreach in the community? Have an outreach project you want to get started? Borrow our premade outreach activity kits or collaborate with us to make a new one!

 

PhDemystified PodcastListen to Penn faculty share their stories of a life in academia – the good, the bad, and the imposter syndrome – and hear their advice for young scientists

 

MindCORE Summer Fellowship Program: Apply for a 10-week Summer research fellowship with MindCORE faculty! (Open to both Penn & non-Penn students)

Research Assistant Training Program: Apply for a 6-week mini-course (held halfway through every semester) on practical skills for doing cognitive science research.

Jeffrey Greenberg Undergraduate Research Fellowship: Apply for a Summer & Fall/Spring research fellowship for studying memory with Psychology faculty! (Open to Penn students)

 

MindCORE Seminar SeriesAttend MindCORE’s weekly seminar series featuring scientists from Penn and beyond talking about their cutting-edge research in the mind & brain sciences

 

Step-Ahead Mentoring ProgramApply for our Step-Ahead Mentoring Program to get matched with a mentor who is a step ahead (ie grad students, postdocs, research assistants) and get support in your academic and professional goals

 

Activity Fund: Have an idea for an event or initiative to enhance the mind & brain community at Penn? Apply for funding through our Activity Fund!

 

Family Care Grants: Apply for a MindCORE Family Care Grant to help cover family care expenses while attending conferences

Graduate Students

Ask a Scientist: Sign up to answer questions from students and community members about the mind sciences and what it’s like to be a researcher


Behind the CV: Stories from Faculty: Hear from Penn faculty about their struggles & successes when they were early-career researchers, ask them questions, and hear their advice for young scientists

Interviews with Scientists: Read interviews of scientists doing cutting edge mind & brain science research as they talk about their work and lives

MindCORE Outreach Library: Want to do science education & outreach in the community? Have an outreach project you want to get started? Borrow our premade outreach activity kits or collaborate with us to make a new one!

PhDemystified Podcast: Listen to Penn faculty share their stories of a life in academia – the good, the bad, and the imposter syndrome – and hear their advice for young scientists

Pop-Up Labs: Interested in hands-on science outreach in the community? See what positions are available to join MindCORE’s museum pop-up labs!

MindCORE Seminar Series: Attend MindCORE’s weekly seminar series featuring scientists from Penn and beyond talking about their cutting-edge research in the mind & brain sciences

Step-Ahead Mentoring Program: Apply for our Step-Ahead Mentoring Program to get matched with an undergraduate student mentee and share what you’ve learned as an early-career scientist

Activity Fund: Have an idea for an event or initiative to enhance the mind & brain community at Penn? Apply for funding through our Activity Fund!

Family Care Grants: Apply for a MindCORE Family Care Grant to help cover family care expenses while attending conferences

 

Postdoctoral Fellows

Ask a Scientist: Sign up to answer questions from students and community members about the mind sciences and what it’s like to be a researcher

Behind the CV: Stories from Faculty: Hear from Penn faculty about their struggles & successes when they were early-career researchers, ask them questions, and hear their advice for young scientists

Interviews with Scientists: Read interviews of scientists doing cutting edge mind & brain science research as they talk about their work and lives

MindCORE Outreach Library: Want to do science education & outreach in the community? Have an outreach project you want to get started? Borrow our premade outreach activity kits or collaborate with us to make a new one!

PhDemystified Podcast: Listen to Penn faculty share their stories of a life in academia – the good, the bad, and the imposter syndrome – and hear their advice for young scientists

Pop-Up Labs: Interested in hands-on science outreach in the community while collecting data? Collaborate with us to start a pop-up lab or see what positions are available to join MindCORE’s museum pop-up labs!

MindCORE Postdoctoral Fellowship: Apply for MindCORE’s Postdoctoral Fellowship, a springboard for young scientists to establish their own research programs that span multiple disciplines in the mind sciences

MindCORE Seminar Series: Attend MindCORE’s weekly seminar series featuring scientists from Penn and beyond talking about their cutting-edge research in the mind & brain sciences

Step-Ahead Mentoring Program: Apply for our Step-Ahead Mentoring Program to get matched with an undergraduate student mentee and share what you’ve learned as an early-career scientist

Activity Fund: Have an idea for an event or initiative to enhance the mind & brain community at Penn? Apply for funding through our Activity Fund!

Family Care Grants: Apply for a MindCORE Family Care Grant to help cover family care expenses while attending conferences

 

Faculty

Ask a Scientist: Sign up to answer questions from students and community members about the mind sciences and what it’s like to be a researcher

Behind the CV: Stories from Faculty: Sign up to share your story as a scientist, focusing on the obstacles and all that’s not included on a CV, in our monthly “Behind the CV” talk series

MindCORE Outreach Library: Want to do science education & outreach in the community? Have an outreach project you want to get started? Borrow our premade outreach activity kits or collaborate with us to make a new one!

PhDemystified Podcast: Be a guest on our podcast to share your story as a scientist – the good, the bad, and the imposter syndrome – and share your advice with young scientists

Pop-Up Labs: Interested in hands-on science outreach in the community while collecting data? Collaborate with us to start a pop-up lab through our museum partnerships!

