NS Strategic Plan 2015
Strategic Plan
Creation of a Neuroscience Institute at UMass Amherst
1. Vision
2. Mission and Goals
3. Timelines and Deliverables for first Three Years
4. Stakeholders
5. SWOT Analysis
6. Differentiation Strategy
7. Contribution to Campus Mission
8. Peer and Aspirant Programs at other Institutions
9. Benefit of being an Institute Member to Faculty
10. Activities and Accomplishments to Date
11. Proposed Resource Needs for the Creation and Operation of INSI
12. Next Steps
p3
p3
p8
p13
p13
p15
p15
p16
p16
p16
p16
p17
Appendix A: Neuroscience Faculty (UMA and Five College Affiliates)
Appendix B: INSI Cluster Proposal Summaries
Appendix C: Full Cluster Proposals
p18
p21
p23
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 1 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
Executive Summary
In July 2014, the Dean of the College of Natural Sciences, in collaboration with the VCRE, instituted a
Neuroscience Strategic Planning Task Force and charged this task force with developing a strategic vision
for neuroscience on the UMA campus, with both immediate and longer-term objectives. Members of
the task force represented each of the major substantive levels of current UMA neuroscience research
(cellular/molecular; systems/circuitry; and behavior/cognition), included assistant, associate, and full
professors, and represented four departments in CNS and the School of Public Health and Health
Sciences (SPHHS), as well as the Institute of Applied Life Sciences (IALS).
The Neuroscience Strategic Planning Task Force has articulated a vision and operational plan for the
creation and advancement of a new world-class Integrative Neuroscience Institute at UMA. The
Institute will encompass research interests and experimental approaches contributed by a broad range
of departments and promote cross-departmental collaborations and close interactions with the Medical
School (UMMS) – all leading to unique mechanistic insights into nervous system function in health and
disease.
Over the next three years the Institute seeks to:



Expand the cohesive network of engaged neuroscience researchers dedicated to furthering and
participating in creating an Integrated Neuroscience Institute at UMA.
Establish the leadership and administrative infrastructure to undergird and ensure the
development of a vital Integrated Neuroscience Institute.
Establish an operational plan with dedicated leadership to guide, inform and evaluate a
sustainable and successful UMA Integrated Neuroscience Institute.
The strategic plan attached below outlines the vision, mission, and goals of the Integrated Neuroscience
Institute and defines timelines and deliverables for the first three years of operation.
Also discussed is a SWOT analysis, a list of stakeholders, a statement of how the Integrated
Neuroscience Institute contributes to the campus strategic plan, a competitive analysis, and a list of
activities and accomplishments to date.
Finally, the proposed resource needs for the formation and continued operation of the Integrated
Neuroscience Institute and specific next steps are presented.
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 2 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
1. Vision
The overarching vision is to establish and advance a world-class Integrative Neuroscience Institute (INSI)
at UMA. The Institute will encompass research interests and experimental approaches contributed by a
broad range of departments and promote cross-departmental collaborations leading to unique
mechanistic insights into nervous system function in health and disease.
The task force extensively discussed the pros and cons of a Neuroscience department compared to a
Neuroscience Institute. It was concluded that an Institute will better serve the interests of the UMass
community facilitating the integration of faculty from multiple existing departments, colleges and
schools, as well as the UM Medical School. This will serve to differentiate INSI from many other more
narrowly focused departments and better position the Institute for engaging diverse industry partners.
2. Mission and Goals
The mission of INSI is to develop a venue for the development and exchange of ideas, research and
training in neuroscience at UMA. Activities in support of this mission will include, but will not be limited
to:
A. Establish interim leadership groups, an advisory board, and hire a dedicated institute Director.
B. Identify, and bring into INSI an interactive group of neuroscience researchers who prioritize
the bridging of disciplinary boundaries from across a range of departments. Organize the
research interests of the faculty into three major research themes of Discovery Neuroscience,
Translational Neuroscience, and Neurotechnology.
C. Establish initial core groups of faculty with complimentary and overlapping research interests
(‘clusters’) that could generate some quick wins for the institute.
D. Prioritize a research ‘cluster’ that would benefit from a co-localization of some or all of the
cluster faculty into contiguous space, and identify the possible short-term achievements.
E. Establish longer-term timelines and deliverables for research clusters and for INSI faculty.
F. Take the lead in a campus-wide effort to create a permanent home for a larger number of INSI
faculty that will benefit from collaborating in contiguous space.
G. Develop initiatives to strengthen the training of both undergraduate and graduate students in
neuroscience.
A. Establish interim leadership groups, an advisory board, and hire a dedicated institute Director
To coalesce input from all neuroscience-related faculty a Neuroscience Strategic Planning Task Force,
consisting of 15 faculty from 4 departments (Biology, Chemistry, Psychological and Brain Sciences,
Communication Disorders) and IALS was constituted in July 2014 and met throughout 2014-2015.
Faculty and staff membership is as below:












Jeff Blaustein (Professor, PBS)
James Chambers (Assistant Professor, Chemistry)
Rosie Cowell (Assistant Professor, PBS)
David E. Huber (Professor, PBS)
Rolf O. Karlstrom (Professor, Biology)
Jacquie Kurland (Associate Professor, Communication Disorders)
Agnès Lacreuse (Associate Professor, PBS)
Genglin Li (Assistant Professor, Biology)
Jennifer McDermott (Assistant Professor, PBS)
David E. Moorman (Assistant Professor, PBS)
Sally Powers (CNS Associate Dean for Faculty & Research; Professor, PBS)
Peter Reinhart (IALS Director, Professor, BMB)
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 3 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015



Luke Remage-Healey (Assistant Professor, PBS)
Wendy Varner (CNS Director of Faculty Development Programs)
R. Thomas Zoeller (Professor, Biology)
The Neuroscience Strategic Planning Task Force serves as an interface to the neuroscienceaffiliated faculty to clarify objectives and timelines that are incorporated into this proposal for
an Integrated Neuroscience Institute. This group will continue to meet regularly during 20152016 to discuss general operating issues, including input from the broad range of over 90 faculty
currently part of neuroscience at UMA, and covering all departments that will be contributing
faculty to INSI (Appendix A – List of Members and Departments seeking affiliation with INSI).
Establish an External Advisory Board: In the first year, an interim Advisory Board, composed of
leaders in the field, alumni, and industry partners, will help refine the goals of INSI and hire a
Director. Following director recruitment, core membership of the external Advisory Board may
be extended in subsequent years for regular meetings and evaluation. The goal is to provide an
outside perspective on and evaluation of areas of strength and growth for INSI.
Hiring of an INSI Director: The INSI Task force has proposed hiring a dedicated INSI Director
committed to clarifying and executing the vision and mission of INSI. CNS Dean Goodwin has
pledged support for a 2015-2016 search for a new senior-level faculty hire with the charge of
leading broad-based integrative growth in neuroscience across UMA. If INSI is approved by
UMA, this new hire would be positioned to lead INSI as director. The institute director would be
an international leader in neuroscience research, and would prioritize the broad and integrative
research projects of the institute. The Task Force proposes to work with Department Chairs,
Deans, IALS, the Provost, the VCRE and Chancellor’s office to clarify the director’s job description
and to provide an initial list of names of faculty that have the appropriate background and
skillsets for such a position. In summary, director responsibilities include:











Work with department heads/chairs to promote research interests in neuroscience
across the university
Guide joint faculty recruitment (with Heads/Chairs and Deans)
Enhance visibility of UMA neuroscience internally, and at state, national, and
international levels
Foster relationships with other constituencies and stakeholders
Establish and administer seed grants, graduate fellowships and undergraduate summer
fellowships for neuroscience research
Oversee plans for temporary contiguous space for clusters of faculty engaged in
neuroscience research and for a permanent home for INSI
Develop and grow the three research themes of Discovery Neuroscience, Translational
Neuroscience, and Neurotechnology
Initiate and direct center grants & training grants
Identify core facilities needed
Continue implementation of strategic and operational plans
Identify and recruit Advisory Board members
The goal is to partner with stakeholders to develop an INSI Director hiring plan and job
description, and to hire a Director within 12-15 months.
Establish a faculty hiring strategy for the Institute, in collaboration with Deans and
Department Chairs: The INSI faculty, led by the new Institute Director, will establish, in close
collaboration with departments and Deans, a strategic hiring plan for the Institute that builds on
existing strengths and fills gaps, to result in the strongest possible group of faculty to deliver the
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 4 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
vision of the Institute. Faculty will be recruited across multiple disciplines and departments to
strengthen and build prioritized research groups, and will benefit greatly from thematic overlap
with ongoing initiatives in biomedical engineering and data science. Hiring will prioritize the
alignment of departmental and INSI outcomes, and will focus on targeting both senior
investigators and “rising stars”.
B. Identify, and bring into INSI, an interactive group of neuroscience researchers across a range of
disciplines. Organize the research interests of the faculty into research themes.
More Than Ninety INSI Faculty Identified to Date: Neuroscience research at UMA has not previously
been organized into a department, center, or institute structure. Over the last 20 years it has been
organized primarily under the auspices of an interdisciplinary graduate program, the Neuroscience and
Behavior Program, supported by CNS and a number of departments. Over the last 12 months, there has
been an effort, spearheaded by the Neuroscience Strategic Planning Task Force, to incorporate a
broader perspective of individuals and organizational units interested in advancing neuroscience at
UMA. This has resulted in the creation of an INSI faculty list currently consisting of 90 faculty on this
campus (Appendix A).
Three Research Themes: INSI will be committed to a balance of basic and translational research goals
and encompass three Research Themes: Discovery Neuroscience, Translational Neuroscience, and
Neurotechnology. The themes capitalize on existing strengths, emergent disciplines on campus such as
biomedical engineering and data science, and current opportunities for synergistic, interdisciplinary
research and funding.
DISCOVERY Neuroscience: Is focused on understanding the mechanistic details of nervous
system function and dysfunction in health and disease.
Areas of interest include
neuroendocrine studies, cognition & behavior, and developmental & systems-level
neuroscience, and utilize a diverse range of model organisms.
TRANSLATIONAL Neuroscience:
Translational neuroscience is focused on extending basic
understanding into specific disease areas such as understanding psychiatric disorders, neurodevelopmental diseases, neurodegeneration, neurological disorders, and healthy neurological
development. This group in particular will seek to form collaborations with UMMS and area
hospitals.
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 5 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
NEUROTECHNOLOGY:
The third research theme – neurotechnology development and
application - is focused on the intersection of computation, engineering and neuroscience, the
generation and analysis of big data related to neuronal function, and the development of novel
disease models and computational models of neurons in health and disease.
The goal is to further discuss and refine these INSI research themes by working with the existing
faculty base, identify new hiring opportunities to strengthen clusters and themes, and reach out
into the community at UMA, UMMS, and the local hospitals to build an integrated neuroscience
research community.
C. Establish initial core groups of faculty with complimentary and overlapping research interests that
could generate some quick wins for the Institute.
The Neuroscience Strategic Planning Task Force has reached out to INSI faculty to determine where
there are groups of faculty with alignments, complementarities, and collaborative potential. These
proposed Research Clusters are further being examined for the value of clusters of research faculty
being in contiguous space, as well as other resource needs where strategic investment would
substantially advance neuroscience research on campus. Each cluster has outlined research
‘deliverables’ such as collaborative publications; increased research, program, center, and training grant
applications; and expanded revenue-generating core facilities. Proposed Research Clusters are listed
below (see Appendix B for summaries of each Research Cluster and Appendix C for full descriptions of
the cluster proposals):










Brain Behavior and Disease: Animal Models (PI: Pereira)
Brain Behavior and Disease: Clinical Applications (PI: Ready)
Cellular Mechanisms of Neural Degeneration and Repair (PI: Karlstrom)
Cognitive Neuroscience (PI: Sanders)
Human Developmental Neuroscience (PI: Park)
Neuroendocrinology (PI: Remage-Healey)
Neurons, Circuits, and Computation (PIs: Downes and Moorman)
Neuroscience of Aging (PI: Ready)
Patient Models of Brain Dysfunction and Research Translation (PI: Spencer)
Women's Mental Health Across the Lifespan (PI: Lacreuse)
D. Prioritize the Research Cluster that would most benefit from a co-localization of some or all of the
cluster faculty into contiguous space.
Of the ten Research Clusters outlined to date, three clusters have clarified benefits that would be gained
for their collaborative research programs from contiguous wet lab space for a subset of faculty in each
cluster. The research objectives and requested space needs of these clusters are:
1) Brain, Behavior and Disease: Animal Models. The objectives of this cluster are to
understand the causal neural underpinnings of behavior in health and disease through
investigation of a) neuromodulation (monoamines, peptides, steroid hormones, and growth
factors) of behavior, b) neural mechanisms underlying sex differences in behavior, emotion,
motivation, and cognition, and c) neural bases of cognition, motivation, and social
dysfunction in disease. This cluster requests contiguous office and wet lab space for a
subset (unspecified number) of the core members, with associated animal housing. This
core also seeks to create a Behavioral Testing Core.
2) Neurons, Circuits, and Computation: The objectives of this cluster are to a) develop new
technologies to study brain structure and function at the level of neurons and networks of
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 6 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
neurons; b) apply these technologies across animal models of health and of
psychiatric/neurological disease, and c) develop computational modeling techniques to
advance interpretation of large-scale neural data. This cluster requests shared open wet lab
space for 8 experimental researchers (Bergan, Bozza, Downes, Li, Moorman, RemageHealey, Vazey, Xu) with associated animal housing) and meeting/office space for
computational and engineering researchers.
This cluster also requests expanded
engineering and computational core facilities and staff.
3) Women’s Mental Health Across the Lifespan. The objective of this cluster is to understand
how hormonal changes across women’s reproductive transitions (puberty, pregnancy,
perimenopause) confer increased vulnerability to mental disorders. Although contiguous
space would be useful in the short-term, this cluster notes that their collaborative research
program can be developed initially independently of contiguous space. For the longer term,
contiguous space for 5 researchers (Bergan, Moorman, Pereira, Remage-Healey, Richardson)
with wet labs and associated animal housing will be important. This core also seeks to
create an Endocrine Assay Core and a Small Animal Neuroimaging Core.
E. Establish longer-term timelines and deliverables for research clusters and for INSI faculty
Specific actions and deliverables to demonstrate that a world-class Integrative Neuroscience Institute
has been created include the following:
1. Substantial increases in interdisciplinary collaborations as represented by co-mentoring of
students, co-submitted grant applications, co-authored papers and patents
2. Substantial enhancement in INSI faculty visibility, as demonstrated by increases in invited
seminars, international conference presentations, editorial positions, international awards,
and high impact publications
3. Increased successful grant applications and development through philanthropic support
4. Increased user base for existing UMass and UMMS experimentation cores (MRI facility,
microscopy facility, etc.)
5. A broadly integrative neuroscience seminar series
6. A destination of choice for graduate students, postdocs, and new faculty, benefiting the
longstanding and well-known UMA Neuroscience and Behavior graduate program, as well as
creating the foundation for training grants in expanded areas of neuroscience.
7. The creation of new opportunities for talented undergraduates to be involved in research,
addressing a key CNS goal of increasing opportunities for undergraduate research
experiences in faculty laboratories.
