 
In the 1990s, Pat and Lore McGovern envisioned an institute to advance the study of the human brain and promote research to alleviate the human misery caused by brain diseases and mental disorders. After consulting top neuroscientists in the field, the McGoverns chose MIT because of its tradition of collaboration among departments and its problem centered approaches to research.
On February 28, 2000, MIT's President Charles M. Vest announced the formation of the McGovern Institute and the selection of Nobel Laureate Phillip A. Sharp as Director. In 2004, Professor Sharp returned to his faculty position in the Biology Department when Dr. Robert Desimone became the new McGovern Institute Director. Dr. Desimone had previously served six years as the Director of the NIMH Intramural Research Program, the largest mental health research center in the world. That same year, Dr. Susan Hockfield, a neuroscientist, became the new president of MIT.
In the fall of 2005, the McGovern Institute moved into its spacious facilities in the new Brain and Cognitive Sciences Complex. The Institute currently has 10 principal investigators and 3 associate members, all global leaders in neuroscience. We will eventually expand to more than 16 principal investigators.
The McGovern Institute is located at an epicenter for brain imaging, computational science and bioinformatics, biochemical and electrical engineering, cognitive science, molecular biology, and genetics. We belong to an extended community of outstanding neuroscientists working in various centers and departments at MIT. Our neighbors in the new Brain and Cognitive Sciences Complex include the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, and the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Brain Imaging. The nearby Department of Biology includes members who have made fundamental discoveries affecting many levels of brain studies. Across the street lie the Whitehead Institute at MIT and the Broad Institute at Harvard and MIT. The scientists at these institutes played critical roles in mapping the human genome, including the genes that control brain development and function.
Beyond MIT, our greater Kendall Square neighborhood includes many of the leading firms in pharmacology and biotechnology that foster translational research. The multitude of collaborators and interactions in and around MIT will enhance our research efforts and help us apply our discoveries towards new therapies.
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