HHMI’s Janelia Research Campus in Ashburn, Virginia, cracks open scientific fields by breaking through technical and intellectual barriers. Our integrated teams of lab scientists and tool-builders pursue a small number of scientific questions with potential for transformative impact. To drive science forward, we share our methods, results, and tools with the scientific community.
Our Model
Our research model includes these core features:
Small research groups led by lab heads who themselves actively conduct research
An emphasis on early scientific independence
An environment that fosters collaboration between groups, particularly tool-builders and tool-users
Highly capable teams that run collaborative projects and provide scientific support
An explicit goal to make progress in a small number of high-impact, challenging research areas
Our Research
In 2017, we moved to a 15-year research model. We plan to develop a given research area for roughly 15 years to gain traction and attract outside interest, at which point we’ll cycle to a new area of focus. This approach enables Janelia to stay at the frontier of science, advancing 1-3 research areas at any point in time.
To date, Janelia scientists have made a number of biological advances, including foundational analysis of the complex neural connections and computations that underlie behavior.
Mechanistic Cognitive Neuroscience (2019)
Our first new research area leverages and transforms Janelia’s program on neural circuits and behavior, allowing us to pursue one of the biggest questions in brain science. Researchers in mechanistic cognitive neuroscience ask, how does the brain enable cognition? This integrated program enables tool-builders, biologists, and theorists to collaborate to clear the technical, conceptual, and computational hurdles that have kept the most intriguing aspects of cognition beyond the purview of mechanistic investigation.
Future Research Areas
Going forward, HHMI will hold open competitions to determine Janelia’s future research areas.
Tool-Building
Across Janelia’s research areas, tool-building is a constant. Our tool-builders drive the development of widely used microscopes, dyes, sensors, software, algorithms, research methods and models, and more. With new tools, we can explore some of life’s big mysteries.
Janelia Scientists
Janelia's Group Leaders are independent scientists at all career stages who are directing small teams of researchers doing groundbreaking research across scientific disciplines.
