Impact Scholars Supervisors

Impact Scholars Supervisors

Impact Scholars Supervisors are experienced scientists who are interested in supporting a group throughout the development of their research project between November 2026 and May 2027.

Why become an Impact Scholars Supervisor?

Impact Scholars Supervisors take on a supervisory role, guiding scholars through the research process and helping shape the scientific direction of the project.
As official collaborators, they are credited as co-authors on the final micropublication.
The program concludes with each team submitting a micropublication and delivering a seminar presentation. If there is mutual interest in continuing the collaboration after the program, we will support further development toward a journal publication by ensuring uninterrupted access to computing resources that were provided during the Impact Scholars Program for an agreed period following the program.

Pushpin Role and Responsibilities

Impact Scholars Supervisors are required to work remotely 10 hours per month per group, guiding scholars and ensuring progress toward the program’s key outputs:
  • A micropublication
  • A summary for the general public
  • A seminar presentation
The program is flexible, meaning supervisors and scholars manage their own workflow, but supervisors are expected to provide structured support while empowering scholars to take ownership of their projects.
Honorarium
Impact Scholars Supervisors supported directly through Neuromatch will be compensated with an honorarium of $300 USD per month for 6 months.
1. Time Commitment & Activities
Required Activities (included in the 10 hours)
  • Bi-monthly meetings with scholars – At least twice per month, more if needed.
  • Task planning and coordination – Helping scholars define research milestones and track progress.
  • Project support – Provide technical support for coding, data analysis, or modeling challenges. Offer guidance on structuring research plans and troubleshooting obstacles.
  • Completion of monthly check-in surveys is mandatory to help us keep track of progress and provide support as needed.
  • Professional development support – Examples of professional development activities:
  • Provide career advice and insights, helping scholars navigate academia or industry.
  • Lead a skill-building session based on scholars’ needs (e.g., research ethics, modeling, statistical tools, project management).
  • Reviewing Final Deliverables & Presentation Preparation:
  • Assist in finalizing the micropublication, supporting scientific writing, ensuring clarity and scientific rigor.
  • Review at least 1 micropublication from other teams.
  • Ensure the general public summary is clear, engaging, and accessible.
  • Help scholars practice and refine their seminar presentation, providing feedback on slides and speaking points.
Additional – not mandatory activities:
  • Organize research-focused learning and discussion sessions relevant to the scholars’ projects (e.g. journal clubs, literature reviews, scientific writing, and related research skills).
  • Impact Scholars Supervisors’ Hub: Peer Networking & Support
  • Neuromatch will organize Impact Scholars Supervisors’ Hub sessions, where all supervisors are invited to:
  • Network and connect with other Impact Scholars Supervisors.
  • Share experiences, challenges, and solutions.
  • Gain insights from Neuromatch staff and volunteers on effective supervising strategies.
Important Note: All accepted Impact Scholars Supervisors will be required to attend a mandatory orientation session.
2. Communication and Coordination
Impact Scholars Supervisors should check in regularly on Discord and emails to stay updated and communicate with Impact Scholars Team as needed.
Neuromatch will provide a Discord server for the program, including a private channel for each scholar group to support team discussions. While Impact Scholars Supervisors and their teams are welcome to use their preferred communication platform, please note that all official announcements and program-wide communications will be shared on Discord.

Clipboard Eligibility Criteria

  • Educational and Professional Background: Hold a PhD in a relevant field such as Neuroscience, Deep Learning, NeuroAI, or Climate Science, or possess equivalent experience gained through industry or other professional settings that demonstrate expertise in these areas.
  • Project Fit: Proficient in programming, preferably Python, with experience conducting research related to the datasets or scientific questions of the scholars’ group. Project galleries with details of the scholars' research proposals are available below:
  • Computational Neuroscience:  https://airtable.com/app7MJ7encL0rvdAC/shr5POIVLTrfFHueh 
  • The Michael J Fox Foundation Partner projects:  https://airtable.com/app7MJ7encL0rvdAC/shrXPNkt1eWVVhB6p 
  • Deep Learning:  https://airtable.com/app7MJ7encL0rvdAC/shrUL1OotnF6WWZ6L 
  • Computational Tools for Climate Science:  https://airtable.com/app7MJ7encL0rvdAC/shrm4XqWkpJgjBZy0 
  • NeuroAI:  https://airtable.com/app7MJ7encL0rvdAC/shrwbWPvnsqFhJCYa 
  • Mentoring / Teaching Experience: Demonstrated experience in mentoring or supervising junior researchers.
  • Communication Skills: Strong communication and interpersonal skills to effectively supervise and collaborate with a distributed team of scholars in a remote setting.
  • Commitment: Availability for the program duration (November 2026 to May 2027) and commitment to regular meetings and communication with scholars and staff.
  • Location: The program is virtual and fully remote. It is open to everyone globally. Neuromatch is a US-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and is therefore required to comply with US sanctions regulations administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). As a result, we are currently unable to accept applications from individuals based in the following locations: Cuba, Crimea, and  Iran .
If you have any questions regarding the supervisor role please contact   impactscholars@neuromatch.io 
For more information on the role of the Impact Scholar Supervisors, please refer to the  ISP Supervisors Guideline⁠ 

License

This document incorporates and adapts content from  Open Science Lab Mentoring Guide , which is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). To the extent that this document includes content from the original source, it is also licensed under CC BY 4.0.