Researcher administering an fMRI scan.

Graduate Certificate

Biological approaches uncover the building blocks of cognition. Psychological approaches link cognition to behavior. Computational approaches simulate cognition and provide tools for discovery. The combination of these perspectives—Brains, Minds, and Machines—can unlock a deeper, more unified understanding of cognition.

  • About

  • Dates

  • Details

  • Requirements

About

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, hands-on internships, and professional development, students explore cognition across levels of analysis, preparing them to tackle some of the most vexing scientific questions.

2025-26 Application

Fall 2025
Full program details released

Spring 2026
Applications open for first-year PhD students

Fall 2026
Inaugural cohort begins certificate activities in their second year

Please contact wti@yale.edu with questions.

Two researchers working on an equation on a glass board Postdoctoral researcher using a microscope in a lab

Details + Requirements

First-year PhD students from any department in Yale’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences are eligible to apply. This certificate is designed for students seeking interdisciplinary cross-training to develop a broader, more integrative foundation for advanced research aligned with the mission of the Wu Tsai Institute.

Upon satisfactory completion of the requirements below, students receive a Certificate in Brains, Minds, and Machines to be reflected on their official transcript. This three-year certificate is designed to supplement the doctoral training students receive in their home PhD program with activities that complement their home program requirements.

Certificate students must complete three courses:

  1. Core course in Brains, Minds, and Machines (to be developed)
  2. Methods course selected from an approved list (may also count toward home program requirements)
  3. Elective course selected from an approved list (may also count toward home program requirements)

As members of the Wu Tsai Institute community, certificate students are expected to participate in the following events: 

  • WTI Inspiring Speaker Series
  • A student-focused science communication series
  • Professional development workshops
  • Brains, Minds, and Machines annual poster session

For additional interdisciplinary training outside of the classroom, certificate students must complete at least two semesters of pre-approved hands-on learning experiences, including:

  • Attend the lab meeting of a faculty member other than your advisor(s)
  • Join an industry project or visit a company regularly
  • Gain skills at a shared research facility in WTI Contribute to an open science team by curating data and reviewing code
  • Organize a workshop, tutorial, poster session, or bootcamp in WTI
  • Contribute to a science communication team by creating a media campaign
  • Organize community outreach programs and events
  • Host a journal club or special interest group
  • Serve as a student representative on a WTI committee

  • First-year graduate students from any PhD program in Yale’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences are eligible to apply
  • The student’s dissertation advisor and an additional member of their thesis committee should be Wu Tsai Faculty Members
  • Outstanding applicants may be awarded a competitive Wu Tsai Graduate Fellowship, which typically provides three years of stipend support and a top-up award
  • All certificate students are eligible to apply for travel or other discretionary funding