8. Successful mentorship of trainees, as evidenced by prestigious placement in postdoc, faculty
and industry/other positions
9. Regular joint meetings and collaborations with the UMMS neuroscience community
10. Increased industry partnerships, including co-laboratories and industry internships
11. The development of a publication and patent portfolio demonstrating novel mechanistic
insights into nervous system function in health and disease
F. Take the lead in a campus-wide effort to create a permanent home for a larger number of INSI
faculty that will benefit from collaborating in contiguous space
Neuroscience at UMass has had more than 20 years of working in disparate space and has been
successful despite this level of dispersion across the UMA campus. It is now clear that integrative
neuroscience on campus needs to be conducted in contiguous space. A new building to house clusters of
Institute researchers will catalyze significant improvements in cohesion, research productivity, and
innovation. Chiefly, a new building will enable a combination of shared facilities and equipment, ease of
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 7 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
professional interaction among researchers, dedicated meeting spaces and co-laboratory offices for
visiting researchers from industry and collaborating faculty housed in departments. This will be achieved
through a phased plan:
Phase 1: As discussed above, deliver contiguous research space for identified and prioritized
research clusters that can benefit immediately from proximity, and deliver value to the
Institute within the first 1-2 years.
Phase 2: A dedicated research building with contiguous space for core neuroscientists and
collaborative neuroscience research across several disciplines (e.g., engineering,
computation). Included in this are shared experimentation cores (e.g., neuroengineering,
behavioral assessment, endocrine assay, small animal neuroimaging, and mass spectroscopy
and immunoassays for biological signaling molecules) as identified by the director and INSI
leadership.
G. Develop initiatives to strengthen the training of both undergraduate and graduate students in
neuroscience
The increased visibility and effectiveness of neuroscience research provided by the INSI will positively
impact student training in the neurosciences at UMA. UMA has a long-standing and highly regarded
interdepartmental graduate program in Neuroscience and Behavior. The establishment of INSI is
expected to increase visibility for neuroscience research at UMA and thus strengthen successful
recruitment of graduate student and postdoctoral fellows. Equally important, expanded research
opportunities at INSI will enable trainees to be even more competitive for training awards and for their
next positions in academia or industry. Expanding the boundaries of neuroscience research at UMA,
including initiatives in biomedical engineering and data science will also facilitate a broader range of
opportunities for training grants. The Institute will also be a training ground for undergraduate students;
students will be able to work in INSI laboratories on independent and honors research projects. As with
other research institutes, INSI faculty will play dual roles in their departments and in INSI. Teaching
assignments regarding graduate and undergraduate neuroscience curriculum will continue to be
determined by departments, however we expect that the activities and resources of INSI will serve to
significantly strengthen departmental missions to deliver a cutting edge undergraduate neuroscience
curriculum.
3. Timelines and Deliverables for first Three Years
Year 1 (Fall 2015 – Fall 2016):
1) Create and operationalize the three Research Themes (Discovery, Translational, Neurotechnology)
and the more focused Research Clusters within themes.
a. Clarify the definition and objectives for each of the organizing Research Themes.
b. Identify Research Clusters within each broad Theme. Research Clusters are groups of
collaborative faculty who focus together on promising areas of research within the three
themes of Discovery, Translation, and Neurotechnology. Identify cluster leaders
c. Clarify objectives and opportunities for each cluster; clarify shared and particular resource
needs; prioritize and plan for addressing needs
d. Establish centralized repository for INSI communication including website to increase
visibility and attract faculty and students.
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 8 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
2) Establish an external advisory board (EAB)
a. Identify established leaders in neuroscience, who have experience with developing
neuroscience institutes and centers. Representatives will draw from academia and industry,
and include alumni with strong neuroscience interests.
b. The EAB will add external contributions to refine our SWOT analysis and points of
differentiation, weigh in on our vision and mission, clarify our vision and mission, search
image of institute director, and pressure test the mission (including the clusters).
c. The EAB would meet in Fall 2015 and Spring 2016
3) Develop an Institute Director Search and hire the Director
a. Early Fall: Formalize the job description, clarify space, and establish the source of salary, and
startup package funds. Establish hiring committee. CNS Dean Goodwin has committed
funds to hire a senior-level position to lead broad-based growth in neuroscience across
campus. The Provost has approved this position.
b. Early Fall: Identify potential home departments for the Director position, and discuss with
Dean, Department Chairs, and Provost, implement a Search Committee.
c. Mid Fall: Release advertisement and begin receiving applications
d. Early Spring : Hiring committee meets with EAB to begin selecting candidates for interview
e. Late Spring: Candidate is selected and offer is made.
4) Hold a Neuroscience ‘Futures’ Symposium
a. Fall: Establish a conference planning committee, to include input from campus stakeholders
(Provost, Deans, Chairs, etc).
b. Spring: Schedule EAB meeting to coincide with a one-day Futures Symposium, followed by a
one-day planning discussion of the future of the INSI. One of the main goals will be to refine
our selection of the director.
5) Develop integration with Neuroscience efforts at the UMMS
a. Early Fall: Continue establishment of the Western Massachusetts Chapter for Society for
Neuroscience, to replace the previous Five-College Neuroscience Chapter, and expand it to
include UMMS. The Chapter will be co-chaired by one representative from UMA (Interim Cochair, Peter Reinhart) and Dr. David Weaver from UMMS.
b. Fall: Build on previous retreats and meetings between UMA and UMMS neuroscientists to
continue to identify how to synergize growth in neuroscience across the UMA and UMMS
campuses (and others). Continue discussions of how a Neuroscience Institute at the UMA
campus could interface with similar efforts ongoing at UMMS, beginning with shared
experimentation cores and joint seminar series, collaborative grants, jointly-sponsored
graduate students.
c. Spring: Building on our previous UMA-UMMS retreat, hold a planning meeting for an off-site
summit with neuroscientists at UMMS.
d. Summer: Hold Summit to describe collaborative goals and future directions.
At the end of year 1, our goal is to have: implemented a pressure-tested vision and mission statement,
established an expert advisory board, validated and adapted a cluster structure based on advisory
board recommendations, increased interaction with the neuroscience community at UMMS, and
completed the search and hire of an Institute Director.
Year 2 (Fall 2016 – Fall 2017):
1) Work with director to develop a leadership team, revise and update the INSI strategic and
operational plans.
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 9 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
a. New director will meet with the EAB, members of the strategic planning task force, deans,
provost, and other stakeholders to identify immediate goals and needs and to begin
operationalizing the INSI strategic plan.
2) New Director hires administrative staff member
a. The institute will be a hub for university-wide collaborations with the core neuroscience
community (e.g., mutually-informative partnerships with polymer science/electrical
engineering) as well as with other institutes, universities, and industry partners. It will
require an administrative staff member to serve as a dedicated liaison (PhD-level staff) in
the director’s office to help coordinate such novel partnerships.
b. Profile of staff member is TBD, but responsibilities may include:
i. budget operations and administration
ii. coordinator of NS Initiatives across colleges and campuses
iii. dedicated liaison for contact points of non-neuroscientists with institute members,
to facilitate novel cross-disciplinary interactions
iv. assistance with large collaborative research, center, program, and training grant
submission and management.
3) Initiate broadly integrative neuroscience seminar series
a. Visitors will be selected based on relevance to the integrative mission of INSI. Effort will be
made to invite high-profile candidates to enhance the national profile of the UMA
neuroscience community. This seminar series will be closely coordinated with the on-going
seminar series of the Neuroscience and Behavior graduate program and the annual
conference of the Center for Neuroendocrine Studies.
4) Continue to operationalize the Research Clusters
a. One cluster(s) moves into new space in LSL and continues collaborative research.
b. Director and EAB works with other clusters to identify space and resources needed to
support on-going cluster operationalization.
c. Each cluster writes an initial strategic plan in consultation with the advisory board and the
institute director. Cluster strategic plans are living documents that are revisited annually.
5) Identify needed experimentation cores, with input from the advisory board and institute director
a. Identification of initial core needs will be based on input from clusters.
6) Define the external community that will interact with each cluster
a. The results of year 1 pressure tests will identify existing gaps and provide clarity in hiring
priorities.
b. Director, advisory board, deans, and department chairs will meet to develop strategy for
institute hiring.
7) Deliver on initial milestones: Grants, Publications, Training
a. Demonstrate the presence of co-mentoring of students and post-docs, co-submitted grant
applications, co-authored papers and patents.
b. Initial clusters will provide results of initial investment toward the end of the year.
8) Further solidify integration with UMMS and other regional medical institutes and colleges
a. Meet with representatives from each stakeholder to determine mutually beneficial
connections and outcomes.
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 10 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
b. Regional stakeholders may include BayState Hospital, Cooley Dickinson, UMMS Worcester,
UMMS Springfield, and local colleges with neuroscience programs (e.g., Amherst, Smith, Mt.
Holyoke, Hampshire).
At the end of year 2, we plan to have developed a strong leadership team, with clear communication
lines with departments and deans, , established an expanded and engaged advisory board, completed
a highly visible seminar series, launched functional Research Clusters based on advisory board
recommendations, prioritized recommended expansion of experimentation cores, further
strengthened increased connection with the neuroscience community at UMMS and with other
external partners, established mechanisms for annual review of progress, and documented progress
in key milestones.
Year 3 (Fall 2017- Fall 2018):
1. Institute a Vision for Unified Space
a. Develop a proposal for establishing more contiguous space for INSI. The Director, advisory
board, and local stakeholders will begin planning long-term strategy for unified
neuroscience space at UMA. Identify possible sources of funding for a build-out.
Simultaneous with the development of LSL3, the Director and EAB will work with developing
clusters to establish research space in LSL2.
2. Continue to operationalize the clusters
a. Each cluster assesses productivity and revises respective strategic plan in consultation with
the advisory board and Director
3. Create executive board for the INSI
a. EB will be made up of members of the initial External Advisory Board as well as members of
the UMA neuroscience community and other local stakeholders.
b. EB will assist the Director in directing resources, prioritizing specific research cores, and
planning future strategies for INSI growth.
4. Begin developing new experimentation cores
a. Cores will be developed based on feedback from Reearch Cluster needs and resources
available, as identified in analysis performed in Year 2.
5. Director’s office begins tracking institute visibility
a. Measured through: increases in invited seminars and international conference
presentations, editorial positions, international awards, and high impact publications,
increased successful grant application and development through philanthropic support,
prestigious placement in postdoc, faculty and industry/other positions
6. Develop and submit a training grant and center grant submissions
a. Research Clusters that have had demonstrated success in collaborative work (successful
grant applications, co-authored manuscripts, etc.) will begin developing applications for
center grants and training grants to both NSF and NIH.
b. Center/training grant applications will leverage the unique strengths of the integrative
nature of INSI.
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 11 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
9) Administer seed grants and fellowships
a. The director, in collaboration with the EB, will identify themes for competition for seed and
pilot grants and will develop review panels.
b. Institute faculty and trainees will submit proposals for grants/fellowships. Advisory panels
will review proposal applications and awards will be made based on factors including
'probability of transforming pilot funding into larger research support' and 'representing the
integrative nature of the institute'.
10) Hold the first Annual Symposium of Integrative Neuroscience
a. An Annual Symposium of Integrative Neuroscience will be held to showcase the
accomplishments of the past year to the entire science community at UMA as well as
external stakeholders. The Symposium will also offer trainees opportunities to interact with
the whole neuroscience community. The one-day symposium will include remarks by the
INSI Director, brief presentations, poster presentations, and a dinner reception to announce
the winners of best student and/or post doc presentations.
11) Demonstrate increases in industry partnerships, including co-laboratories and industry
internships.
a. The UMass Innovation Institute is an important channel at Massachusetts’ flagship public
research university for industry-sponsored basic and applied research, collaborative
partnerships, and technology translation to industry. Under the leadership of James
Capistran, the UMII will work with INSI to develop opportunities for collaborative
partnerships with businesses within the Commonwealth and beyond.
b. UMII will assist with identifying industry partners, forming an industrial advisory committee
to work directly with neuroscience faculty, building enthusiasm and interest within the
potential partners, advising the process for securing business agreements, showcasing
existing facilities of potential interest, and serving as a channel for applied, developmentstage and pre-commercial NS research projects. The UMII will collaborate with IALS, the
UMA development office and other units on campus to achieve these objectives.
12) Continue to execute the strategic hiring plans in collaboration with departments and deans.
At the end of year 3, INSI will have built out a management team, established experimental core
facilities, submitted a number of interdisciplinary grant submissions, implemented seed grants,
developed sustainable industry partnerships, and initiated a faculty hiring plan.
As a result of these activities, INSI will begin to achieve recognition at a national level for strength of
UMA neuroscience research, funding, and training. This will be demonstrated through increases in
successful grant applications and relationships with industry, increases in high-profile publications (led
by collaborative INSI Research Clusters), increased recognition by national experts who have been
invited as colloquium/symposium speakers, and increased competitiveness in attracting trainees and
faculty. INSI will have begun developing long-term collaborations with regional stakeholders, increasing
the recognition and influence of the institute.
By the end of the 3rd year, INSI will be well positioned on a trajectory towards becoming a national
leader in neuroscience research and training. At this point, the Director, Executive Board, and select
stakeholders will prepare a formal progress report and revised strategic plan for the following years to
maximize continued success and growth.
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 12 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
4. Stakeholders:
INSI has numerous stakeholders both on and off campus for establishing a unified neuroscience
presence on campus and beyond, for recruiting faculty, attracting students, cultivating donors, and
engaging funding agencies.
On Campus: stakeholders include a number of administrative offices such as the Office of the
Chancellor, the VCRE, the Provost, and the Deans of CNS, Engineering, Computer Science, Public Health
and Health Sciences, and Nursing. Furthermore, the department heads of those departments that have
faculty contributing to the mission of INSI are also important stakeholders. Key stakeholders are also
student and postdoctoral trainees in INSI labs that will benefit from the unified structure and new
initiatives within the Institute.
Faculty and staff stakeholders include more than 90 INSI faculty drawn from 21 departments.
Off Campus: Stakeholders include numerous neuroscience-focused companies. Also healthcare delivery
providers such as Baystate Medical, UMass Medical School, and Cooley Dickinson are likely to become
stakeholders. Amherst, Smith, Mt. Holyoke, and Hampshire College faculty are also involved
stakeholders.
5. SWOT Analysis
Strengths:
 Exceptional community in its degree of active, collaborative, and long standing relationships
among faculty.
 Diverse group of neuroscientists from numerous departments with expertise in several
identified priorities of national funding agencies
 Existing interdisciplinary graduate programs in the life sciences (NSB, OEB, MCB)
 Highly visible group of neuroendocrinologists, organized around the Center for Neuroendocrine
Studies
 Individual world-class PIs that can ‘seed’ areas (Neuroendocrinology, Cognitive and behavioral
neuroscience, Developmental neuroscience, Psychiatric diseases (including addiction),
Behavioral physiology
 Many core faculty are early career
 Geographic location and tie to five colleges
 Primate expertise
 Access to exceptional undergraduate students in the Honors College
 SFN chapter membership
 Polymer Science/Computer Science has international reputation and links to neuroscience
 Future growth of COE’s Biomedical Engineering program creates opportunities for growth in
neurotechnology
 IALS technologies and core infrastructure, with greatly increased resources for neuroimaging
 Administrative commitments to neuroscience on campus
 Strong interest from UMMS in collaborative growth in neuroscience
Weaknesses:
 Challenges with respect to space (wet lab, human, animal, communal rooms)
 Limited organization across campus and no singular neuroscience identity
 Mixed level of excellence as measured by grants, high-profile publications, and reputation in the
field
 Limited “brand-name” recognition
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 13 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015















We lose the most competitive students to other universities (higher stipends needed for NSB
students)
Inability to hire animal researchers owing to lack of animal lab space
Fewer resources compared to other high-caliber schools (e.g., we are just now getting fMRI).
