If you’re fascinated with how the brain works or simply think it’ll be cool to work with fancy instruments wearing a lab coat, you should definitely consider pursuing a career in the field of neuroscience. CareerStint has collated a list of careers in this field and provided a brief description along with it.
The rapid progress in the field of neuroscience has led to the formation of a number of organizations such as the International Brain Research Organization (1960), International Society for Neurochemistry (1963), the European Brain and Behavior Society (1968), and the Society for Neuroscience (1969).
Neuroscientists strive to improve our understanding of what influences the working of the human mind. Neuroscience is basically the study of the developmental, molecular, anthropological, computational, cellular, and functional aspects of the nervous system. With the advent of new non-invasive technology, the scope of this field is rapidly expanding. This science is the confluence of various other fields of science such as computers, physics, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and linguistics with the field of biology.
In order to pursue a career in neuroscience, at the undergraduate level, you will need to pick courses like biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics in high school. In addition to these, courses in psychology, statistics, computer science, or robotics will be required if you wish to enter into certain fields of neuroscience like behavioral neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, computational neuroscience, etc. To pursue a Master’s degree or PhD in this field, you will need an undergraduate degree in life sciences. Many schools may require you to submit GRE scores and also provide a proof of a prior research experience.
Your salary as a neuroscientist may vary depending on the branch of neuroscience you have studied, your qualifications, and also the type of organization you will be working for; It could range from USD 35,000 – USD 250,000.
The careers in the field of neuroscience are varied, here are some options that you can consider.
Neuroscience Careers List
➜ Neuropathologists have a PhD or medical degree and study the pathology of diseases of the nervous system.
➜ Neurochemists study the chemical aspects of the nervous system.
➜ Neuroanatomists study the structure of the nervous system in great detail.
➜ Neurobiologists study the structure and development of the nervous system.
➜ Clinical neurophysiology: A career in this field requires a medical degree, it is the study of the central and peripheral nervous system by monitoring the electrical impulses transmitted by the nerve cells.
➜ Neurologists have a medical degree and specialize in the diagnosis of diseases of the nervous system.
➜ Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine: This field focuses on the perception of pain and pharmacological alteration of consciousness.
➜ Neurosurgeons specialize in the diagnosis and surgical treatment of disease of the nervous system.
➜ Psychosurgery: It is also known as Neurosurgery for Mental Disorder; it is the surgical treatment of mental disorders.
➜ Neuropharmacologists study how drugs affect the nervous system at the cellular level as well as the behavioral changes that may be induced by it.
➜ Neurophysiologists study the functioning of the nervous system.
➜ Neuroradiologists specialize in radiological focusing in the diagnosis and characterization of anomalies in the nervous system.
➜ Psychobiologists study the biological process behind emotional processes.
➜ Psychiatrists specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of mental diseases.
➜ Neuroethics: This is a field that deals with all the ethical issues related to neuroscience.
➜ Neuroeconomics: This is a field that studies biological processes behind decision-making.
➜ Neuroaesthetics: This a field that studies the biological process behind the perception of aesthetics.
➜ Neurotechnology: It the technology that is designed to repair or sometimes improve brain functions to help in the better visualization of brain functions.
➜ Neuroendocrinology: It is the study of the interaction between the endocrine and the nervous systems.
➜ Psychoneuroimmunology: It is the study of the interaction between the nervous and the immune systems.
➜ Neuroprosthetics: This science is the collaboration between neurosciences and biomedical engineering to create neural prostheses that may connect the brain to a computer to replace a lost biological function.
➜ Neuroscience nurse: A nurse with intensive training in neuroscience.
➜ Psychophysics: It is the study of the perception of various physical stimuli.
➜ Electroneurodiagnostic technicians study the electrical activity of the nervous system to diagnose its disorders.
➜ Scientific writing: One can choose to write scientific observations and papers in a specified manner for journals and publications in the field of neuroscience.
➜ Neurolaw: It is the study of the effect of new discoveries in the field neuroscience on legal issues.
➜ Neuroethology: It is an evolutionary approach to study the mechanisms of animal behavior.
➜ Research assistants are researchers who have an MS (in neuroscience) and are often employed on a temporary basis by a university or a research institute.
➜ Clinical research coordinators conduct clinical trials (say, of a drug that may treat a neurological condition) and ensure that the specified guidelines for the trials are maintained.
➜ Drug rehabilitation is the therapeutic treatment for dependency on psychoactive substances.
➜ Speech Pathologists or speech therapists specialize in the treatment of communication and swallowing disorders.
If you are really keen on pursuing a career in this field, be prepared to study in school for a long time. You will need utmost dedication and hard work to do well in this field.