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About
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To prepare the next generation of researchers, the Graduate Certificate in Brains, Minds, and Machines equips PhD students at Yale with integrative training across biological, psychological, and computational approaches. Most related programs focus on one or two of these approaches. This certificate is designed to bring all three together—providing students with the mindset and skillset to investigate cognition in its full richness and complexity. Through interdisciplinary coursework, cohort programming, and participatory learning opportunities outside of the classroom, students develop a broader, more integrative foundation for advanced research.
2025-26 Application
March 16, 2026
Applications open
April 16, 2026
Applications close
June 2026
Selections announced
Fall 2026
Inaugural cohort begins certificate activities in their second year
Please contact wti@yale.edu with questions.
Eligibility + Application
First-year graduate students from any PhD program in Yale’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences are eligible to apply.
The student’s current or planned dissertation advisor must be a Wu Tsai Faculty Member. Students are expected to include at least one additional Wu Tsai Faculty Member on their thesis committee once the committee is established.
- Current CV
- Letter of recommendation from primary academic advisor
- Short answers to questions about research interests, motivation for interdisciplinary training, and how the certificate would support the applicant’s goals
Certificate students are eligible to apply for travel or other discretionary funding. Outstanding applicants may be awarded a competitive WTI Graduate Student Fellowship, which typically provides three years of stipend support.
Certificate Requirements
This three-year certificate supplements the doctoral training students receive in their home PhD program with activities that complement that program’s requirements.
Students accepted into the certificate complete course requirements, participate in certificate-related activities, and complete two semesters of approved experiential learning opportunities. Upon satisfactory completion of the requirements, students receive a Certificate in Brains, Minds, and Machines to be reflected on their official transcript.
Certificate students must complete three courses:
- The core course in Brains, Minds, and Machines (BM&M 5000)
- A methods course selected from an approved list (may also count toward home program requirements)
- An elective course selected from an approved list (may also count toward home program requirements)
Certificate students are expected to participate in the following programming:
- WTI Inspiring Speaker Series
- A student-focused science communication series
- Professional development workshops
- Annual poster session
Certificate students complete two or more semesters of pre-approved, hands-on learning experiences meant to enhance their interdisciplinary training. These opportunities are designed to extend learning beyond the classroom, thereby encouraging students to apply integrative approaches while expanding their skills and networks. Students identify and plan their experiences in advance through consultation with certificate leadership and activity supervisors to ensure alignment with their goals and the certificate’s interdisciplinary objectives. Examples of opportunities include:
- Participate in lab meetings of a faculty member other than your advisor(s)
- Join an industry project or visit a company regularly
- Gain skills in one of WTI’s shared research facilities
- Organize a workshop, tutorial, poster session, or bootcamp for the WTI community
- Contribute to a science communication team by creating a media campaign
- Organize a community outreach program or event
- Host a journal club or special interest group
- Create an original opportunity (subject to approval)