Distance from UMMS
Geographic location (e.g. necessitating consideration of spousal hires)
Minimal support of administration for resources to offset remote location (spouse hiring
program, higher stipends for NSB students)
Limited opportunities for recruitment of diverse human subjects or patient populations for
research projects
Lack of clarity from central administration and limited momentum
Mixed levels of participation in neuroscience community
Weak connections with computer science department/college, limited computational
neuroscience expertise
Strengths are not in the mainstream of neuroscience, including sensory systems, motor
systems, and cellular and molecular neuroscience in genetically-tractable model organisms
Few industry connections
We are behind the curve of other institutions in developing a neuroscience institute
Many early career neuroscience faculty
Hiring start up is low in comparison to other comparable or aspirant institutions
Opportunities:
 Hiring opportunities - Early career faculty and mid-career
 Opportunity to support and strengthen the NSB program
 INSI provides recognition for neuroscience at UMASS
 MRI/IALS equipment
 Significant federal focus and momentum on building neuroscience as the current scientific
moonshot
 Interactions with other communities (engineering, IALS, Center for Data Science, 5 Colleges)
 Bio-medical engineering collaborations
 Building bridges with UMMS, Pioneer Valley colleges, and local medical institutions
 Location might be a benefit for collaborations (e.g., with industry) looking outside of Boston
 Could expand primate neuroscience (primate research is established at UMass and is declining
elsewhere)
 Training grants and other funding opportunities for research
 Departmental commitments and interest across campus
 New RCM budget model
 Fundraising
Threats:
 Could lose opportunity to capitalize on growth in neuroscience, in terms of growing funding and
popular interest, the current dissociated community is without a common set of goals
 Appropriate resources from central administration
 RCM budget model
 Departmental and Institute clarity of communication
 Competition from neuroscience programs at other universities
 Strong neuroscience programs in Boston – so anyone who would want to do neuroscience in
MA thinks of Boston first
 Weakening NSB program
 Limited resources on campus – lots of other groups want to develop institutes
 Potential decline in government and university investment in large institutes
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 14 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015

What becomes of PBS (Tobin Hall is aging and full)? If it cannot move in its entirety to new
space, a division of PBS could weaken the separate pieces
6. Differentiation Strategy:

A particular opportunity to develop a strong Integrated Neuroscience institute that is in
partnership with a medical campus but is not unduly influenced by traditional biomedical
neuroscience. Historically, a great many approaches in biomedical neuroscience have relied
upon ‘disease models’, which have largely left much to be desired in terms of translational
value. As a campus that is focused on basic, discovery- and technology-based neuroscience, we
can find the diamonds-in-the-rough that explicitly do not arise through an intentional route of
disease models.

Focus on excellence in basic and pre-clinical (though potentially translation-oriented)
neuroscience.

Focus on integration – with areas like engineering, chemistry, polymer science, etc., all of which
are strong at UMA.

Focus on building INSI as a hub for UMass Neuroscience and Pioneer Valley Neuroscience –
building something that is seated at UMass but extends to the surrounding community.

Rather than running a single PhD program, which may entail a narrow focus, INSI will bring
together students and PIs from at least three separate interdisciplinary programs and many
departments. INSI will strike a balance between being completely de-centralized versus
completely consolidated. This will allow INSI to serve as a vehicle for training and collaboration
without becoming institutionalized. Assuming that the study of neuroscience will continue to
change at its current break-neck pace, this will allows INSI to stay at the cutting edge of
neuroscience research.
7. Contribution to Campus Mission:
Achieving INSI objectives will strengthen attainment of several strategic goals of the Commonwealth,
the UMass system, UMA, and multiple colleges within UMA, in particular the colleges of Natural Science
(CNS), Public Health and Health Sciences (SPHHS), Engineering (COE), and Nursing. In 2012, the
Commonwealth formed the Massachusetts Neuroscience Consortium in partnership with seven global
biopharmaceutical companies.
The Consortium funds pre-clinical neuroscience research at
Massachusetts academic and research institutions. The state has invested in facilitating partnerships
between industry and institutions of higher education to translate basic neuroscience discoveries into
health and business applications. More recently, the UMass System Life Sciences Strategic Plan (UMass
Life Sciences Task Force, 2014) clarifies fourteen areas of basic science research as designated areas of
“strategic opportunity,” and all fourteen include clear connections to neuroscience.
The UMA Strategic Plan on Research emphasizes goals of 1) building on research strengths to create
world-class excellence, 2) developing “Center”-scale activities that can leverage research partnerships
with federal, state, and industry, and 3) organizing across disciplinary boundaries, particularly with
seeding interdisciplinary groups, encouraging interdisciplinary teaching, and interdisciplinary hiring. INSI
is designed with each of these goals in mind.
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 15 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
INSI also addresses the campus mission of being a destination of choice for students by creating a
resource that will significantly support and expand research opportunities for undergraduates, graduate
students, and post-doctoral trainees.
8. Peer and Aspirant Programs at other Institutions:





UTSA Neurosciences Institute
Helen Wills NS institute
The Neuroscience Institute at Georgia State University
Neuroscience Program at MSU
Department of Neuroscience University of Wisconsin - Madison
9. Benefit of being an Institute Member to Faculty:







An immediate plan with a focus on building neuroscience at UMA
Leadership that will advocate for directing resources to neuroscience on campus
Access to shared core resources (common assay lab, MRI, etc.) and state-of the-art research
Opportunities for ongoing and face-to-face meetings with potential collaborators, otherwise
disseminated across campus and difficult to find (increased creativity/ productivity); dynamic
interactions
Increased visibility of PIs: recruitment of better students and faculty
A unifying umbrella for otherwise scattered programs
Opportunities to apply for pilot funding
10. Activities and Accomplishments to Date
In July 2014, the Dean of the College of Natural Sciences instituted a Neuroscience Strategic Planning
Task Force and charged this task force with developing a strategic vision for neuroscience on the UMA
campus, with both immediate and longer-term objectives. Members of the task force represented each
of the major substantive levels of current UMA neuroscience research (cellular/molecular;
systems/circuitry; and behavior/cognition), included assistant, associate, and full professors, and
represented four departments in CNS and the School of Public Health and Health Sciences (SPHHS), as
well as IALS.
In fall 2014, the task force canvassed all stakeholders and solicited feedback, particularly from all
neuroscientists on campus. A survey of all identified neuroscientists was administered and analyzed and
several large meetings were held with all neuroscientists to identify key issues, needs, and goals. There
was broad agreement within the community that UMass should pursue a vision and integrative plan for
neuroscience on campus, and the strengths and opportunities for development outlined here include
areas of consensus from these broad-based discussions.
In spring 2015, the task force deepened discussions with existing and potential collaborative partners
(UMII, UMMS, ORD, and College of Engineering) on possible future directions and strategies for an
effective investment in a vibrant, focused neuroscience initiative at UMA.
A report of the Neuroscience Strategic Planning Task Force activities and support for a Neuroscience
Institute was included in the December 2014 CNS college strategic planning documents, which were
posted on the web and presented to the Provost. A further update on activities was sent to Vice
Chancellor Malone in April 2015.
In summer 2015, the task force continued to work on distilling the vision, goals, recommendations, and
next steps from the task force’s reports and work of the preceding year, and also issued a call to all
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 16 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
neuroscience faculty for descriptions of research clusters. The current proposal is an outgrowth and
distillation of these activities.
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 17 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
11. Proposed Resource Needs for the Creation and Operation of INSI:
The resources needed to complete the establishment of INSI, and allow its operation for the next few
years involve the hiring of a Director of the Institute, hiring an administrator for the director,
establishing an interim budget to allow Institute activities to ramp up prior to a Director being in place,
identifying research and office space for the incoming Director, identifying research and office space for
a prioritized cluster, and approving an operating budget for the Institute for the next 5 years.
The INSI operating budget will be used to develop and enhance the three INSI thematic areas, and the
associated research clusters. As part of the identification of INSI faculty and discussions on overlapping
research interests, 10 research clusters were identified. Clusters faculty were asked to identify key
resources that would allow them to rapidly achieve their goals and produce deliverables. Requests for
resources fell into a number of broad categories:
1) Research Space and Staff Support
3) Equipment, and funds to support Cluster Meetings and Colloquia
6) Funds to Support Subject/Patient Transportation
7) Internal Pilot/Seed Grants
8) Faculty Lines/Hires, and Graduate/Postdoctoral Support
The greatest number of requests were for Staff Support (10 clusters) and Space (8 clusters). Staff
support ranged from cluster-dedicated research specialists to administrative support to facilitate cluster
organization, subject recruitment, and grant preparation.
Space support included requests for contiguous wet-lab space, dedicated office and testing/treatment
space, and meeting space for cluster conferences and colloquia.
12. Next Steps:
Specific actions to advance the creation of the Integrated Neuroscience Institute involve:
1) The creation of a Strategic Plan for INSI by the NS Steering Committee (this document).
2) A review of the plan with the Dean, CNS – Steve Goodwin, the Vice Chancellor for Research
and Engagement – Mike Malone, and the Provost – Katherine Newman. A desired outcome is
general agreement on the overall mission, deliverables, and resource needs for the Institute,
and endorsement to proceed with the creation of INSI.
3) Endorsement to proceed with the hiring of an Institute Director from CNS, and clarification
of the hiring process across potential departmental ‘homes’, and the space allocation for this
position.
4) Reviewing the research cluster proposals and resource needs to result in specific resource
recommendations for the next 12 months – to be presented to the Deans and Provost.
5) Prioritizing a research cluster most in need for contiguous space, making a recommendation
for appropriate space, and identifying the subset of cluster faculty that can be accommodated
6) Establishing an interim budget for INSI until an Institute director is in place, and clarifying the
spending process and appropriate oversight for the budget.
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 18 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
Appendix A: Neuroscience Faculty (UMass Amherst and Five College Affiliates)
Name
Dominique Alfandari
Mary Andrianopoulos
Courtney Babbitt
John-Paul Baird
Michael J. F. Barresi
Andrew G. Barto
Annaliese Beery
Joseph Bergan
Elizabeth Bertone-Johnson
Eric L. Bittman
Jeff Blaustein
David Buchanan
Kyle R. Cave
James Chambers
Min Chen
Yu-kyong Choe
Julia T. Choi
Elizabeth A. Connor
Jane Couperus
Hélène Cousin
Rosie Cowell
Matt Davidson
Kirby Deater-Deckard
Gerald B. Downes
Todd Emerick
Michelle Farkas
Deepak Ganesan
Lixin Gao
Ethan Graf
Louis Graham
Aline Gubrium
Adam Hall
Joseph Hamill
Mary Harrington
Matt Holden
David E. Huber
Elizabeth M. Jakob
Abigail Jensen
Alexandra Jesse
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Assoc. Professor
Assoc. Professor
Asst. Professor
Assoc. Professor
Professor
Professor
Asst. Professor
Asst. Professor
Assoc. Professor
Professor
Professor
Professor
Professor
Asst. Professor
Asst. Professor
Assoc. Professor
Asst. Professor
Assoc. Professor
Asst. Professor
Research Asst. Professor
Asst. Professor
Lecturer
Professor
Assoc. Professor
Professor
Asst. Professor
Assoc. Professor
Professor
Asst. Professor
Asst. Professor
Assoc. Professor
Asst. Professor
Assoc. Professor
Professor
Asst. Professor
Professor
Professor
Assoc. Professor
Asst. Professor
Department
Veterinary and Animal Sciences
Communication Disorders
Biology
Psychological & Brain Sciences
Biology
Computer Science
Neuroscience, Psychology, and Biology
Psychological and Brain Sciences
Epidemiology
Biology
Psychological and Brain Sciences
Community Health Education
Psychological and Brain Sciences
Chemistry
Chemistry
Communication Disorders
Kinesiology
Biology
Psychological & Brain Sciences
Veterinary and Animal Sciences
Psychological and Brain Sciences
Psychological and Brain Sciences
Psychological and Brain Sciences
Biology
Polymer Science & Engineering
Chemistry
Computer Science
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Biology
Community Health Education
Community Health Education
Biological Sciences
Kinesiology
Psychological & Brain Sciences
Chemistry
Psychological and Brain Sciences
Psychological and Brain Sciences
Biology
Psychological and Brain Sciences
Page 19 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
Igor Kaltashov
Gary Kamen
Rolf O. Karlstrom
Diane Kelly
Jane Kent
Jacquie Kurland
Youngbin Kwak
Agnès Lacreuse
Michael Lavine
Lynnette Leidy Sievert
Tanya Leise
Genglin Li
Michele Markstein
Jennifer McDermott
Jerrold S. Meyer
David E. Moorman
Joanna Morris
Melinda Novak
Joonkoo Park
Sarah Partan
Joseph Pater
Mariana Pereira
Sandra Petersen
Jeffrey E. Podos
Sally Powers
Jing Qian
Rebecca E. Ready
Peter Reinhart
Luke Remage-Healey
Heather N. Richardson
Kelly Richardson
Caren Rotello
Vince Rotello
Christopher Salthouse
Lisa Sanders
Larry M. Schwartz
Hava T. Siegelmann
John Sirard
Lisa Sommers
Rebecca Spencer
Edward Stanek III
Margaret Stratton
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Professor
Professor
Professor
Lecturer
Professor
Assoc. Professor
Asst. Professor
Assoc. Professor
Professor
Professor
Assoc. Professor
Asst. Professor
Asst. Professor
Asst. Professor
Research Professor
Asst. Professor
Assoc. Professor
Professor
Asst. Professor
Assoc. Professor
Professor
Asst. Professor
Professor
Professor
Professor/Assoc. Dean
Asst. Professor
Assoc. Professor
Clinical Professor, Dir. Of IALS
Asst. Professor
Asst. Professor
Asst. Professor
Professor
Professor
Asst. Professor
Assoc. Professor
Professor
Professor
Asst. Professor
Clinical Asst. Professor
Assoc. Professor
Professor
Assistnat Professor
Chemistry
Kinesiology
Biology
Psychological and Brain Sciences
Kinesiology
Communication Disorders
Psychological and Brain Sciences
Psychological and Brain Sciences
Mathematics and Statistics
Anthropology
Mathematics and Statistics
Biology
Biology
Psychological and Brain Sciences
Psychological and Brain Sciences
Psychological and Brain Sciences
Cognitive Science (Hampshire College)
Psychological and Brain Sciences
Psychological and Brain Sciences
Animal Behavior, Cognitive Science
Linguistics
Psychological and Brain Sciences
Veterinary and Animal Sciences
Biology
Psychological and Brain Sciences
Biostatistics
Psychological and Brain Sciences
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Psychological and Brain Sciences
Psychological and Brain Sciences
Communication Disorders
Psychological and Brain Sciences
Chemistry
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Psychological and Brain Sciences
Biology
Computer Science
Kinesiology
Communication Disorders
Psychological and Brain Sciences
Biostatistics
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Page 20 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
Alexander Suvorov
Greg Tew
Sankaran Thayumanavan
Josef Trapani
Richard Vachet
Richard Van Emmerik
Laura Vandenberg
Elena Vazey
Jim Watkins
Qiangfei Xia
Guangyu Xu
Guang Xu
Nagendra Yadava
Jun Yan
R. Thomas Zoeller
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Asst. Professor
Professor
Professor
Asst. Professor
Professor
Professor
Asst. Professor
Assistant Professor
Professor
Asst. Professor
Assistant Professor
Lecturer
Adjunct Asst. Professor
Asst. Professor
Professor
Environmental Health Sciences
Polymer Science & Engineering
Chemistry
Biology and Neuroscience
Chemistry
Kinesiology
Public Health
Biology
Polymer Science & Engineering
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Microbiology
Biology
Physics
Biology
Page 21 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
Appendix B: INSI Cluster Proposal Summaries
The Steering committee has reached out to the INSI faculty to determine where there are groups of
faculty with alignments, complementarities, and collaboration potential. Target faculty included core
INSI faculty (Appendix A), as well as members of other research communities who have exhibited
interest in advancing neuroscience on campus. Those submitting clusters were asked to identify
members, vision, goals, deliverables, and resources needed. Ten cluster proposals were submitted.
