ADVANCED CORE COURSE
Applying Neuroscience
Using Neuroscience to foster Workplace Inclusion, Diversity & Personal Leadership
Dr. Mai Nguyen
OVERVIEW
Applied Neuroscience and Organisational Neuroscience are new disciplines, made possible only with recent technological innovations. Those who embrace this new well of knowledge include professionals and experts from disciplines such as intercultural communication and management, inclusion and diversity, well-being and personal development.
One significant upside of applied neuroscience is that it can create a balance with and re-frame the ‘problem-based’ and ‘difference-focused’ approach that is prevalent in mainstream cultural theories. Enroll for an in-depth study of brain-based solutions.
HOW TO REGISTER
Simply click on ENROLL NOW and you will be redirected to the University of Groningen's registration system to apply for this course.
From this page, select the course dates (only one option is available) then simply and easily Register as a new user to complete your registration and pay. The IDD will be in contact once your enrollment has been approved.
NOTE: You'll need to register separately for each course in which you wish to enroll.
ENROLL NOW
This in-depth course examines how rather than relying on fear-based approaches (ref Hofstede’s statement that “Culture is more often a source of conflict than synergy. Cultural differences are a nuisance at best and often a disaster.”), workplaces and communities can instead apply neuroscience insights and Positive Organisational Scholarship (POS) to pursue personal leadership, inclusion and diversity efforts in order to reap its moral, social, and economic benefits.
Drawing from the emerging field of applied neuroscience and POS, the course provides fundamental, hands-on, and up-to-date knowledge and skill-building that helps you better understand how the brain works and how you can make it work for you—and help your clients do the same.
In being able to more critically reflect on theories and practices that have been the mainstream and see where they can be enriched or debunked with insights from neuroscience, you and those you work with will be able to create and improve workplace policies and strategies on bias management, diversity & inclusion practices, change management, intercultural communication, work-life balance, and personal development.
In this course, you will learn how to help yourself and those you work with so that you/they can better:
- Critically appreciate neuroscience myths and realities and how the former may be erroneously incorporated into mainstream practices in the workplace and otherwise.
- Articulate the fundamentals of neuroscience, including neuroplasticity, neurogenesis and epigenetics.
- Understand cultural neuroscience connections, i.e. those between culture, cultural values, and acculturalisation with genes and brain using an interdisciplinary approach that fosters the potential of a multicultural mind
- Understand neuroscience’s role in performing, learning and well-being, including mindfulness, workout, and mind-gut connection.
- Apply insights from neuroscience to understand and work with biases and change management.
This course will blend cognitive discussions about key concepts and frameworks with applied independent and highly interactive learning based on your real-world cases as well as group discussions. You will have an opportunity to consider how you might apply the knowledge and strategies gained in this course with those you work with.
This course is for you if you are a mid- to senior-level in-house professional or consultant /trainer/ multiplier/educator who helps those who:
- are implementing diversity and inclusion initiatives within their organisations;
- offer training and on-the-job professional development to help colleagues better communicate and collaborate;
- work with those who appreciate “hard science”-based evidence for making system-wide and personal change.
COURSE TYPE
Advanced Core
DURATION/DATES
3 days/8-10 July 2026
AUDIENCE LEVELS
Senior (20+ years)
Advanced (13-19 years)
Mid (6-12 years)
TUITION FEE
€1550 before 15 Feb
€1620 after 15 Feb
includes certificate from the University and the Institute
HOW TO REGISTER
Simply click on ENROLL NOW and you will be redirected to the University of Groningen's registration system to apply for this course.
From this page, select the course dates (only one option is available) then simply and easily Register as a new user to complete your registration and pay. The IDD will be in contact once your enrollment has been approved.
NOTE: You'll need to register separately for each course in which you wish to enroll.
ENROLL NOW
Mai Nguyen, PhD
Dr. Mai Nguyen specialises in cross-cultural management and the neuroscience of diversity.
An author and expert consultant, she is widely known for bridging intercultural communication and neuroscience in organizational settings, and making these complex concepts accessible to practitioners in academic and corporate settings.
In addition to PhD in intercultural communication, she has a Master’s degree from King’s College London in Applied Neuroscience and a Master in Educational Science and Curriculum Design from Twente University (Netherlands).
In addition to two textbooks that are currently used in universities worldwide, Intercultural Communication: When Neurons, Genes, and Evolution Joined the Discourse (Amsterdam University Press) and Cross-Cultural Management with Insights from Brain Science (Routledge), she is an active researcher. Mai was previously on faculty at Amsterdam School of International Business; she is currently based in Australia.
This is the motto that inspires my work: “If you’re teaching today what you were teaching five years ago, either the field is dead or you are” – Noam Chomsky.
Neuroscience is often considered a topic beyond the reach of daily practitioners, many of whom may not have a background in the hard sciences.
While a general understanding of neuroscience is helpful, the core concepts we will address do not require a specialised understanding in this area.
“Mai is an extraordinary facilitator. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a teacher quite like her. She combines rigor and fun in a completely engaging way.”
“Fantastic professor, bring her back!”
“This course and faculty are top. Dr. Nguyen applies what she teaches literally (for example taking obligatory power naps), and explains difficult stuff to laymen.”
HOW TO REGISTER
Simply click on ENROLL NOW and you will be redirected to the University of Groningen's registration system to apply for this course.
From this page, select the course dates (only one option is available) then simply and easily Register as a new user to complete your registration and pay. The IDD will be in contact once your enrollment has been approved.
NOTE: You'll need to register separately for each course in which you wish to enroll.
ENROLL NOW