The Society for Philosophy and Neuroscience is now accepting applications for our collaborative mentorship program. Accepted mentees will be paired with a mentor in philosophy and a mentor in neuroscience and will work on a project over the course of one year. Each mentee will receive a Dana Foundation Travel Award (travel and accommodations) to attend and present their research project at SPAN2027. 

 

Deadline: February 28th, 2026 at 11:59pm EST

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Mentorship:

• Mentees may be from philosophy or neuroscience​

  • Must be at the earliest career stage: undergraduate or graduate

• May suggest mentors from either or both fields: mentor must also be early career (post-doc, pre-tenure faculty). If mentors are not suggested, SPAN will pair the mentee with mentors.

  • Mentors receive a $500 honorarium for their service. 

• Mentees will propose a research project that will be executed over the course of one year (May 2026 - May 2027). 

  • The project must demonstrate an interdisciplinary effort that engages both philosophy and neuroscience.

  • Example topics:

    • How do philosophers and neuroscientists make sense of the mind?​

    • What is perception?

    • What is thought?

    • How do models inform theories? 

    • What role does inference play in brain imaging studies?

• Mentees will attend and share their research project at SPAN 2027. 

  • Mentees will participate in a pre-presentation workshop at SPAN2027 (Day 1) where they will practice their presentation and get feedback and assistance from SPAN members to prepare for their conference presentation (Day 3).​

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Submission Process:

Please email your application to submissions@philandneuro.com  with the subject line “SPAN Mentorship Program Submission” no later than February 28, 2026, 11:59pm EST. Applications should be submitted as a single pdf attachment with the following information: 

 

1. Mentee Information​

   • Name​

   • Email Address

   • Phone Number

   • University Affiliation

   • Rank (e.g., undergraduate, graduate student)

   • Year in program

   • Major and/or Department

2. Suggested Mentors (if applicable)​​

   • Name​

   • Email Address

   • University Affiliation

   • Rank (e.g., graduate, post-doc)

   • If a graduate student, year in the program

   • Department (Philosophy or Neuroscience)

3. Project Description (up to 500 words)​

4. ​Description of how the project demonstrates interdisciplinarity. 
   
   PLEASE NOTE: Whether mentors are proposed will not be factored into the award decisions. It is up to the individual as to how they would like to shape their mentorship experience. ​​

 

Project Timeline:

April 2026: Decision Announcements

May 2026: Mentorship Pairings Finalized

May 2026-April 2027: Mentorship Program Runs

April 2027: Mentee Project Due

End of May 2027: SPAN2027

 

For questions, please contact Danielle Williams: danielle.williams@purdue.edu