These research themes are being further evaluated for the value of being in contiguous space as well as
other potential leverage points for initial success. Short descriptions of each cluster (and the PIs leading
them) are presented below in alphabetical order of cluster title.
Brain Behavior and Disease: Animal Models (PI: Pereira)
The Brain, Behavior and Disease: Animal Models cluster brings together researchers from a variety of
disciplines, methods and vertebrate model systems to approach questions related to understanding the
causal neural underpinnings of behavior in health and disease. This cluster, designed to integrate with
BBD: Clinical Applications, will 1) create a Behavioral Testing Core to provide both well-validated
behavioral screening and state-of-the-art phenotype characterization of mice and rats, 2) promote and
sustain collaborations to maximize output in terms of critical performance metrics, such as publications
and external grant funding, and 3) educate, train and inform by offering cross-disciplinary training
opportunities, courses, as well as an annual series of lectures and symposia on the main themes of the
cluster to the University community and the general public.
Brain, Behavior, and Disease: Clinical Applications (PI: Ready)
Brain, Behavior, and Disease: Clinical Applications (BBD-CA) aims to identify neural mechanisms and
processes that apply to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of behavioral disorders and
psychopathology across the lifespan. Our cluster was designed to dovetail with the Brain, Behavior, and
Disease: Animal Models (BBD-AM) proposal, the focus of which is on discovery of pre-clinical biomarkers
and neural circuitry of behavior. The proposals are ideally complementary and lay the groundwork for
significant collaborations that span animal and human research models, training grant applications, and
within 5-years, a program project grant.
Cellular Mechanisms of Neural Degeneration and Repair (PI: Karlstron)
Using animal models of human neural degeneration disease, the Neural Degeneration and Repair cluster
seeks to define the molecular and cellular mechanisms that contribute to neural degeneration and will
use these discoveries for translational research to slow, prevent, or reverse degeneration using genetic
and small molecule approaches. In addition, the creation of these animal models of human
degeneration diseases in model systems such as zebrafish, combined with functional testing in
mammalian models, provides the opportunity for rapid high throughput small molecule screening for
drug discovery.
Cognitive Neuroscience (PI: Sanders)
The Cognitive Neuroscience cluster focuses on developing UMass excellence in specific topics in
Cognitive Neuroscience. Members of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Linguistics, Communication
Disorders, Philosophy, and Computer Science will develop a colloquium series and grant preparation
teams to focus on one topic of Cognitive Neuroscience each year. The cluster will host the leaders in
that field for the Cognitive Neuroscience colloquium series, and will work, both as an internal
community and in collaboration with visiting scholars, to prepare collaborative research grant
submissions in Cognitive Neuroscience.
Human Developmental Neuroscience (PI: Park)
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 22 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
We propose a Human Developmental Neuroscience cluster focused on understanding the neural
underpinnings of cognitive, social, and emotional development. This cluster will engage families in the
community and seeks to generate excitement for advancing scientific understanding of child and
adolescent development. To achieve these goals, this cluster will operate in office staffed with full- and
part-time personnel who recruit children and adolescent participants for neuroscience research projects
and run outreach programs.
Neuroendocrinology (PI: Remage-Healey)
The Neuroendocrinology cluster will extend its established position as a functioning collaborative
research group focusing on neural structures, neurochemistry, development, brain-body interactions,
biological signaling molecules, cognition, and behavior. Incorporating the Neuroendocrinology cluster in
the INI will: 1) Increase co-training of graduate students and postdocs in neuroendocrinology, 2)
increase competitiveness for large, multi-investigator grant proposals (including center and training
grants) to explore the hormone, brain and behavior interface, and 3) develop and make available a set
of tools (such as microfluidics sensors for detection and quantification of biological signaling molecules)
that could be deployed in both basic and translational/applied research settings.
Neurons, Circuits, and Computation (PIs: Downes and Moorman)
The Neurons, Circuits, and Computation cluster focuses on developing and applying new technologies
and computational analyses to understand how networks of neurons functionally interact in healthy and
diseased brains. In addition to holding regular cross-disciplinary meetings to share knowledge and
generate ideas, the cluster will form subject-specific research teams made up of members of Biology,
Psychological and Brain Sciences, Physics, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Mathematics and
Statistics to produce competitive grant applications, high-profile research publications, and novel
interdisciplinary training opportunities.
Neuroscience of Aging (PI: Ready)
The Neuroscience of Aging cluster combines human and animal models to discover neurologic processes
underlying aging and translate these discoveries to improve outcomes in aging. We utilize a variety of
methods and complementary tools to discover the neuroscience of aging, including fMRI, EEG,
psychophysiology, hormone assays, genetics, cognitive tests, eye tracking, subjective reports,
computational models, behavioral observation, and field work. The cluster will begin by collaborations
around specific questions (i.e., sleep, emotion, cognition, perception, language) and graduate to federal
grant submissions (e.g., NIH R01s and a training grant) with a couple of years.
Patient Models of Brain Dysfunction and Research Translation (PI: Spencer)
The Patient Models of Brain Dysfunction and Research Translation cluster focuses on understanding
normal, disordered, and compensatory brain functions by focusing on patients with neurogenic
disorders. The cluster brings together scientists with a shared focus on patient research in
Communication Disorders, Kinesiology, and Psychological and Brain Sciences. The cluster will forge
connections with Baystate Hospital and UMMS to produce enhanced synergy across researchers,
enhancing patient-based research on campus and leading to multi-authored publications and grant
proposals.
Women's Mental Health Across the Lifespan (PI: Lacreuse)
The main objective of the "Women's Mental Health Across the Lifespan" cluster is to understand how
hormonal changes across the reproductive transitions of a woman’s lifespan (i.e, puberty, pregnancy
and perimenopause) confer increased vulnerability to mental health disorders. Using the strengths of a
cross-disciplinary approach (Anthropology, Biology, Psychological and Brain sciences and Public Health),
the cluster will provide new insights into this important and timely issue, increase the success of
research and training grant applications and enhance the visibility of Neuroscience on campus.
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 23 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 24 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
Appendix C: Full Cluster Proposals
Cluster Proposal: Brain, Behavior and Disease: Animal Models
Mariana Pereira, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences
Email: pereiram@psych.umass.edu
Phone: 545-0354
1.
How does your proposed cluster fit within the vision and themes for the INSI? Brain, Behavior
and Disease: Animal Models cluster brings together researchers from a variety of disciplines and
vertebrate model systems to approach questions related to understanding the causal neural
underpinnings of behavior in health and disease. This cluster is designed to tightly integrate with the
BBD: Clinical Applications (CA) cluster, which is focused on discovery of candidate biomarkers of disease
and neural targets of clinical intervention. The BBD cluster is an ideal fit with the overall vision as well as
the Discovery and Translational Neuroscience themes for the INI. The BBD cluster will implement an
integrative approach to support innovative research that combines a detailed understanding of behavior
and brain circuits with advanced/emerging technology to image, measure and manipulate neural cells
and circuits. As such, the development of this cluster will facilitate fundamental insights into brain
function and behavior, and its disorders, while contributing to improved treatment options as an
important endpoint. Synergistic research efforts will be focused on the following core themes: 1)
Neuromodulation of Behavior: How do neuromodulators including monoamines, peptides, steroid
hormones, and growth factors act on neural circuits to regulate and give rise to a wide range of
behavioral and physiological traits, including emotion, motivation and cognition. 2) Sex Differences in
Behavior: What neural mechanisms underlie sex differences in behavioral, emotional, motivational and
cognitive processes. 3) Dysfunction and Disease: Neural basis of major cognitive, motivational and social
dysfunction in disease. Characterization of cognitive and behavioral endophenotypes of psychiatric and
neurodegenerative disease. A core principle of this cluster will be basing studies around well-defined
behavioral traits to facilitate discovery of susceptibility genes, brain mechanisms of disease, and targets
for intervention.
2.
Who will be the key contributors to the cluster and why? Core Faculty: Joseph Bergan (PBS),
Eric Bittman (Biology), Jeffrey Blaustein (PBS), Thomas Bozza (PBS), Andrew Farrar (PBS), Agnès Lacreuse
(PBS), David Moorman (PBS), Melinda Novak (PBS), Mariana Pereira (PBS), Heather Richardson (PBS),
and Elena Vazey (Biology). Affiliated members are included in the BBD-CA proposal. Significantly, this
cluster is well-positioned to collaborate with existing research strengths on campus, including Public
Health (e.g., Alexander Suvorov, Laura N. Vandenberg), Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (e.g.,
Zuoshang Xu), Polymer Science and Engineering (e.g., drug delivery technology, Todd Emrick) and
Computer Science (e.g., data analysis, machine learning/computer vision, Subhransu Maji, Erik LearnedMiller, Hava T Siegelmann), as well as other INI clusters (e.g., Women’s mental health, Neural circuits).
3.
Describe the interdisciplinary nature of this cluster. This cluster aims to unite researchers
exploring questions related to the causal neurobiology of adaptive and maladaptive behaviors in males
and females, with emphasis on cross-disciplinary work that integrates multiple fields, methods and
vertebrate model systems. This cluster will draw on expertise from a variety of disciplines to acquire,
analyze, reduce and interpret large, feature-rich neural and behavioral datasets. This joint endeavor will
leverage state-of-the-art technologies, including advanced imaging, genetics, computer science and data
analytics, coupled with clinical perspectives on disease etiology. By adopting, creating, and
disseminating state-of-the-art approaches to dissect the neural basis of behavior, this cluster will help
ensure neuroscience research at UMass remains at the forefront of scientific discovery.
4.
Please provide an overview of your research project plan.
a. Rationale - The diversity of the cluster, together with BBD-CA will promote interaction, collaboration,
and opportunities among researchers, contributing to a synergistic learning and research environment.
While individual lines of research will be diverse, ranging from motivational drives to complex cognitive
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 25 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
phenomena, the diverse research lines undertaken by cluster members will share a core focus on
understanding neural circuit function in the context of precisely and accurately quantified behavior.
Through these studies, the cluster will advance our understanding of fundamental principles of the
neural bases/mechanisms of behavior, as well as, the neural and corresponding behavioral disruptions
in pathological conditions, including schizophrenia, anxiety, depression and addiction, as well as
neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s diseases. Moreover,
this strategic concentration of research strengths will foster growth in terms of critical performance
metrics, such as publications and external grant funding.
b. Goals - Our goals are to: 1) Create a Behavioral Testing Core (BTC): The core will provide both wellvalidated, industry-standard behavioral screening and state-of-the-art phenotype characterization of
mice and rats across developmental stages. The BTC will offer an array of assessment tools across
cognitive, motivational, social, and sensorimotor domains. Moreover, the BTC will provide expertise in
all aspects of experimental design, analysis and interpretation of data. The BTC will offer resources and
services available for UMass or outside labs on a on a fee-for-service or collaborative basis. BTC will
facilitate innovations through collaborations with IALS facility cores. In particular, a close relationship
between the BTC and the Advanced Digital Design and Fabrication Lab (ADDFab) of IALS will facilitate
rapid prototyping, creation, testing, and adoption of new technologies to investigate the neural basis of
behavior. 2) Promote and sustain productive collaborations: A central goal of this cluster is to accelerate
efforts to answer fundamental research questions through effective collaborations. These collaborations
will enable the sharing of expertise and material resources to simultaneously maximize operational
efficiency and foster innovative research, thus stimulating opportunities for joint grant submissions. 3)
Educate, Train and Inform: The cluster will offer cross-disciplinary training opportunities for students
and postdocs, and offer courses in research methods in neurobiology of disease. In addition, the cluster
will educate, train, and inform the University biomedical community, as well as the general public, by
offering an annual series of lectures and symposia on the main themes of the cluster. Paired with BDDCA, we want UMass to be a major destination for clinical research on mental illness, “from bench to
bedside.”
c. Timeframe. Years 1-2: Primary investigators initiate bi-weekly cluster meetings and monthly lecture
series to define research themes and joint questions. These meetings will include direct communication
with the BBD-CA cluster; Director and support staff hired for Behavioral Testing Core, equipment for
core is acquired, installed and validated; Admit inaugural class of cluster trainees (PhD students,
postdocs). Years 2-3: Published work from new collaborations expected to emerge, initial development
and submission of collaborative grant applications to NIH, NSF, private foundations; ongoing
development and expansion of BTC services. Start offering annual series of lectures and symposia to
public. Years 3-5: Anticipated external funding; expected increase in joint grant and related scholarly
productivity; work with BBD-CA towards a program project and/or training grant.
5.
What have you already accomplished that positions your group for organizing as a cluster?
Several members of this cluster are recent faculty hires. The rationale of this cluster is to tap the great
potential for collaboration within this group and competitiveness for external funding. The cluster will
maintain and expand excellence in research in causal brain and behavior relationships with a focus on
areas of strength while expanding into new areas of research, leveraged by recent hires that reflect the
new directions of the field.
6.
What does your proposed cluster require to fully achieve its goals and deliverables? Funds
requested are for 1. Creation of a Behavioral Testing Core, including behavioral equipment and
necessary core support staff; 2. Funding for hiring expert, senior consultants to support grant
development; 3. Two cluster-dedicated training graduate or postdoctoral fellowships for crossdisciplinary projects. 4. Contiguous office and wet lab space for core members, conference and meeting
rooms, and an animal facility located within the same building.
7.
If your proposal is requesting contiguous space, please describe how your cluster would utilize
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 26 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
4000 square feet of open research space? What will the space be used for and what is required in
terms of offices, equipment/instrumentation, and staffing?
Collaborative efforts of key members of this cluster would greatly benefit from having contiguous office
and wet lab space for core members, conference and meeting rooms, and an animal facility located
within the same building. The request for contiguous space reflects a longer-term plan that will require
anticipated facilities that include offices, as well as both animal and wet laboratory space in the same
building.
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 27 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
Cluster Proposal: Brain, Behavior, and Disease: Clinical Applications (BBD-CA)
Rebecca Ready, Ph.D., Psychological and Brain Sciences
email: ready@psych.umass.edu; phone: 5-1359
1. How does your proposed cluster fit within the vision and themes for the INSI?
Brain, Behavior, and Disease: Clinical Applications (BBD-CA) aims to identify neural mechanisms and
processes that apply to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of behavioral disorders and
psychopathology across the lifespan. Projects will identify neural processes characteristic of clinically
significant behaviors (e.g., impulsivity, self-harm, addiction), with the aim of identifying candidate
biomarkers of disease and neural targets of interventions. Our cluster was designed to dovetail with
the Brain, Behavior, and Disease: Animal Models (BBD-AM) proposal, the focus of which is on
discovery of pre-clinical biomarkers and neural circuitry of behavior. Together, the proposals align
with the discovery and translational neuroscience aims. Indeed, the proposals are ideally
complementary and lay the groundwork for significant collaborators, training grant applications, and
within 5-years, a program project grant. Our clusters are consistent with the INSI vision in three ways:
(1) interdisciplinary relevance, (2) potential to garner support from federal funding agencies, and (3)
promise for placing UMass at the forefront of cutting-edge translational clinical neuroscience research.
2. Who will be the key contributors to the cluster and why?
Faculty from Psychological and Brain Sciences: Clinical – Elizabeth Harvey (development of disruptive
behaviors in children), Maureen Perry-Jenkins (influence of social environment on parents’ psychological
wellbeing), Rebecca Ready (neurological diseases and emotional functioning in aging), Katherine DixonGordon (emotion regulation difficulties, borderline personality disorder). Social – Paula Pietromonaco
(emotions and coping in close relationships). Cognitive – Lisa Sanders (attention in childhood speech
disorders), Rebecca Spencer (influence of sleep on cognition in neurological and psychological
disorders). Developmental – Jennifer McDermott (developmental affective neuroscience).
