Cognitive Neuroscience

Admission Information

The Cognitive Neuroscience Psychology Program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign invites applicants for admission to our doctoral program for Fall 2026. We support diversity and inclusion in our graduate program and encourage applications from members of underrepresented groups.

The application deadline is December 1, 2025. More information can be found at https://psychology.illinois.edu/phd-psychology/phd-program-application-requirements.  The following faculty are planning to admit students as primary research advisors for the upcoming year:  Caterina Gratton and Adam Steel.  

Program Area Information

The faculty in cognitive neuroscience offer a comprehensive program encompassing both human and animal approaches to questions about functional organization and neural architecture of cognition. Specific areas of faculty interest include memory, attention and performance, aging, language, emotion, and the development and refinement of brain imaging methods. The research of the cognitive neuroscience faculty makes use of a vast array of methods, including functional and structural MRI, psychophysiological recordings (e.g., ERP), eye-tracking, neuropsychological testing, and optical readings (EROS and NIRS) in humans, as well as electrical stimulation (e.g. TMS), and pharmacological and lesion preparations in animals.

Because of the highly collaborative nature of the work of members of this program area and the hands-on methodological training offered, students in the program have exposure to, and are encouraged to gain direct experience with, a number of these methods. This program is strongly research-oriented. Each graduate student works directly with a faculty adviser on original research from the onset of his/her graduate career, including the conducting of a first-year project.