MindCORE Postdoctoral Fellowship: Support our postdoctoral fellows by supervising a MindCORE fellow, joining their mentor committee, or help us select new fellows on our admissions committee

MindCORE Seminar Series: Support the MindCORE Seminar Series by hosting a speaker or joining our Seminar Series Committee

Step-Ahead Mentoring Program: Know an RA, graduate student, or postdoctoral fellow who would make a fantastic mentor? Nominate them to become a mentor in MindCORE’s Step-Ahead Mentoring Program!

Activity Fund: Have an idea for an event or initiative to enhance the mind & brain community at Penn? Apply for funding through our Activity Fund!

Family Care Grants: Apply for a MindCORE Family Care Grant to help cover family care expenses while attending conferences

 

Staff

MindCORE Outreach Library: Work with an outreach program in the Philadelphia community? Partner with us to expand our outreach efforts and resources available to scientists wanting to do outreach work!

Pop-Up Labs: Join us in partnering with Philadelphia organizations to bring Penn scientists into the community to collect data and conduct outreach

MindCORE Seminar Series: Join us at our weekly seminar series to hear from scientists talking about their work across the mind sciences fields – open to all in the Penn community!

Activity Fund: Have an idea for an event or initiative to enhance the mind & brain community at Penn? Apply for funding through our Activity Fund!

 

Community Members

Ask a Scientist: Have a question about the mind sciences or what it’s like to be a scientist? Ask a Penn researcher!

Behind the CV: Stories from Faculty: Hear from Penn faculty about their struggles & successes when they were students, ask them questions, and hear their advice for young scientists

Interviews with Scientists: Read interviews of scientists doing cutting edge mind & brain science research as they talk about their work and lives

MindCORE Outreach Library: Want to do science education & outreach in the community? Have an outreach project you want to get started? Borrow our premade outreach activity kits or collaborate with us to make a new one!

PhDemystified Podcast: Listen to Penn faculty share their stories of a life in academia – the good, the bad, and the imposter syndrome – and hear their advice for young scientists

Pop-Up Labs: Want to host Penn researchers to conduct science education and outreach at your organization or event? Partner with us or contact us to learn where Penn researchers are sharing their science out in the community

 

Outreach Programs

MindCORE Outreach Library

We maintain a collection of exhibits, demonstrations, and educational tools to be used for scientific outreach by the Penn and Philadelphia communities. Click here to learn more!

Diversity and Equity Initiative in the Mind Sciences

 

DivE In is a trainee-founded mentorship initiative that serves students from backgrounds underrepresented in academia who are interested in applying to PhD programs in the mind sciences. To reduce inequities these students face, we organize a yearly weekend workshop intensive that is focused on demystifying the ins and outs of graduate school applications.

Penn Cognitive Science Tours

DivE In is a trainee-founded mentorship initiative that serves students from backgrounds underrepresented in academia who are interested in applying to PhD programs in the mind sciences. To reduce inequities these students face, we organize a yearly weekend workshop intensive that is focused on demystifying the ins and outs of graduate school applications.

Pop-Up Labs

MindCORE scientists create temporary labs in public spaces where community members can learn about and participate in the scientific process of discovery. Click here to learn more!

Large Language Model Game

MindCORE, the Data Driven Discovery Initiative, and Penn Libraries have created a game to illustrate how large language models work. Contact MindCORE Associate Director Russell Richie to learn more.

Education Programs

MindCORE Seminar Series

A weekly seminar series on campus committed to bridging disciplines studying the mind. Join us Fridays at Noon in the SAlL Room of Levin for pizza and science. Click here to learn more!

Step-Ahead Mentoring Program

Every semester, we match undergraduate students with a mentor who is just a step ahead in pursuing a career in the sciences and/or research (e.g. graduate students and postdoctoral fellows). Click here to learn more!

Research Programs

Integrated Language Science and Technology (ILST)

Integrated Language Science and Technology (ILST) supports this community by serving as a hub for its research and educational activities, focusing especially on facilitating further integration and collaboration. Click here to learn more!

MindCORE Postdoctoral Research Fellowships

MindCORE recruits outstanding postdoctoral researchers for our Research Fellowship for Postdoctoral Scholars. The MindCORE Fellowship is a springboard for young researchers as they establish their own research program. Fellows are also encouraged to pursue collaborative research with faculty working across disciplines at Penn. Click here to learn more!

Social and Cultural Evolution Working Group (SCEW)

 

The Social and Cultural Evolution Working Group brings together researchers at the University of Pennsylvania who are interested in uniting evolutionary and social sciences to understand behavioral and social phenomena in humans and other animals. Click here to learn more!

 

MindCORE Undergraduate Research Fellowships

 

We offer paid research experiences to both Penn and non-Penn students working in MindCORE-affiliated faculty labs, both during the Summer and during the academic year. Click here to learn more!

 

Funding

Activity Fund

MindCORE has dedicated funds to support initiatives and activities that build and enhance the Mind & Brain community at Penn, and foster new collaborations, education, or outreach through conferences, seminars, events or other group activities on campus. MindCORE will provide up to $2500 in funding on a competitive basis. Click here to learn more!

Family Care Grant

 

The Family Care Grant Program supports conference attendees who incur extra family care expenses necessary to attend conferences important to career progression. MindCORE is offering $500 USD grants to help defray those additional expenses. Click here to learn more!