Anthropology: Lynnette Sievert (culture and women’s health). Affiliated members are included in the
BBD-AM proposal. Communication between the two BBD clusters will occur via shared colloquia,
meetings to discuss and identify research projects on disordered behavior that spans pre-clinical and
clinical research at UMass (e.g., addictions, depression), and by selecting core members from BBD-CA
and BBD-AM to coordinate colloquia and meetings.
3. Describe the interdisciplinary nature of this cluster.
Investigators range across levels of analysis, from individual difference risk factors and correlates of
mental illness, to familial, socioeconomic, and cultural influences on health and wellbeing. These
investigators use a swath of methods, including brain imaging, EEG, peripheral psychophysiological
measurement, laboratory-based experimental paradigms, longitudinal studies, and treatment research.
Likewise, these researchers focus on a variety of stages of translational research, from discovery and
identification of neural baseis underlying of mental illness, to applying psychological research to the
prevention and treatment of mental illness. In combination with the tools and expertise of BBD-AM,
there are incredible possibilities to conduct research than spans neural circuitry, brain function,
behavior, and familial and cultural systems.
4a. What is the rationale for why this cluster needs to come together?
A range of specialties is needed to identify basic mechanisms underlying disordered behavior and
psychopathology to inform prevention and treatment efforts. Cluster faculty, together with BDD-AM,
bring together the necessary expertise to uncover the cellular-level, person-level, and system-level risk
and resilience factors related to mental illness, and draw on this basic knowledge to develop and refine
intervention efforts.
Given the exceptionally high rates of co-occurrence across forms of
psychopathology, investigators with expertise in numerous forms of disordered behavior are required.
In light of the costs and burden of recruiting clinical populations for this research, it is cost-effective to
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 28 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
conduct collaborative research on these populations. As well, recent federal funding initiatives [e.g.,
NIMH’s research objectives (Insel et al., 2010)] emphasize a desire for research on transdiagnostic
symptoms and treatments across multiple levels, and funding mechanisms for clinical intervention
research now use “experimental therapeutic paradigms” in which an intervention must first
demonstrate the ability to move a target or mechanism (e.g., biological substrates linked to behavior)
underlying mental illness before a clinical trial is viable. Mechanisms and infrastructure to facilitate this
collaborative effort are necessary for successful, fundable translational research on mental illness.
a. What are the goals of your cluster and how will you work together to achieve them?
This cluster will draw on investigators’ respective areas of expertise across disordered behavior and
psychopathology (e.g., depression, ADHD, borderline personality disorder), levels of analysis (from celllevel, neural-level, person-level, family-level, and system-level), and research methods (experimental to
longitudinal to intervention) to uncover risk and resilience factors related to mental illness, develop and
refine treatments for mental illness, and use clinical data to inform subsequent basic research efforts.
Paired with BDD-AM, we want UMass to be a major destination for clinical research on mental illness,
“from bench to bedside.”
b. What do you anticipate as the timeframe for achieving these goals?
(1) facilitate collaboration within BBD-CA and with BBD-AM via regular within and across cluster
meetings (year 1 and beyond), (2) develop collaborative grant submissions [e.g., NIH training grants,
exploratory trials (R33/R21), collaborative clinical trials (R01s); (year 2 and beyond)], (3) disseminate this
knowledge through multi-author publications (year 2 and beyond), and (4) work with BBD-AM towards a
program project grant (years 3-5).
4. What have you already done or accomplished that positions your group for organizing as a
cluster? What is your record of collaboration?
Cluster faculty have a rich history of collaboration. Drs. McDermott and Harvey submitted an R01 to
NIMH examining neural markers of cognitive control and emotion dysregulation in ADHD. Drs. Spencer,
Ready, and Dixon-Gordon collaborate on emotion dysregulation research. Drs. Ready and Lacreuse
(BDD-AM) published work on emotion processing in human and nonhuman primates.
5. What does your proposed cluster require to fully achieve its goals and deliverables? What will
be your resource needs? (e.g. contiguous space, grant writing and development support,
hiring staff support, equipment, continued linkages with home departments, etc.)
The most central and immediate need is for a full-time support staff to serve as a participant
recruitment coordinator for the human clinical samples. This individual would liaise with nearby
hospitals to develop an ongoing flow of participant referrals to research efforts at UMass. This
consolidated recruitment effort would provide support for numerous pilot studies, and would prove
more efficient and effective than the existing strategy of each investigator recruiting specific
populations. This individual could be shared with other clusters needing administrative support.
Resources to support transportation of clinical patients from surrounding areas to UMass would
substantially improve recruitment and retention efforts, as would shared research space in Springfield
and/or Worcester.
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 29 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
Cluster Proposal: Cellular mechanisms of neural degeneration and repair (CMNDR)
Name- Rolf Karlstrom
contact email karlstrom@bio.umass.edu
Department___Biology
phone: 7-3448
1. How does your proposed cluster fit within the vision and themes for the INSI?
This cluster seeks to enhance research into the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying neural
degeneration with the goals of: 1) preventing, slowing or reversing degeneration; and 2) neurorestorative approaches to enhance neural function. This research is discovery-oriented (the
identification of molecular and cellular mechanisms) that can then be transferred to translational
approaches. Strong research capacity at the levels of cellular and molecular mechanisms will be
critical to the success of the INSI, both at the discovery and translational levels, and this cluster will
form a nucleus for this mechanistic research.
2. Who will be the key contributors to the cluster and why?
Babbitt, Bergan, Downes, Jensen, Karlstrom, Li, Moorman, Richardson, Schwartz, Vazey (membership
still fluid)
This group employs a variety of model systems to investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms
underlying nervous system development, degeneration, and repair. Drs. Downes, Jensen, and
Karlstrom use zebrafish as a highly regenerative model vertebrate organism to study the molecular
and cellular mechanisms of neural development, function, and repair following injury. Drs. Bergan, Li,
Moorman, Richardson, and Vazey study brain function in rodents, focusing on several brain areas
affected by neurodegenerative diseases. Dr. Babbitt uses modern molecular genomic approaches to
understand neural stem cells, key to CNS repair, in primates (including humans). Dr. Schwartz is one
of the world experts on cell death pathways, and uses a variety of systems to understand the
molecular mechanisms that mediate programmed cell death. This group uses modern optogenetic,
genetic, molecular, and electrophysiological techniques that can be used to test mechanistic insights
into degeneration and repair gained from the analysis of model organisms. Many of these researchers
have already established productive collaborations, and increased collaboration across programs will
facilitate cross-species comparisons of repair mechanisms, allow high throughput screening
approaches, and bring new gene knock-out and conditional manipulation technologies to help
uncover basic cellular mechanisms of neural degeneration and repair that would ideally lead to new
therapeutics.
3. Describe the interdisciplinary nature of this cluster.
Continued interdisciplinary interactions with biophysicists surrounding new imaging techniques that
take advantage of the IALS microscopy facility will be a key part of this cluster. Future hiring at the cell
biology/developmental neuroscience interface would increase interactions with the strong cellular
biology research clusters at UMass and leverage the new imaging infrastructure. Expanding
interdisciplinary approaches more broadly will be a key goal for the future of this cluster, including
increasing ties to the new Biomedical Engineering department on campus.
4. Please provide an overview of your research project plan.
a. What is the rationale for why this cluster needs to come together?
Research in to the basic mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases and CNS repair
represents an area of immense growth potential for obvious reasons in our aging population. These
research areas represent a niche ideally suited for an academic Neuroscience institute, both because
basic research in this area is aligned with existing neuroscience on campus, and because industry
seems to have largely retreated from this area of basic research. A major rationale for formally
constituting this cluster will be to uncover new collaborative potential and help guide researchers in
fruitful new directions that they might not attempt in isolation. Formalization of this cluster will also
help ensure cellular/molecular level studies remain a central theme of the INSI, and to identify areas
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 30 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
for hiring and resource allocation to ensure this strength into the future. The intellectual/collaborative
potential of this group in the area of neural degeneration and repair is relatively untapped, and new
synergies have already been identified through this strategic planning process.
b.
What are the goals of your cluster and how will you work together to achieve them?
1) Identify a cluster leader to organize interactions and refine the cluster theme (and title?) and
membership. The cluster will provide input and collaborate with a new INSI director to identify faculty
hiring directions that would optimally benefit the institute and the cluster.
2) Organize regular research meetings geared toward becoming better informed about each other’s
research that is related to the cluster theme. These meetings will be focused on identifying possible
collaborative projects that could form the basis of multi-investigator grant applications.
3) Establish research ties with UMass Med researchers who have already indicated interest in
collaborative interactions and can help expand the model-system repertoire of the cluster. As an
example, a recent attempt at a cross campus research proposal was aimed at understanding
undiagnosed diseases in humans using research in fly (e.g. Budnik, Freeman), fish (Lawson, Wolf,
Sagerstrom), and worms (Ambros, Francis). This could be expanded in this group to include mammals.
Clinical and bioinformatic expertise was also identified in this grant effort that can form a basis for
establishing these important ties to the cluster (see diagram at end of this document). While this
proposal was not submitted due to a variety of reasons, the initial interactions were very productive.
3) Organize a research symposium/visioning seminar that includes outside experts in the field to help
the group identify and explore research synergies and map out concrete projects with the greatest
potential for unique collaborative outcomes. This could be a sub-meeting in a broader INSI futures
seminar, and would include UMass Med researchers and at industry representatives.
4) Explore opportunities for industry collaborations and the development of new IP and translational
biomedicine. Ideas include novel screens for therapeutic compounds using simple model systems.
5) Use the expertise in the group to identify key areas for hiring so as to strengthen the cluster and
maximize novel research approaches and intercluster collaborations that map to the INSI mission
statement.
6) Submit multi-investigator grants from the group.
c. What do you anticipate as the timeframe for achieving these goals?
Fall 2015: Identify a cluster organizer and meet regularly (monthly) to refine the cluster and explore
research synergies and potential industry collaborations.
2015/16: Organize the visioning/futures seminar. This could be a sub-meeting in a broader INSI
futures seminar.
Fall 2016 or Spring 2017: Hold visioning/futures symposium.
Fall 2016: Have influenced the choice of 2-3 departmental faculty searches that align with the cluster
goals to understand the Cellular mechanisms of neural degeneration and repair. As an example, a
researcher using induced pluripotent stem cells to understand diseases affecting the nervous system
could add a key translational component to this group.
Fall 2016: 1-2 multi-investigator collaborative grants submitted from group members.
5. What have you already done or accomplished that positions your group for organizing as a
cluster? What is your record of collaboration?
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 31 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
The zebrafish group holds weekly joint lab meetings open to other researchers (e.g. attended by
Schwartz). This group shares reagents and expertise, helps with training of students, vetting grant
proposal aims, and fostering cross-fertilization of ideas and methods.
The broader group worked hard to create the ND2 research group within the Models to Medicine
cluster in IALS, a key first step in organizing this cluster.
Various group members have established productive collaborations (co-authored papers and grants),
including
several
with
industry.
6. What does your cluster require to fully achieve its goals and deliverables? What will be your
resource needs?
1) Hiring: Directed hiring that will expand cellular/molecular approaches to neuroscience is critical to
this effort. While many excellent new faculty members have been hired in the last 5 years (Babbitt, Li,
Moorman, Bergan, Vazey), departures have taken a significant toll on this type of research at UMass.
As examples, a strong fly neuro-development group in the Biology Department (Murphy, Budnik,
Nambu), and a key component of the neuroendocrine group in the Psychology Department focused
on cellular/molecular analyses (DeVries, Forger) were lost to other institutions. The formation of INSI
will help attract top researchers to UMass, and a net gain in the number of researchers studying
neurodegeneration and nervous system repair at the mechanistic level (both by new hiring and by
increased collaboration) will be a key element essential to the success of this institute.
2. Staff organizational support for the cluster leader to help bring the group together.
3. Financial support for bringing 2-3 outside experts (including from UMass Med and industry) to
UMass for a visioning/futures seminar on the cluster theme, perhaps as a sub-meeting within a larger
INSI visioning seminar.
4. Access to IALS microscopy and other core facilities, input on purchases of new instrumentation
needed to will drive the science forward.
5. Access to internal grant funding aimed at generating preliminary data for collaborative grant
applications. Examples include financial support for initial deep sequencing or chemical screens at
UMass facilities.
Contiguous space is not being requested
Research pipeline that formed the basis
of a UMass Amherst-UMass Med
collaborative proposal focused on
identifying
mechanisms
underlying
undiagnosed diseases in humans.
The CMDR cluster could form a nucleus
for a new effort in this area, with a focus
on neurodegenerative diseases and
undiagnosed diseases affecting the CNS.
(The grant proposal with UMassMed was
only partially completed and was not
submitted to NIH for a variety of reasons,
but interest remains high in pursuing
similar efforts in the future.)
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 32 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
Cluster Proposal: Cognitive Neuroscience:
Name: Lisa Sanders
contact email: lsanders@psych.umass.edu
Department: Psychological and Brain Sciences
phone: 413-545-5962
We propose a broad Cognitive Neuroscience cluster focused around a colloquium series and grant
preparation teams. The colloquium series will focus on one topic in Cognitive Neuroscience each year. In
the first three years we will target: 1) neuroscience of language, 2) neuroscience of perceptual learning,
and 3) computational cognitive neuroscience. By inviting the ten top neuroscientists in one field in a
single academic year, we will immediately raise the international recognition of our own research in
these areas and provide the external input needed to support topic-specific grant writing teams.
1. How does your proposed cluster fit within the vision and themes for the INSI?
The colloquium series fits the vision for the INSI in three ways: 1) Colloquia by the top scientists in a field
will bring together UMass faculty and students across a broad range of departments and generate new
cross-departmental collaborations. 2) Visits by the most influential scientists in a particular area will
raise the profile of our research and experimental approaches. 3) The external input provided by these
visitors will be pivotal in both identifying cutting-edge, fundable directions and providing the technical
expertise to carry out unique neuroscience research. The colloquium series is expected to directly
support groups of faculty submitting single- and multi-PI grant proposals on related topics. Each of the
initial three content areas contribute to the themes of discovery, translation, and neurotechnology.
Computational cognitive neuroscience will be particularly important for neurotechnology.
2. Who will be the key contributors to the cluster and why?
Lisa Sanders, Rebecca Spencer, Kyle Cave, and Dave Huber have agreed to oversee the initial setup of
the colloquium series and grant preparation teams. However, decisions about which speakers to invite
and how to structure topic-specific grant preparation teams will be led by cognitive neuroscientists who
share research interests in the topic for that year. The initial topics within Cognitive Neuroscience were
selected to appeal to a broad range of faculty and students across campus. The neuroscience of
language group will be led by Lisa Sanders (Psychological and Brain Sciences), Alexandra Jesse (PBS),
Adrian Staub (PBS), Brian Dillon (Linguistics), Joe Pater (Linguistics), John Kingston (Linguistics), Gwyneth
Rost (Communication Disorders), and Jacquie Kurland (Communication Disorders). The neuroscience of
perceptual learning group will be led by Kyle Cave (PBS), Luke Remage-Healy (PBS), Lisa Sanders (PBS),
Rosie Cowell (PBS), Erik Learned-Miller (Computer Science), Joseph Levine (Philosophy), and Joe Pater
(Linguistics). The computational cognitive neuroscience group will be led by David Huber (PBS), Caren
Rotello (PBS), Rosie Cowell (PBS), Andrew Cohen (PBS), Jeff Starns (PBS), and Andrew McCallum
(Computer Science). These groups have a proven track record of independent and collaborative success,
represent a broad range of approaches to common research questions, and are committed to the
process of growing our Cognitive Neuroscience presence. Although these individuals have committed to
representing their area of cognitive neuroscience, they are only a fraction of the faculty who would be
actively involved in both the colloquium series and grant preparation teams.
