2024 VT Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Neuroscience (SURF-N)

OVERVIEW

The SURF-N program is a 10-week summer research program sponsored by the VT School of Neuroscience that gives undergraduate students the opportunity to participate in hands-on research in laboratories of our faculty members.

Student fellows will spend 40 hours per week immersed in a research environment, assisting in an ongoing project in the faculty mentor’s laboratory. They will gain real-world neuroscience research experience and bench skills beneficial to career development, and will receive financial support with a stipend of $5,000. In addition to hands-on research, undergraduate fellows will have opportunities to attend departmental research seminars, receive training on science communication and presentation skills, and engage in a career preparation workshop. At the end of the summer fellowship, students will present their work at the annual School of Neuroscience Research Retreat in Blacksburg. If you have questions about the program, please contact Dr. Lina Ni (linani@vt.edu).

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible to apply to this program, students must be currently enrolled in a neuroscience major at Virginia Tech. Application requirements and deadlines are listed below:

  • Application deadline is March 1, 2024. 
  • Awardees will be notified on March 15, 2024.
  • SURF-N program dates: May 20 – July 26, 2024.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS  

Application link

Please log into your VT MS account to complete the application form.

In the application form, you will need to:

  • Identify 3 potential mentors from the following list. (PLEASE NOTE: It is not necessary to contact the faculty mentor, just indicate the faculty members’ names.)
    • Dr. Sweta Agrawal
    • Dr. Matt Buczynski
    • Dr. Georgia Hodes
    • Dr. Tim Jarome
    • Dr. Wynn Legon
    • Dr. Silvio Macias
    • Dr. Lina Ni
    • Dr. Kendra Sewall
    • Dr. Chris Thompson
    • Dr. Sujith Vijayan
  • Answer the following questions:
    1. Why are you interested in working with the mentors selected above? (Less than 300 words)
    2. Why are you interested in participating in summer research program? What are your expectations for the summer research program? How will the SURF-N program benefit you? (Less than 300 words)
  • Upload your unofficial transcript.
  • Upload a recent resume/CV.