Project Grant T32NS147937

The University of Pittsburgh received a $380,145 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders program (CFDA 93.853), effective July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2031. This T32 institutional training grant establishes a structured postdoctoral and resident training program that pairs four bioengineering postdoctoral fellows with four neurosurgery residents annually to pursue collaborative research bridging neural engineering and clinical neurosurgical practice.

The program delivers cross-disciplinary mentorship and research training focused on translating engineering innovations into neurosurgical applications across multiple clinical areas including epilepsy, stroke, tumors, chronic pain, speech pathologies, movement disorders, and sensory loss. Trainees work under joint mentorship from both clinician-researchers and basic scientists, with the program designed to cultivate a new generation of researchers and clinicians capable of operating effectively in team-science environments. The training leverages the University of Pittsburgh's existing institutional strengths in neurosurgery, bioengineering, neuroscience, and computational sciences to catalyze innovation in neurosurgical care and advance fundamental understanding of brain function.