3. Describe the interdisciplinary nature of this cluster.
Both the topics (language, perception, and computational neuroscience) and the cognitive neuroscience
techniques that are employed cut across a broad range of departments and colleges/schools.
4. Please provide an overview of your research project plan.
a. What is the rationale for why this cluster needs to come together?
Faculty in Cognitive Science report that bringing in outside speakers is the most effective way to start
conversations about new collaborations that lead to productive research enterprise. However, current
colloquium organizers (e.g., NSB, Cognitive Psychology, Linguistics) rarely use their limited resources to
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 33 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
bring Cognitive Neuroscientists to our campus. Further, UMass cognitive neuroscientists share common
needs for help with grant applications that are not currently being met.
b. What are the goals of your cluster and how will you work together to achieve them?
The goals of this cluster are to: 1) bring cognitive neuroscientists with shared research interests
together, 2) create new mechanistic insights into nervous system function, and 3) increase both the
application rate and success rate of cognitive neuroscience grants. Bringing to campus the top
neuroscientists in one field in a single academic year will provide regular contact among a broad range
of UMass faculty with related interests. The cross-departmental collaborations that emerge from the
discussions around the colloquia hold the promise of formulating fundamentally new approaches to
existing problems in Cognitive Neuroscience. Further, the external input from colloquium speakers is
critical for identifying the most fundable cutting edge directions in which UMass faculty can take their
Cognitive Neuroscience research and establishing the supportive collaborations necessary to make
those new directions feasible. Finally, topic-specific grant writing teams with staff support will allow
faculty to submit higher quality grant applications in less time.
c. What do you anticipate as the timeframe for achieving these goals?
By focusing on a single topic within Cognitive Neuroscience, we will raise the international recognition of
our research on that topic in one year. Evidence of new collaborations around a topic is expected in the
subsequent three years. Peak increases in grant productivity around a topic can be expected within five
years. By adding a topic within Cognitive Neuroscience each year, the reaching of these goals is expected
to spread across the cluster for as long as the program is sustained.
5. What have you already done or accomplished that positions your group for organizing as a cluster?
What is your record of collaboration?
We have strong records of productive collaborations at both the faculty level (Sanders & Pater, RemageHealey & Cowell, Rotello & Starns, etc.) and the group level (Cognitive Science Initiative,
Cognitive/Developmental training grant, well-attended Cognitive Brown Bag talks). However, the
rationale for the colloquium series and grant preparation groups is that there is great potential for
multiple collaborations within the broad Cognitive Neuroscience cluster that have not been realized. We
want to build flexible collaborations around new, cutting-edge research directions.
6. What does your proposed cluster require to fully achieve its goals and deliverables? What will be
your resource needs?
We need annual funds to support 1.5-2 day visits (including travel, lodging, meals, and $1000 stipend)
for ten speakers. We will also need priority scheduling in space appropriate for colloquia (estimating 50
attendees) and for meetings of small groups of faculty (3-10) with the speakers. Finally, we will need at
least half-time professional staff support by someone who can 1) help to identify funding opportunities
in Cognitive Neuroscience, 2) provide grant preparation support specific to Cognitive Neuroscience
(including critical information on facilities and resources), and 3) handle scheduling, travel
arrangements, and money for visiting speakers.
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 34 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
Cluster Proposal: Human Developmental Neuroscience
Name: Joonkoo Park, Psychological and Brain Sciences (PBS); joonkoo@umass.edu; 413-545-0051
We propose a Human Developmental Neuroscience cluster focused on understanding the neural
underpinnings of cognitive, social, and emotional development. This cluster will engage families in the
community and seek to generate excitement for advancing scientific understanding of child and
adolescent development. To achieve these goals, this cluster will operate an office staffed with full- and
part-time personnel who recruit children and adolescent participants for neuroscience research projects
and run outreach programs.
1. How does your proposed cluster fit within the vision and themes for the INSI?
The proposed cluster unifies existing individual research labs using similar methodology in similar
populations, but with diverse research topics. This cluster will, therefore, foster interdisciplinary
discussions and collaborations in a cost-efficient manner across various fields within human
developmental neuroscience, enabling the discovery of neural mechanisms underlying child and
adolescent development and their translational implications. Moreover, the proposed cluster will house
community outreach activities for the local community, fitting the vision of the University more broadly.
2. Who will be the key contributors to the cluster and why?
The key contributors include Joonkoo Park, Rebecca Spencer, Youngbin Kwak, Lisa Sanders, Lisa
Harvey, Kirby Deater-Deckard, and Jennifer McDermott, all from various divisions within PBS. We have
strong background and expertise in human neuroscience using EEG and fMRI in children and
adolescents. Having this coherent methodological theme strongly ties us together, and we will greatly
benefit from having shared resources. Many of us have already formed tight, successful collaborations,
suggesting potential for long-lasting success of the proposed cluster. We will also seek to expand this
cluster over time and connect with other key contributors. These will likely include lab groups in
Linguistics, Communication Disorders, Exercise and Movement Science Departments, and Biology.
3. Describe the interdisciplinary nature of this cluster.
While the key contributors are all from PBS, they span distinct areas in PBS and range from basic
discovery science to translational work. Our research topics range widely from numerical cognition
(Park), neurocognitive functions of sleep (Spencer), decision-making (Kwak), speech processing
(Sanders), behavioral disorder and stress (Harvey, Deater-Deckard), and self-control (McDermott) in
young children and adolescents. Finally, although we are all experts in human neuroscience, some of us
have strengths in one methodology (e.g., EEG) while others have strengths in another (e.g., fMRI). Such
diversity in research themes, topics, and methodology provides potentials for innovative collaborative
research that would be especially appealing to external funding agencies.
4. Please provide an overview of your research project plan.
a. What is the rationale for why this cluster needs to come together?
First, forming this cluster will provide a structure to foster important collaborations both within this
cluster and between this cluster and other researchers. Second, we seek to create infrastructure that
can support the intensive data collection that is required for research carried out in this cluster. For
example, the biggest challenge that individual labs face is recruiting child and adolescent participants, as
it takes a great amount of human and monetary resources to recruit participants to lab-based research
studies. Yet, individual labs have been on their own in this intensive process, which has reduced
research productivity. Thus, there is a strong need for a joint effort to create a centralized recruitment
system that can recruit and screen potential participants in a broader region, and forming this cluster
will provide the perfect opportunity to do so.
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 35 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
Moreover, individual labs are limited in their capacity to actively share research findings with the
local community. A centralized office devoted to planning and running outreach programs for
developmental neuroscience will greatly increase the visibility of INSI in the local community and
eventually in the scientific community (e.g., consider Broad Impacts for NSF grant proposals).
b. What are the goals of your cluster and how will you work together to achieve them? (e.g. research
synergy; strong grant potential for large multi-investigator project; co-training of students; multiauthor publications; operational efficiency; shared instrumentation, etc.)
The goals of our cluster are (1) to maximize the efficiency of research operations of each laboratory
by benefiting from a shared recruitment system; (2) to increase communications among multiple labs
using the same methodology through various forms (co-training graduate students, having joint lab
meetings, running journal clubs, etc.); (3) to launch interdisciplinary collaborations cutting across
research domains using multimodal methodological approaches that can attract external funding
sources; and finally (4) to run outreach programs that engage the local community and instill a passion
for science in children and adolescents.
c. What do you anticipate as the timeframe for achieving these goals?
Research operation efficiency will start to increase in the first six months after the successful
establishment of this cluster and will increase over time (goal 1). By increasing operation efficiency in
each lab, each lab will be able to spend much more time and effort in science and collaborative work.
Thus, increased communication between labs (goal 2) will naturally follow the achievement of goal 1. By
fostering inter-lab communications, we expect to submit interdisciplinary and collaborative grant
proposals within three years of the formation of this cluster. Outreach programs will be established by
the end of the first year and will continue.
5. What have you already done or accomplished that positions your group for organizing as a
cluster? What is your record of collaboration?
Spencer and Park together investigate the influence of nap on mathematical cognition in young
children. Kwak and Park collaborate on EEG studies to investigate the neural bases of reward-based
decision-making. McDermott and Harvey together examine neural markers of attention and emotion in
young children at risk for ADHD (R01 proposal under review). McDermott, Harvey, and Spencer are
actively engaged in co-mentoring a number of graduate students. McDermott also has collaborated with
Deater-Deckard previously. Moreover, the arrival of Deater-Deckard (to join in Jan 2016) is expected to
significantly increase the collaborative nature of our group, as his research bridges many of the topics
that are already actively pursued at UMass.
6. What does your proposed cluster require to fully achieve its goals and deliverables? What will
be your resource needs? (e.g. contiguous space, grant writing and development support,
hiring staff support, equipment, continued linkages with home departments, etc.)
This cluster will need a centralized recruitment office—including a full-time staff member, part-time
staff people (e.g., work-study students), and a centralized database—and funds to cover parking spaces
for family participants. The full-time research coordinator, will manage a participant database, plan for
active recruitment (contacting and visiting schools, advertising at local events or in media, etc.), oversee
subject recruitment by managing part-time staff, and plan outreach programs. Outreach programs may
include an open-lab day and a parent education workshop lecture during the brain awareness week. The
associated staff will be housed in key contributors’ laboratory space in Tobin or Bartlett Hall.
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 36 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
Cluster Proposal: Neuroendocrinology Cluster
Name: Luke Remage-Healey, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences
Email: healey@cns.umass.edu
Phone: 545-0772
1. How does your proposed cluster fit within the vision and themes for the INI?
Neuroendocrinology is core to neuroscience, as it seeks to understand neural structures,
neurochemistry, development, brain-body interactions, biological signaling molecules, cognition,
and behavior. The unusual strength in neuroendocrinology at UMass continues to be a major
source of national and international visibility in neuroscience for the campus. A continued strong
emphasis in Neuroendocrinology research will provide new understanding and appreciation of
the endogenous modulation of in vivo neural circuit function. The Neuroendocrinology Cluster at
UMass bridges the Discovery and Translational Neuroscience themes of the INI, and thereby
provides a driving force for basic neuroscientific discovery as well as translational opportunities.
2. Who will be the key contributors to the cluster and why?
Joseph Bergan (PBS), Elizabeth Bertone-Johnson (Epidemiology), Eric Bittman (Biology), Jeffrey
Blaustein (PBS), Rolf Karlstrom (Biology), Agnes Lacreuse (PBS), Stephen McCormick (Biology),
Jerrold Meyer (PBS, emeritus), David Moorman (PBS), Mariana Pereira (PBS), Sandra Petersen
(VASCI), J. Richard Pilsner (Environmental Health Sciences), Luke Remage- Healey (PBS), Heather
Richardson (PBS), Lynette Sievert (Anthropology), Alexander Suvarov (Environmental Health
Sciences), Laura Vandenberg (Environmental Health Sciences), R. Thomas Zoeller (Biology). All of
these faculty members have been active contributors to the existing Center for Neuroendocrine
Studies that has been supported in the past by two five-year federal training grants. The group
would provide a training environment for bridging basic animal research with translational and
applied approaches.
3. Describe the interdisciplinary nature of this cluster.
The study of Neuroendocrinology is inherently interdisciplinary, as it relies on a combination of
approaches from molecular biology, genetics, psychology, endocrinology, epidemiology,
anthropology, physiology and neurochemistry. The membership of the cluster reflects the
interdisciplinary scope of contributions from a variety of departments on campus to understand
the interaction between hormones and brain function. The collaborative nature of the group
enables connections across the boundaries of basic/ translational neuroscience and public
health to promote novel insights into brain/hormone function in health and disease.
4. Please provide an overview of your research project plan.
a. Rationale. The Neuroendocrinology cluster is a foundational group that will be at the core of the
new UMass INI; as proposed, neuroendocrinology has been identified as a key component of the
Discovery Theme in the Institute Mission and Goals. The Neuroendocrine group has already
generated several multi-investigator projects, two 5-year federal training grants, and a host of
multi-author publications. Reviews of grant applications of members of the cluster routinely make
reference to the outstanding group of neuroendocrinologists at UMass, something that we
attribute to the added visibility of the group by the previous formation of the Center for
Neuroendocrine Studies. The cluster of neuroendocrinologists within the new UMass INI will
continue to build on this position of strength through research synergies, training and faculty
lines. Notably, the group has particular strengths in understanding sex as a biological factor, which
officially became a key point of emphasis for all incoming NIH grant proposals on 6/9/15.
neuroendocrinology, 2) Increase its competitiveness for large, multi-investigator grant proposals
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 37 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
(including center and training grants) to explore the hormone, brain and behavior interface, 3)
Develop and make available a set of tools to address new frontiers in neuroendocrinology and
neuroscience, including refining microfluidics sensors for detection and quantification of
biological signaling molecules that could be deployed in both basic and translational/applied
research settings.
b. Timeframe. The neuroendocrine group is already an active, visible community on campus, and
so resources to support a neuroendocrine cluster in the INI would pay immediate dividends. A
dedicated grant support specialist would facilitate the preparation of one or more training
proposals to leverage the uncommon strength in neuroendocrinology at UMass within the first
two years. A cluster-specific graduate fellowship and postdoctoral fellowship would each attract
top candidates to focus on neuroendocrinology and would be filled within the first year. These
training lines would then provide an opportunity for new synergistic research trajectories among
cluster labs, which would result in multi-investigator papers and new grant submissions. Lastly,
within a three-to-five year timeframe, we anticipate that the group will have identified new
hiring priorities for faculty lines to build on the strong foundation within the neuroendocrine
community.
5. What have you already done or accomplished that positions your group for organizing as a
cluster? What is your record of collaboration?
For more than 17 years, the neuroendocrine community has been engaged as a group, under the
auspices of the Center for Neuroendocrine Studies (http://www.umass.edu/cns/). We meet
biweekly at our “Hormones for Breakfast” series to discuss current topics in the field and inform
each other of new developments in our research groups and the broader UMass research
community. The cluster membership and trainees organize a bi-annual Symposium (through the
Center for Neuroendocrine Studies) that brings over 200 participants to campus to participate in
workshops and learn about hot topics in the field. The record of accomplishment for past trainees
in neuroendocrinology at UMass is outstanding. In the past five years, there have been more than
10 multi-authored publications resulting from collaborations within the neuroendocrine g r o u p
at UMass. The group has made important discoveries regarding a range of important topics
including: environmental pollutants that act as endocrine disruptors in the brain; the interactions
between brain reproductive centers and body clocks; sex differences in brain structures and
behaviors; the role of stress and addiction in shaping neural circuits during development; the role
of neurosteroids in shaping cognition and sensory processing; and the mechanisms of action of
steroid hormones on basic neuronal functions and behaviors. The cluster, supported by the new
INI, would be able to leverage the diverse skillsets of cluster members to better understand how
biological signaling molecules impact brain function in healthy and diseased states.
6. What does your proposed cluster require to fully achieve its goals and deliverables? What will
be your resource needs?
We seek: 1. A dedicated grant writing and development support specialist, 2. A dedicated
graduate training fellowship, 3. A dedicated postdoctoral training fellowship, 4. Strong
consideration for a future faculty line in neuroendocrinology, and 5. A core facility for mass
spectroscopy and immunoassays dedicated to the detection and quantification of biological
signaling molecules.
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 38 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 39 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
Cluster Proposal: Neurons, circuits, and computation (NCC)
Name: Gerald Downes, Department of Biology
Email: gbdownes@bio.umass.edu; Phone: 545-1226
1. How does your proposed cluster fit within the vision and themes for the INSI?
The goal of the INSI is to build a world-class neuroscience research community by bringing together
diverse scientists to solve problems related to brain function and dysfunction. Neurons, Circuits, and
Computation (NCC) is a multi-disciplinary cluster made up of researchers from Biology, Psychological
and Brain Sciences (PBS), Physics, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Statistics and Mathematics.
