Bar-Ilan University's Gonda (Goldschmied) Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center is opening a new and unique international Master of Science (MSc) degree in collaboration with the Instituto Superior Técnico from the University of Lisbon, the most important engineering school in Portugal.
The program will combine neuroscience and data science. These two sought-after fields, which relate to a broad range of areas in our daily lives -- from banking and industry to health and social research -- have developed rapidly in recent years. Neuroscience studies provide a multidisciplinary knowledge base in the life sciences, behavioral sciences, language, computer science, physics, chemistry, mathematics, and philosophy alongside in-depth courses dedicated to studying the nervous system of humans and animals. Data science studies expose students to various advanced technologies, including programming languages, artificial intelligence, and machine learning platforms. In addition, the program provides advanced technological skills for managing, processing, and analyzing Big Data.
“The joint degree between the two universities will allow us to combine forces to offer students the finest education in their areas of interest,” says Prof. Alon Korngreen, Director of the Gonda Brain Center. For Israeli students, it's an opportunity to study both at Bar-Ilan University and one of the leading academic institutions in Europe.
“For Portuguese students this cooperation creates new interdisciplinary experiences, exposure to cultural diversity, networking and international career opportunities,” says Prof. João Sanches, coordinator for the Master's in Biomedical Engineering and member of the board of directors of the Institute for Systems and Robotics.
Subjects of study will include advanced courses in these fields at both universities. At Bar-Ilan, emphasis will be placed on issues related to brain research and in Lisbon on topics in biomedical engineering and data science. At both institutions, students will specialize in understanding and deciphering signals from the nervous system.
The new program will expose students to new ideas, new scientific paradigms, new approaches to conducting research, and in general, new ways of advancing science. In addition, the program will bring students together with research experts from both academic institutions, which naturally expands the range of knowledge, ideas and possibilities. Students will spend their first year in the Master's program at their home university -- Bar-Ilan or the Lisbon Institute of Technology -- and their second year at the partner university. The program is open to anyone enrolled in the Master's program at one of the two universities. Courses will be taught entirely in English.
The Gonda Brain Center established the Master's Program in Neuroscience and Data Science one year ago. It is the first of its kind in Israel. The joint program with Técnico is a welcome development that will enable students to study and conduct research at a leading university in Europe.
Acceptance will be granted to qualified candidates who hold a Bachelor's degree in Neuroscience, Computer Science, Life Sciences, Physics, Chemistry, Psychology, Mathematics or Engineering. These requirements are identical to the MSc program currently offered by the Gonda Brain Center. During the first year of the Master's degree program, students who have successfully fulfilled their course work will be able to apply to complete the second year of their degree at the Lisbon Institute of Technology.
This is the second joint Master's degree with a foreign university that Bar-Ilan University has established. Last month the University announced that it signed an agreement with the University of Strasbourg in France to offer the first joint MSc in Chemoinformatics between an Israeli and French university.