Mission Statement

Our lab is composed of scientists from a range of academic backgrounds including (but not limited to) neuroscience, linguistics, (bio-)engineering, computer science, cognitive science, and psychology. We are proud to be a diverse team, with different nationalities, ethnicities, language backgrounds, genders, and ages. In addition to providing a sustainable work-life balance for our team, we seek to create a supportive environment for both innovative and rigorous scientific research as well as personal and professional development. Within and beyond the lab, we aim to inspire interest in science, increase access to educational resources and opportunities, and promote diversity and equity in academia.

Within the Chang Lab, we have an Outreach Group that meets every two weeks and specifically focuses on:

Providing a supportive space for researchers in the Chang Lab to discuss equity and inclusion issues relevant within both the lab and academia at large.
Creating interactive, research-related resources that communicate our scientific findings to the public and introduce high-school and collegiate level students to neuroscience research.
Leveraging existing departmental and campus-wide initiatives in order to engage with the greater community and work towards the above outreach goals.

(This site is a work in progress and is continuously being updated…)

Advocacy and Outreach

We are fortunate to be working closely with coordinators from the UCSF Neurosurgery Department, who organize and host many of the outreach initiatives that we participate in. Some of these initiatives are listed below.

ENVISION Lessons in Coding

ENVISION is an internship program with UCSF Department of Neurosurgery in partnership with the non-profit organization Oasis for Girls. ENVISION introduces young high school girls of color from under-represented communities in San Francisco to careers in the medical field and helps them build professional skills to enrich their future.

Our lesson materials are public and can be accessed at this on our Github. If you have suggestions or feedback for us, please feel free to create a Github issue!

UCSF SRTP Internship

Students who are selected for the UCSF SRTP program spend up to ten weeks working with UCSF faculty members on research projects. Participants in the program take part in seminars, lectures, and social events, creating a cohesive and supportive community. At the end of the program, students give presentations of their research and get valuable feedback from students, postdocs, and faculty at UCSF.

Brain Camp

Founded by UCSF MSTP and PRIME students, Brain Camp @ UCSF is a free, immersive, week-long experience for underserved high school students in San Francisco, led by UCSF medical students and faculty. They explore the fascinating anatomy of the brain, delve into the complex interplay between mind and behavior, and host college prep workshops, all at UCSF.

Other Internship Opportunities

We are always looking for passionate interns who would like to gain research experience in our lab. If you are interested in internship opportunities in the Chang Lab, or alternatively, if you know of outreach programs that the Chang Lab may be a good fit for, please reach out to our outreach coordinators: outreach.changlab@gmail.com.