What is NTF?
The NUIN Teaching Fellowship (NTF) provides an immersive teaching experience for NUIN trainees (students and postdocs). Trainees apply to work with a faculty mentor, assisting with the faculty mentor’s undergraduate neuroscience course as a Teaching Fellow. Teaching Fellows attend the course to observe the Faculty Mentor’s teaching style and assume a significant pedagogical role in the course, including designing and presenting content for the course. Other common roles include: Participating in course design, Developing and Evaluating assessments, Leading course lectures and/or discussion sections, and Mentoring students.
Why NTF?
Gain Immersive Teaching Experience
By participating in every aspect of running a course, including leading a lecture, NTF provides trainees with a unique opportunity to gain hands-on teaching experience and to receive pedagogical focused feedback from their faculty mentors.
Develop your Teaching Portfolio
One’s teaching portfolio is a vital part of the academic job search. By adding actual teaching experience beyond a simple TAship, NTF helps fellow’s teaching portfolio stand out from the crowd.
Build Relationship with Faculty Mentors
Mentorship is invaluable for the progression of anyone’s career. By building relationships with faculty mentors, fellows gain a sounding board for their pedagogical ideas that they can turn to through the rest of their time at Northwestern and beyond.
Program Timeline
Our Faculty Mentors
Dr. Yevgenia Kozorovitskiy
Neurosci 320 - Animal Behavior
Dr. Thomas Bozza
Neurosci 304 - Developmental Neuroscience
Dr. Tiffany Schmidt
Neuroscience 377 - Sensory Neuroscience
Dr. Fred Turek
Neuroscience 3724 - Neurobiology of Biological Clock
Teaching Contexts include a description of the course and the role the Faculty Mentor envisions for the Teaching Fellow
How to Apply
To Apply, Please send your CV, Graduate Transcript (unofficial), and completed application form (see below) to kelseywright2025@u.northwestern.edu. Trainees should also obtain their PI’s permission to participate, which will be verified upon acceptance.
Trainees are welcome to apply to more than one Teaching Fellowship position, but can only be selected for one position.
Accepted Fellows will receive a $500 Research/Travel award from NUIN following their completion of the program
What Past Teaching Fellows Are Saying
I very much feel I could ask my Faculty Mentor anything. I thought this was one of the most useful career-building experiences that I’ve done–this offered real-world experience
My Faculty Mentor was extremely helpful. He included me in all parts of the course design and really valued my feedback. He gave me additional opportunities to lecture and lead discussion, and always encouraged me to participate as much as possible even on the days he presented/led. Thank you so much for providing this opportunity! It was a fantastic experience that I never thought I would be able to have as part of NUIN.
Teaching Fellow Alumni
2023-2024
Mark Agrios
Mentor: Dr. Yevgenia Kozorovitskiy
Erika Yamazaki
Mentor: Dr. Fred Turek
Dr. Marcos Aranda
Mentor: Dr. Tiffany Schmitt
2022-2023
Michael Elbaz
Mentor: Dr. Yevgenia Kozorovitskiy
Kristine McLellan
Mentor: Dr. Thomas Bozza
Liorimar Ramos-Medina
Mentor: Dr. Tiffany Schmitt
2021-2022
Dr. Chris Vaaga
Mentor: Dr. Yevgenia Kozorovitskiy
Dr. Jemma Webber
Mentor: Dr. Thomas Bozza
Mikki Novakovic
Mentor: Dr. Valerie Kilman
Kacey Suvada
Mentor: Dr. Tiffany Schmidt
2020-2021
Dr. Annika Cichy
Mentor: Dr. Thomas Bozza
David Swygart
Mentor: Dr. Tiffany Schmidt
2019-2020
Dr. Michael Alpert
Mentor: Dr. Yevgenia Kozorovitskiy
Dr. Kyle Blum
Mentor: Dr. Tiffany Schmidt
2018-2019
Kevin Wilkins
Mentor: Dr. Mark Segraves
Sophia Wienbar
Mentor: Dr. Tiffany Schmidt
NTF Leadership
Kelsey Wright
Student Director of NTF
Kristine McLellan
Student Director of NTF
Past NTF Leaders
Alex Cates
Student Director of NTF
Laura Shanahan
Co-Founder of NTF
Carmen Lin
Co-Founder of NTF
Questions?
Email us at kelseywright2025@u.northwestern.edu
Ready to Apply?
What is NTF?
The NUIN Teaching Fellowship (NTF) provides an immersive teaching experience for NUIN trainees (students and postdocs). Trainees apply to work with a faculty mentor, assisting with the faculty mentor's undergraduate neuroscience course as a Teaching Fellow. Teaching Fellows attend the course to observe the Faculty Mentor's teaching style and assume a significant pedagogical role in the course including designing and presenting content for the course. Other common roles include: Participating in course design, Developing and Evaluating assessments, Leading course lectures and/or discussion sections, and Mentoring students
Why NTF?
- Gain Immersive Teaching Experience
- Develop Your Teaching Portfolio
- Build Relationships with Faculty Mentors
By participating in every aspect of running a course, including leading a lecture, NTF provides trainees with a unique opportunity to gain hands-on teaching experience while receiving pedagogical focused feedback from their faculty mentor.
One's teachign portfolio is a vital part of the academic job search. By adding actual teaching experience beyond a simple TAship, NTF helps Fellow's teaching portfolio stand out from the crowd.
Mentorship is invaluable for the progression of anyone's career. By building relationships with faculty mentors, fellows gain a sounding board for their pedagogical ideas that they can turn to through the rest of their time at Northwestern and beyond.
Program Timeline
How to Apply
We are currently in between application cycles. Please check back in 2023 for the next cycle. In the meantime, you can see the application materials from the previous cycle below.
To apply, please send your CV, Graduate Transcript (Unofficial), and completed application form (see below) to NUIN_TF@northwestern.edu. Trainees should also obtain their PI's permission to participate, which will be verified upon acceptance.
Trainees are welcome to apply to more than one Teaching Fellowship position, but can only be selected for one position.
Accepted Fellows will receive a $500 Research/Travel award from NUIN upon completion of the program.
What Past Teaching Fellows Are Saying
NTF Leadership
Ready to Apply?