On Wednesday, April 14, 2021, UHN celebrated the launch of the Max Planck–University of Toronto Centre (MPUTC) for Neural Science and Technology.
The MPUTC is the third Max Planck Centre in Canada, continuing a 50-year-long history of successful scientific collaboration between Canada and Germany.
Led by Co-Directors Dr. Taufik Valiante (Krembil Brain Institute) and Dr. Joyce Poon (Max Planck Institute for Microstructure Physics), the Centre brings together experts in the fields of engineering, physics, neuroscience, neuroinformatics and neuromedicine. It also connects the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft with the University of Toronto, University Health Network and participating hospitals—the Hospital for Sick Children and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
“The partnership between these research institutions and hospitals will support the development of new tools and experiments that are relevant to the human brain,” says Dr. Valiante. “There is a great sense of societal urgency surrounding brain research, and we are confident that MPUTC will accelerate breakthroughs in this field.”
Graduate trainees will have the opportunity to enroll in a joint PhD program at MPUTC. This program will enable students to spend the first year of their PhD studies at the University of Toronto followed by up to three additional years at a participating Max Planck Institute.
Krembil has committed to funding three joint PhD program studentships, during which students will be supervised by Krembil Brain Institute scientists.
For more information, visit the Centre’s website here.