The research goals of the cluster are: 1) develop new technologies to study brain structure and function
at the level of individual neurons and networks of neurons, 2) apply these technologies across multiple
animal models in normal subjects and models of psychiatric/neurological disease, and 3) develop the
computational analyses, models, and infrastructure necessary to interpret large-scale neural data to
provide a next-generation understanding of brain function in health and disease. The benefits of such a
cluster are numerous. Prominent benefits include: 1) NCC will be highly competitive for private and
federal funding, such as the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN)
initiative. 2) Interdisciplinary research from groups like NCC produce high-profile publications and
international recognition. 3) NCC will develop new perspectives on brain function (fitting the Discovery
INSI theme) by using cutting edge technology and data analysis (fitting the Neurotechnology INSI theme),
and these results will be highly applicable to psychiatric and neurological diseases (fitting the
Translational INSI theme). 4) NCC research will be of interest in academic, commercial, and industrial
sectors. By interfacing engineering, computation, and biological researchers, NCC will promote new
technology developments extending beyond neuroscience into other potentially commercializable
domains. The future of neuroscience research and development of new disease therapies depend upon
a comprehensive understanding of how large groups of diverse neurons function in the brain. The NCC
cluster has a strong likelihood to make UMass a leader in this field.
2. Who will be the key contributors to the cluster and why?
The following scientists have indicated commitment to the NCC mission. They are a diverse collection of
researchers across multiple disciplines, departments, and colleges with a shared interest in
understanding neuronal network function.
Experimental neuroscientists studying neural circuit structure and function: Joseph Bergan (PBS),
Thomas Bozza (PBS), Gerald Downes (Bio), Geng-Lin Li (Bio), David Moorman (PBS), Luke Remage-Healey
(PBS), Elena Vazey (Bio)
Engineers and physicists developing new technologies to probe and model neural structure and
function: James Chambers (IALS), Qiangfei Xia (ECE), Guangyu Xu (ECE), Jianhua (Joshua) Yang (ECE), Jun
Yan (Physics)
Computational experts developing analyses and models for large-scale data related to neural structure
and function: Rosie Cowell (PBS), Lixin Gao (ECE), David Huber (PBS), Anna Liu (Mathematics and
Statistics), Michael Lavine (Mathematics and Statistics), Ethan Meyers (Statistics, Hampshire College)
3. Describe the interdisciplinary nature of this cluster.
Beyond simply representing 5+ individual disciplines across Natural Science and Engineering, the
proposed structure of the NCC cluster is inherently integrative. We envision working groups, centered
on specific questions, which consist of teams of experimentalists, engineers, and computational experts.
For example, neurobiologists collaborating with engineers to design new microscopy techniques, which
are then used to collect data sets in animal models of disease, and these data are then analyzed using
computational tools developed in collaboration with computational experts. Another example are
interdisciplinary teams coming together to develop and apply new neural recording technologies to
understand neural coding – how populations of neurons in living organisms encode information related
to sensation and behavior. Both examples also require the development of “big-data” infrastructure and
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 40 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
relevant analysis techniques. Importantly, members of this cluster will work closely together at each
stage to seamlessly interface between technology development, experimental design, data collection,
and analysis. We also envision co-mentoring of students and postdocs across disciplines, providing a
unique and highly competitive training strategy.
4.
Please provide an overview of your research project plan.
a. Rationale. The field of Neuroscience has entered an exciting period in which revolutionary
new technology is helping to provide unprecedented insight into brain function. Currently,
neuroscientists can reliably analyze the activity of a single neuron or image the whole brain of a subject
holding still inside an fMRI machine. However, a large knowledge gap exists at the level of how groups
of neurons, organized in circuits, interact with one another and how they are disrupted in disease. In
recognition of this knowledge gap, multiple federal agencies have launched the BRAIN initiative,
described as America’s next moonshot, which calls for sustained investment in neuronal circuit analysis
over the next 12 years. The NCC cluster brings together existing campus expertise to allow UMass
Amherst to participate in the BRAIN initiative, make progress on this difficult topic, and train the nextgeneration of neuroscience researchers. The BRAIN initiative is only one of many manifestations of
interest in neural circuit function, and there is enormous potential for federal and private support of
interdisciplinary teams tackling questions at this level. NCC members will collaboratively work together
at each stage of their projects, from technological development to data collection, and analysis. This will
be encouraged by deliberately fostering a community mentality and incentivized through
interdisciplinary seed grants and fellowships and, ultimately, co-authored publications and funded
grants.
b.
Goals. The main goal of NCC is to produce an interactive community working together
across disciplines to gain insight into neural structure and function. Specific goals include: (1)
strengthening existing and forging new teams that will be highly-competitive for private and federal
funding ultimately leading to training and center grants and large-infrastructure resources; (2) producing
new technologies and data that are broadly applicable to research and treatment; and (3) training
integrative neuroscience, engineering, and computational science graduate students and postdoctoral
fellows across domains toward the common goal of illuminating neural circuit function.
c.
Timeframe. Short term (Years 1 and 2): NCC members will identify specific questions of
interest and research teams will begin developing grant applications to support research on these
questions. This has begun in a minor form with the generation of a sub-group actively pursuing research
questions in neural coding (see #5, below). Progress will be accelerated through monthly dinner
meetings and seed grants to produce preliminary results for co-authored grant applications. Ideally,
some NCC members will move into contiguous research and meeting space (see #7, below). Long term
(Years 3-5): NCC labs will specifically recruit graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to serve as comentored trainees across disciplines. We also anticipate continued submission of NCC co-authored
publications and grant applications.
5.
What have you already done or accomplished that positions your group for organizing as a
cluster? What is your record of collaboration?
Members of NCC have already begun working on integrative collaborations, resulting in co-authored
publications and co-submitted grant applications. Examples include: (1) Chambers and Downes have
recently obtained an NSF grant to use new technology to investigate a neuronal network that controls
movement. (2) Li, Moorman, and Yan have submitted NIH and UMass Armstrong applications to
develop and test next-generation silicon and graphene electrodes for large-scale collection of neural
data. (3) Bergan, Gao, Li, and Moorman have submitted an NSF grant application to study neural coding
based on applying Gao’s work in graph theory to imaging and recording neural activity. (4) Chambers,
Downes, Li, Moorman, Remage-Healey and others have co-taught a Neural Circuits and Behavior journal
club involving graduate students in our respective labs. (5) Cowell and Remage-Healey recently coauthored a publication in The Journal of Neuroscience involving pattern classification of neuronal
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 41 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
activity recorded in songbirds. Given these examples of concrete output produced by nascent
collaboration in NCC groups, it is clear that a formal and structurally supported integrative NCC cluster
will have high probability of success in grant applications and increased co-authored manuscripts.
6. What does your proposed cluster require to fully achieve its goals and deliverables? What will be
your resource needs?
We seek: Short term (Years 1 and 2): Funds to support monthly meetings for PIs and graduate and
postdoctoral trainees to present and discuss ongoing research. Seed money for pilot grants. Contiguous
wet lab and office meeting space (see #7, below). Long term (Years 3-5): Graduate and postdoctoral
fellowships for trainees working across disciplines (e.g., neuroscience and ECE). Funds for a
neuroscience-specific computation infrastructure. Funds for shared research equipment (e.g., a
neuroscience-specific multiphoton microscope) and access to shared cores such as clean room facilities
and IALS cores. Enhancements to IALS engineering core facilities to allow neurotechnology
developments (e.g.,additional 3D printing and other fabrication, neural probe core facility) as well as a
permanent neurotechnology engineer to staff these facilities.
7.
If your proposal is requesting contiguous space, please describe how your cluster would utilize
4000 square feet of open research space? What will the space be used for and what is required in
terms of offices, equipment/instrumentation, and staffing?
We envision a combination of shared open lab space for experimental neuroscientists and
meeting/office space for some of the computational and engineering researchers. Contiguous space
would facilitate sharing redundant equipment (e.g., microscopy, tissue processing, neurophysiological
tools) and enhancing collaboration among cluster members that are now widely scattered across
campus. Examples include: (1) Uniting cluster members that utilize neurophysiology and microscopy
(e.g. Bergan, Bozza, Downes, Li, Moorman, Remage-Healey, Vazey, Xu). (2) Bringing together a cluster
member that utilizes zebrafish (Downes), an animal model readily amenable to sophisticated genetics
and microscopy, with cluster members that utilize novel microscopy approaches (e.g., Bergan, Bozza,
Xu), which would facilitate projects integrating these pursuits. (3) Bringing together a cluster member
that is developing new technology to probe neural circuit function (Xu) with the multiple experimental
neuroscientists that have overlapping research interests (e.g. Li, Moorman).
Members of NCC would also greatly benefit from proximity to IALS cores. NCC members will be regular
users of the microscopy core, the design and fabrication core, the sensor integration lab, and the flow
cytometry facility. NCC members will be particularly frequent core users if the fabrication core can be
enhanced and staffed to integrate with neuroscience research, as proposed above.
Colocalized research space for the NCC would also provide a concrete home and meeting site for the
extended NCC research group. In addition to shared lab space, NCC would require meeting rooms
equipped for presentation and temporary office space for NCC members in engineering and
computation. These temporary office spaces could also be used to house visiting scientists from other
universities or industry to increase the collaborative potential of the cluster. Creating a vibrant,
attractive, collaborative space for the NCC would greatly enhance retaining faculty at UMass and
recruiting new faculty, which has been recognized as an issue in previous faculty searches in this area.
Importantly, a subset of the labs in NCC require nearby animal housing (Bergan, Bozza, Moorman,
Remage-Healey, Vazey). Thus an optimal outcome would be the housing of a cluster in LSL coincident
with the completion of the LSL vivarium. Given the overwhelming potential of a contiguous research
space for this cluster, it is worth planning how to implement this possibility as soon as possible.
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 42 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 43 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
Cluster Proposal: The Neuroscience of Aging
Name Rebecca Spencer & Rebecca Ready
Department Psychological & Brain Sciences (PBS)
contact email RSPENCER@PSYCH.UMASS.EDU & READY@PSYCH.UMASS.EDU phone X55987
1. How does your proposed cluster fit within the vision and themes for the INSI?
The cluster we propose is THE NEUROSCIENCE OF AGING. This cluster bridges the DISCOVERY and
TRANSLATIONAL Neuroscience themes because our work uses human and animal models to make
discoveries regarding neurologic processes underlying aging and translating these discoveries to
improve outcomes in aging.
2. Who will be the key contributors to the cluster and why?
 Rosie Cowell (PBS): Studies neural mechanisms of visual perception and memory, in the healthy aging
brain and in individuals with medial temporal lobe damage
 Agnès Lacreuse (PBS): Studies hormonal effects on cognition, emotion and sleep across the lifespan
using nonhuman primate models
 Alexandra Jesse (PBS): Studies speech perception and multisensory processing across the lifespan
 Rebecca Ready (PBS): Studies emotion regulation (self-report and physiological reactivity), memory,
and executive function in normal aging, Alzheimer's disease, and Mild Cognitive Impairment
 Lynnette Sievert (Anthropology): Studies menopausal symptoms
 Rebecca Spencer (PBS): Studies the correspondence between age-related changes in sleep and
cognition and whether improving sleep improves cognitive abilities.
 Jacquie Kurland (Comm Disorders): Studies neural mechanisms of word retrieval and number
processing in the healthy aging brain, older individuals with small vessel disease, and stroke survivors.
 Lisa Sanders (PBS): Studies how basic auditory processing and selective attention affect language
comprehension across the life span.
3. Describe the interdisciplinary nature of this cluster.
Cluster faculty are from Anthropology, Communications Disorders, and PBS. We utilize a variety of
methods and complementary tools to discover the neuroscience of aging, including fMRI, EEG,
psychophysiology, hormone assays, genetics, cognitive tests, eye tracking, subjective reports,
computational models, and behavioral observation. We conduct laboratory and field work. We are
intimately interconnected with some of the most innovative and productive groups on campus,
including the Center for Research on Families, the Neuroscience and Behavior Program, the Center for
Neuroendocrine Studies, the Stress group, the Institute for Social Science Research, and the Human
MRI/S group.
4. a. What is the rationale for why this cluster needs to come together?
The U.S. is aging at an unprecedented rate, with the population over age 65 expected to double from
43.1 to 83.7 million between 2012 and 2050. Aging is a complex process associated with gains and
losses. For example, hearing, memory and processing speed decline and but there are gains in other
cognitive processes (vocabulary), neuro-compensatory processes are engaged for many tasks, and
overall, most older adults experience greater emotional well-being. The neural bases of these changes
are not well understood. Human and primate models of aging are centrally important in advancing this
research. Further, it is imperative to train the next generation of scholars to elucidate the neuroscience
of aging, to help older adults live enjoyable and productive lives.
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 44 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
b. What are the goals of your cluster and how will you work together to achieve them?
The goal of this cluster is to understand the aging brain structure and function by using an integrative
approach, from basic neuroscience to field studies to clinical applications. Bi-weekly meetings will be
organized to discuss pressing issues in aging research and identify questions that could be best
answered in studies conducted in animals and humans. As an example, a better understanding of the
relationships between age-related cognitive decline, emotion regulation and sleep would be gained
from studies using noninvasive approaches in humans (Cowell, Spencer, Ready, Sievert) and more
invasive approaches in nonhuman primates (Lacreuse). The cluster faculty members would benefit from
closer ties not only through intellectual interactions, but also in practical ways, by managing joint IRBs
and joint recruitment efforts and databases; currently there are inefficiencies in duplicative efforts
across labs. Joint endeavors and resource sharing will be facilitated by the regular cluster meetings.
c. What do you anticipate as the timeframe for achieving these goals?
The first 2 years of the cluster will be devoted to collaborations around specific questions (i.e., sleep,
emotion, cognition, perception, language), collection of preliminary data, and federal grant submissions.
A monthly colloquium will be organized, initially with the participation of internal faculty. We anticipate
that external funding, in the form of NIH R01s and a training grant, will be obtained by Years 3-4. Once
external funding is secured, recruitment of faculty will be organized to strengthen and expand promising
areas of the program. External speakers will contribute to a vibrant monthly colloquium on the
neuroscience of aging.
d. What have you already done or accomplished that positions your group for organizing as a
cluster? What is your record of collaboration?
The cluster builds on the former Aging Interest Group, which was established in 2005 within the School
of Public Health and Health Sciences and quickly expanded to faculty across campus. Faculty engaged in
aging research recognized the value of collaborative research and training and created the interest
group to network with and support one another. In addition, successful collaborations have already
been established among several key collaborators of this cluster. Lacreuse and Sievert submitted an
NIH R21 grant, Lacreuse and Ready co-authored a paper, Ready and Spencer collaborated on a study of
structural neuroimaging, neuropsychology, and early indicators for Alzheimer’s disease in a genetically
enriched sample; they continue to collaborate using shared lab space and equipment to understand the
neurophysiology of age related changed in emotion processing. Cowell and Spencer have a joint IRB for
testing patients with medial temporal lobe (MTL) damage at UMass Medical, which examines many of
the same questions that they plan to research in healthy older adults. .Jesse and Sanders have
conducted joint work on how healthy aging affects basic auditory processing. Ready, Spencer, Jesse, and
Cowell share recruitment databases for individuals with MTL damage, Alzheimer’s disease, and healthy
older adults.
e. What does your proposed cluster require to fully achieve its goals and deliverables? What
will be your resource needs?
The cluster will use existing meeting space in Tobin for bi-weekly meetings and colloquia. An animal
facility located within the INSI would greatly benefit the collaborative research efforts between
Lacreuse, current aging cluster faculty, and future hires who utilize animal models. A shared Endocrine
Assays Core Facility, providing assay services for animal and human researchers involved would be an
essential resource. A 25-50% time administrative support person (that can be shared with other
neuroscience clusters that need administrative support) to assist in recruitment of older adults into
studies, maintenance of our aging participant databases, and grant development would substantially
facilitate collaborative efforts. We seek office space for the administrative assistant. It is preferable
that this office is continuous with space for participant testing and treatment; again, these resources can
be shared across clusters.
