Learn, Lead, Belong
NGP offers many opportunities to get involved, whether you’re looking to learn about different career paths, are eager to hone your leadership skills, want to get involved in service and outreach opportunities, or are excited to help foster a strong and positive NGP community. We hope you’ll join one of our committees and attend the many events held throughout the year.
USC Neuroscience Graduate Forum Symposium
Our annual in-house Symposium is planned by a student committee and celebrates the wide array of research conducted across NGP. Students showcase their research through poster sessions and talks, which provide a valuable opportunity to practice delivering scientific presentations. Guest panels featuring faculty, alumni, and industry experts offer insights into different career paths within Neuroscience. It is an extremely popular and successful event attended by all students and faculty in the program, as well as visiting prospective graduate students.
Distinguished Speakers Series Organizing Committee
Entirely planned by a student committee, each year we invite a prominent neuroscientist to visit campus for a day of fascinating research discussions, networking, and a keynote address to the NGP community. Recent Distinguished Speakers include:
2026: Dr. Lawrence Zipursky
Jerome J. Belzer Chair for Medical Research and Distinguished Professor of Biological Chemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles
2025: Dr. Adele Diamond
Canada Research Chair Professor of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada
2024: Dr. Sarkis Mazmanian
Luis & Nelly Soux Professor of Microbiology at the California Institute of Technology
2024: Dr. Anne Andrews
Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, Los Angeles
Retreat
Each fall, NGP sponsors an annual weekend retreat held off-site in the Los Angeles area, focused on career development and community-building. All students and faculty are invited to attend, and attendance is free for students. The weekend is filled with personal and professional development sessions, scientific programming, and collaboration across cohorts.
