Science Centers
Other research centers and institutes at the university that reflect Brandeis' commitment to advanced scientific research, social justice and social policy and various areas of Jewish life and Judaica are as follows.
Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Laboratory
The Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Laboratory comprises faculty, researchers, staff, and students drawn from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds and academic and professional experiences. Its research helps to explain and solve practical problems in aeronautics, astronautics and clinical populations. Topics include sensory motor adaptation, motion sickness, perception of human body orientation, and the effects of varying force environments on the control of movement, posture and balance.
Materials Research Science and Engineering Center
The Brandeis Materials Research Science and Engineering Center seeks to create new materials, constructed from a few simplified components that capture the remarkable functionalities found in living organisms. In addition to opening new directions in materials science research, these efforts elucidate the minimal requirements for the emergence of biological function. This work draws upon complementary experimental and theoretical techniques that span the physical and life sciences.
National Center for Behavioral Genomics
The National Center for Behavioral Genomics cis an interdisciplinary research and training center focused on understanding brain function and behavior. Its overarching strategy is to apply information from the human genome project as well as other advances in genomics-genetics to molecular, cellular, and systems neuroscience. The research goals are two-fold: to further our understanding of normal and pathological brain function, including the generation of complex behaviors; and to identify novel therapeutic strategies for dysfunctions and diseases of the brain, including mental illnesses.
Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center
The Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center brings together scientists from the Biology, Biochemistry, and Chemistry Departments to advance knowledge of the genetic and molecular basis of human disorders, identify new therapeutic targets, and facilitate next-generation therapies. Research integrates structural, molecular, genetic, and cell biological approaches, and emphasizes the use of model organisms including bacteria, yeast, flies, frogs and mice.
The W.M. Keck Institute for Cellular Visualization is affiliated with the Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center.
Sloan-Swartz Center for Theoretical Neuroscience
The Sloan-Swartz Center for Theoretical Neuroscience at Brandeis University is devoted to training predoctoral students and postdoctoral researchers with strong analytic and computational backgrounds to apply these skills to neuroscience.
Benjamin and Mae Volen National Center for Complex Systems
The Benjamin and Mae Volen National Center for Complex Systems is a multidisciplinary center dedicated to the study of the brain and intelligence. It is composed of faculty who specialize in artificial intelligence, cognitive science, and a wide range of topics in neuroscience, including experimental psychology, computational neuroscience, and cellular and molecular neurobiology. The Center aims to increase knowledge within each of its individual component disciplines, as well as to foster interactions among the components, giving rise to new scientific initiatives.