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 45 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 46 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
Cluster Proposal: Patient Models of Brain Dysfunction and Research Translation
Name REBECCA SPENCER
Department PSYCH & BRAIN SCI
contact email RSPENCER@PSYCH.UMASS.EDU
phone X55987
1. How does your proposed cluster fit within the vision and themes for the INSI?
The cluster we propose is PATIENT MODELS OF BRAIN DYSFUNCTION AND RESEARCH TRANSLATION
cluster. This cluster bridges the DISCOVERY and TRANSLATIONAL Neuroscience themes as our work uses
patients with neurogenic disorders as a model to enhance our understanding of normal, disordered, and
compensatory brain functions and to translate these and other findings to improving outcomes in
patients with neurological impairments and neurodegenerative diseases.
2. Who will be the key contributors to the cluster and why?
Some investigators follow. However, there is a larger community that will be engaged at various levels.
 Julia Choi (JC), as her work examines locomotion in patients with supraspinal lesions (e.g., stroke,
cerebral palsy) as a method of understanding locomotor control and for establishing new treatments.
 Rosie Cowell (RC), as her work examines the function of the medial temporal lobe and ventral visual
pathway by studying deficits in individuals with lesions to this area.
 Jacque Kurland (JK), as her work examines treatment-induced brain reorganization supporting
language recovery following stroke.
 Youngbin Kwak (YK), as her work examines the role of the basal ganglia in decision-making via studies
in individuals with Parkinson’s disease
 Rebecca Ready (RR), as her work examines emotion processing and mood in individuals with
Alzheimer’s disease as a step towards treatment of deficits in this population. Dr. Ready is also
establishing a traumatic brain injury center for clinical training.
 Rebecca Spencer (RS), as her work examines the function of the cerebellum by studying those with
cerebellar lesions or degeneration (spinocerebellar ataxias) and the role of sleep in symtomotology
and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases (cerebellar ataxias, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease)
3. Describe the interdisciplinary nature of this cluster.
Our research ranges from testing theories of cognitive function (basic research), to developing
treatments for neurological disorders (applied/translational research). We study related but distinct
fields of enquiry (emotion, motor function, memory, language, sleep) using a common methodology:
patient testing. The interdisciplinary nature can also be seen through the diversity in our PIs’ home
departments: Communication Disorders, Kinesiology, and Psychological & Brain Sciences (Cognitive,
Developmental, & Clinical divisions). Our cluster includes neuroscientists, psychologists and biomedical
engineers. We expect future interested faculty to come from Linguistics, Public Health, and Nursing.
4. Please provide an overview of your research project plan.
a. What is the rationale for why this cluster needs to come together?
Our research shares both common interests and common challenges. Regarding interests, we
collectively share interest in understanding brain function through patient models. This methodology
provides information that is unavailable purely from behavioral testing or functional neuroimaging of
neurotypical controls. Within the context of normal task performance, evidence of ‘abnormal’ neuronal
responses suggests that there exist alternative cognitive and neuronal mechanisms which may in turn
shed light on systems underlying recovery, as well as enhance our understanding of normal cognitive
architecture. Our group has research synergies in the area of medial temporal lobe (RC, RS, RR) and
basal ganglia function (YK, JC), speech/language and motor rehabilitation (JC, JK), and in the area of
translating basic research findings to Phase I clinical treatments (JK, RR, RS).
In patient-centered research, we share the challenge of recruiting patient populations from a campus
without a medical school. We have made significant strides in sharing databases and making
connections at UMMS, but they have not solved the persistent challenge of patient access.
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 47 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
b. What are the goals of your cluster and how will you work together to achieve them?
While neurogenic disease focused research is essential to translational neuroscience and life sciences
(an IALS mission), it has been weak at UMA and difficult to maintain. Being without a medical school,
patient research presents particular challenges of (1) forging connections with Baystate and UMMS, (2)
accessing patient records, (3) screening potential participants for study criteria, and (4) addressing
hospital IRB peculiarities. Our cluster is eager to solve this. Foremost, we seek operational efficiency.
Our groups independently make connections with ‘the right person’ at UMMS and Baystate, but having
a central staff person to conduct patient recruiting would save time and improve PI productivity.
Additionally, we seek to strengthen nascent research synergies and increase collaborations. We would
hold bi-monthly meetings to discuss and brainstorm solutions to on-going research challenges and study
outcomes. These meetings would also provide rich opportunities for developing collaborative proposals
given group members’ common interests and unique areas of expertise. We expect that, with the
identification of synergies and the operational efficiency to support it, we will produce multi-authored
publications and grant proposals. The potential for collaborative proposals is too numerous to detail
here (e.g., effects of napping on treatment outcomes in aphasia (RS/JK), or in motor recovery from
stroke (RS/JC); affective outcomes following intensive treatment in aphasia (RR/JK); etc.).
c. What do you anticipate as the timeframe for achieving these goals?
 Staff hire (a patient recruiter): Within 2 months of the availability of funding
 Formation of synergies: Bi-monthly meetings would begin immediately with the initial discussion
topics centered on the hire and distribution of that person’s time and prioritization, followed by
discussions of future meeting formats and timing, followed by the institution of the regular research
meetings.
 Multi-authored publications: We expect joint work to be in the publication stage in 2-3 yrs.
 Grant proposals: We expect that proposals, including resources to pick up funding of the patient
recruiter/staff hire, would be submitted within 18 months of the approval of this cluster.
5. What have you already done or accomplished that positions your group for organizing as a
cluster? What is your record of collaboration?
We have one joint publication (Ready et al, 2011), which was awarded an Outstanding Faculty-Student
Collaboration Award from the NE Psychological Association. We have approval of shared databases of
cerebellar lesion patients, Parkinson’s patients, and memory impaired patients, one approved
collaborative project underway (RC,RS), and have jointly mentored doctoral students (RS, RR, JK).
6. What does your proposed cluster require to fully achieve its goals and deliverables? What will
be your resource needs?
We seek a staff hire (for recruitment) and resources for this work (a computer, printer, phone, some
mileage reimbursement for initial meetings with Baystate and UMMS, filing cabinet, desk).
We seek a shared patient testing and treatment rooms (see #7) and access to a clean, convenient,
small conference room.
7. If your proposal is requesting contiguous space, please describe how your cluster would utilize
4000 square feet of open research space? What will the space be used for and what is required
in terms of offices, equipment/instrumentation, and staffing?
We seek office space (~300 sq ft) for the patient recruiter. It is preferable that this office is contiguous
with space (~800 sq ft) for patient testing and treatment. The testing/treatment space should have
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 48 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
video recording capability both for inter-rating and educational purposes. Ideally, the space would also
include a shared lab space (~400 sq ft with desks, chairs and locking cabinets), which would enhance
interdepartmental collaboration between undergraduate and graduate research assistants working in
the various labs.
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 49 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
Cluster Proposal: “Women’s Mental Health across the Lifespan”
Name: Agnès Lacreuse
Email: alacreuse@psych.umass.edu
Department:
Psychological and Brain Sciences (PBS)
phone: 413-545-2183
Vision and Theme: Compared to men, women have an increased risk of developing a host of affective
and cognitive disorders throughout their lifetime. This increased vulnerability is particularly prominent
at times of hormonal flux that characterize specific reproductive transitions (puberty/
pregnancy/perimenopause), but little is known about the mechanisms underlying these changes. The
main objective of this cluster is to understand how hormonal changes across the reproductive
transitions of a woman’s lifespan confer increased vulnerability to mental health disorders. This issue
will be addressed by an interdisciplinary team from Anthropology, Biology, Epidemiology and
Psychological and Brain Sciences (PBS) at UMass Amherst and off-campus members at UMass Medical
Center, Baystate Medical Center and Smith College. Encompassing the Discovery and Translational
Neuroscience themes of the INSI, the cluster will employ multiple levels of investigations (e.g., basic
science to clinical) and a variety of tools and techniques (molecular tools to clinical neuroimaging) in
both animal models and humans (1) to uncover how puberty, pregnancy and reproductive senescence
affect female’s mental health and (2) to develop new avenues of treatment for these disorders. The
cluster has the potential to attract grant funding, at a time when NIH has just recognized the importance
of integrating biological sex as variable in both preclinical and clinical studies on health and disease.
Key contributors:
 Elizabeth Bertone-Johnson (Epidemiology): reproductive epidemiology, PMS, PMDD,
perimenopause
 Courtney Babbitt (Biology): gene expression and reproductive maturation
 Jeffrey Blaustein (PBS/BNS): hormones, stress and puberty in rodents
 Joseph Bergan (PBS/BNS): hormonal modulation of social cognition in rodents
 Lisa Chasan-Taber (Epidemiology): reproductive epidemiology
 Agnès Lacreuse (PBS/BNS): hormones, cognition and emotion in nonhuman primates (NHP)
 Jerrold Meyer (PBS/BNS): stress, pregnancy and brain development in NHP- Endocrine Core
Facility
 Melinda Novak (PBS/BNS): prenatal stress and mental health outcomes in NHP
 Mariana Pereira (PBS/BNS): neurobiology of parenting and postpartum disorders in rodents
 Maureen Perry-Jenkins (PBS/Clinical): prenatal depression, stress and mental health outcomes
 Heather Richardson (PBS/BNS): stress and brain development in rodent models
 Lynnette Sievert (Anthropology): menopausal symptoms in women
 Brian Whitcomb (Epidemiology): reproductive epidemiology and biostatistics
Other cluster members: Kinesiology: Jane Kent (motor function in aging); Nutrition: Lisa Troy
(cardiovascular function at menopause); PBS: David Moorman (BNS): neurobiology of decision-making in
rodents; Rebecca Ready (Clinical): emotion regulation in aging; Luke Remage-Healey (BNS):
neurosteroids and behavior;
Katherine Dixon-Gordon (Clinical):
emotional processes and
psychopathology; Rebecca Spencer (Cognitive): sleep and cognition in aging; UMass Medical Center:
Nancy Byatt: perinatal mental health; Kristina Deligiannidis: postpartum depression; Jean King: neural
development and pregnancy in rodents/small animal neuroimaging; Wendy Marsh: menopause and
mental disorders; Constance Moore: mood and cognitive disorders in adolescents and young adults
Smith College: Annaliese Beery: stress and brain development in rodents; Baystate Medical Sarah Goff:
postpartum depression.
Research
Rationale:
Plan
Puberty, pregnancy, and perimenopause are associated with major neuroendocrine
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 50 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
• Babbitt
• Meyer
• Remage-Healey
Animal models
Remodeling
of neural
circuits
• Bergan
• Blaustein
• Moorman
• Richardson
Human Research
• Bertone-Johnson
• Dixon-Gordon
• Moore
• Whitcomb
Physiological
markers
•Babbitt
•Meyer
•Remage-Healey
Animal models
•Beery
•Novak
•Pereira
•Richardson
Human Research
• Byatt
• Chasan-Taber
• Deligiannidis
• King
• Goff
• Perry-Jenkins
• Whitcomb
Physiological
markers
•Babbitt
•Bertone-Johnson
•Meyer
•Remage-Healey
Animal models
•Bergan
•Lacreuse
•Moorman
Human Research
•Bertone-Johnson
•Kent
•Marsh
•Ready
•Sievert
•Spencer
•Troy
•Whitcomb
Perimenopause
Physiological
markers
Pregnancy
Reproductive transitions: major changes in hormonal environment
Puberty
reorganizations and detrimental
mental health outcomes (i.e.,
anxiety, depression, cognitive
dysfunction) but little is known
about the mechanisms. Goals:
The main goal of the cluster is
to bridge basic and clinical
neuroscience and to integrate
techniques,
tools,
and
perspectives from multiple
disciplines to uncover the
mechanisms by which a
changing
hormonal
environment during these
reproductive
transitions
increases
vulnerability
to
mental health disorders in
women (Fig. 1). The initial task
of the cluster will be to define
Increased risk for Anxiety, Depression, Cognitive Dysfunction
Fig. 1 Women’s Mental Health Cluster organization
the specific aims that will be best
answered using the strengths of a multidisciplinary approach. This will be accomplished through the
organization of focused bi-weekly meetings. The identified collaborations will facilitate grant
submissions (particularly NIH R01s and Program Projects) and the formation of a training program for
graduate students and postdocs through the submission of NIH training grants. In parallel, a monthly
colloquium will be organized (initially from local Faculty). Ultimately, teaching courses will be developed
around the main themes of the cluster and hiring priorities of new Faculty identified Timeframe: The
first two years will be devoted to the initial development of the program and will progress in several
stages (1) refinement of the research questions, identification of specific collaborations and discussion
of grant ideas; (2) collection of preliminary data and grant submissions; (3) creation of a monthly
colloquium. We anticipate that external funding will be obtained during Years 3-4. Once secured,
development of teaching courses, recruitment of students through training grants and hiring of new
Faculty will be organized. External speakers will be invited a monthly colloquium on women’s mental
health that will enhance to the visibility of the cluster.
Record of previous collaborations: The cluster builds logically on the strengths of the Center for
Neuroendocrine Studies, which brings together neuroendocrinologists from diverse departments and
the Menopause Research Group, headed by Lisa Troy (Nutrition), which discusses menopause research
among investigators from a wide range of disciplines (Anthropology, Kinesiology, Epidemiology,
Nutrition and PBS). In addition, many cluster participants are already linked via the Center for Research
on Families (CRF), the Neuroscience and Behavior Program, the Stress Group and the Human MRI/MRS
Group. Lacreuse has established collaborations with Sievert (NIH proposal submission), King and
Remage-Healey (co-investigators on her R01-funded project), Ready (co-authorship), Meyer (coinvestigator on R21-funded project and co-authorship) and Novak (co-investigator on AFAR grant and
co-authorship). Richardson has established collaborations with Whitcomb (co-investigator on a R21funded project and two of pending R01 projects; co-authorship). Sievert leads the Stress Group with
Richardson. Sievert has ongoing collaborations with Bergan, Bertone-Johnson, Kent and Lacreuse.
Spencer and Ready have an ongoing research collaboration.
Resources Needs: Immediate needs A set of early initiatives would promote successful collaborative
research among cluster members (1) contiguous space for selected collaborators; (2) maintenance of
low per diem costs for all species for the first 2 years; (3) ability to compete for internal pilot funds to
support data collection for grant submissions; (4) access to an Endocrine Assays Core Facility within the
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 51 of 52
NS Strategic Plan 2015
building (Meyer); (5) access to a shared administrative person to help with grant submissions, postaward management, and maintenance of lab websites Long-term prospects Ultimately, the
establishment of an animal facility located within the INSI with shared housing and testing space among
several investigators would provide a much needed resource. The development of a marmoset breeding
colony should be considered, as it would offer untapped primate research opportunities across several
INSI clusters (i.e., primate models of autism). Another invaluable investment for all INSI clusters would
be the establishment of a Small Animal Neuroimaging Core Facility (7T or 9T), appropriate for rodents,
birds, and marmosets.
Contiguous Space Need: The cluster can initially be developed independently of contiguous space.
However, the collaborative efforts would ultimately be greatly facilitated by the existence of contiguous
space, especially between contributors using significant resources within the building (Core Facilities;
Wet labs; animal housing). The space could consist of:
1. Contiguous wet labs
 Joseph Bergan
 David Moorman
 Mariana Pereira
 Luke Remage-Healey
 Heather Richardson
2. Core Facility:
 Endocrine Assays Core Facility (Jerrold Meyer)
3. Meeting room: ~ 15 investigators
4. Future needs:
 Animal housing within the building
 Small animal neuroimaging facility
 Offices for members using resources within INSI
INSI Steering Committee – 9/4/2015
Page 52 of 52