Columbia University in the City of New York

Our Science

We believe that understanding how the brain works — and gives rise to mind and behavior — is the most urgent and exciting challenge of our time.

Depleted cell numbers in the CA2 brain region (blue) of a mouse, which cause deficits in social memory (Credit: Vivien Chevalyre/Gogos Lab/Columbia's Zuckerman Institute/Columbia University Medical Center).

Discover the Brain

At Columbia's Zuckerman Institute, we are conducting pioneering research into critical aspects of the brain — how it develops, performs, endures and recovers — gaining insights that promise to benefit people and societies everywhere.

Our Scientific Platforms

Our Scientific Platform teams develop the tools and services that help drive discovery throughout Columbia University and the broader scientific community. Working hand-in-hand with scientists, our experts push the limits of cellular imaging and magnetic resonance; create state-of-the-art molecular tools to reveal the workings of the nervous system; design and build one-of-a-kind devices to advance research; and host leading-edge computing resources that store and process vast amounts of research data.

Our Scientific Programs

Our Scientific Programs serve to foster a vibrant culture of scientific inquiry. Our growing suite of programs — from seminars and symposia to workshops and journal clubs — are targeted to Institute faculty and trainees, as well as to the broader Columbia and scientific communities. These programs reflect the conviction that a fertile intellectual environment nurtures the creative collaborations and transformational discoveries to advance science and medicine.

Our Residencies

Columbia’s Zuckerman Institute sponsors a wide range of talented individuals for a period of engagement, inspiration and discovery. Our resident artists and writers foster connections between the arts and the sciences, through meetings, performances, collaborations and workshops with students, scientists and our neighboring community. Our resident scholars further the Institute’s commitment to being an inclusive, equitable and diverse place of scientific discovery. These programs provide unique forums for new voices that enhance our exploration of the mind, the brain and human behavior.

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Open Technology

See how the Zuckerman Institute is promoting open sharing of new tools and technologies developed in the lab.

Learn more about our past programs

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