This page was designed to assist Graduate Students in finding and applying for research education and training opportunities. These opportunities vary in location (from local to international) throughout the year.
Morris Animal Foundation Veterinary Student Scholar
Morris Animal Foundation is now accepting proposals for its Veterinary Student Scholar program. This is a highly competitive program, providing veterinary students the opportunity to become involved in mentored research that advances the health and/or welfare of dogs, cats, equids or wildlife. The VSS program awards stipends of up to $5,500 to veterinary students who are selected by their institution to participate in clinical or basic animal health research.
The program is open to currently enrolled veterinary students in good standing at any accredited veterinary medicine program (this does not need to be AVMA accreditation). Students enrolled in a combined DVM/PhD degree program are not eligible for this RFP.
This is a limited submission opportunity. Interested applicants need to alert our office of their intent to apply and send a copy of their completed application materials to Christine Munsterman at svmstarprogram@ucdavis.edu no later than Wednesday, January 10, 2024. Do not submit your application online at this time.
USDA Veterinary Student Scholars Program
This program is made possible by funding provided by the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF), Boehringer Ingelheim and USDA ARS. They entered into a 5-year agreement (2021-2026) to provide training opportunities to 12 veterinary students per year to conduct summer research in one of nine USDA ARS animal health research facilities.
The goals of this program are to:
- Provide students with opportunities to conduct research in livestock infectious diseases
- Raise awareness of federal research careers for veterinarians
- Increase partnerships with veterinary schools
- Approximate start dates of the research experience are between May 15 - June 1, 2024. Programs will last 10 to 12 weeks.
- Applications for the USDA Scholars Program are due November 15, 2023. Please reach out to svmstarprogram@ucdavis.edu if you are interested in applying.
- For more information, please visit the Boehringer Ingelheim USDA Scholars Program website.
AVMA/AVMF Second Opportunity Summer Research Scholarship Program
Now accepting applications! Applications are due to the SVM Office of Research & Graduate Education no later than January 10th, 2024.
The AVMA/AVMF Second Opportunity Summer Research Scholarship is intended to provide support for students who have previously conducted a summer research project and are seeking to gain a second summer of research experience. Ideally, student applicants would be continuing their prior research project but that is not an absolute requirement. Students are expected to submit an abstract of their results for presentation at the BI/AAVMC Veterinary Scholars Symposium in August 2024.
This is a limited submission opportunity, with nominations are limited to 1 (one) per school. There will be five scholarships awarded in 2024. Students will receive a $6,500 scholarship and an additional $1,000 to supplement travel expenses to the BI/AAVMC Veterinary Scholars Symposium.
To be eligible for this opportunity, students must have previously conducted a summer research project. They should be currently enrolled, and in good academic standing in the DVM program at UC Davis. Students must commit to attending all training opportunities, including the presentation of a scientific poster at the Boehringer Ingelheim/AAVMC Veterinary Scholar Symposium in August 2024.
Students applying for the Second Opportunity AVMA/AVMF Scholarship will need to submit an AVMA-AVMF Summer Research Grant Application to the STAR Program to complete the application process. Students and mentors should reach out to the SVM Office of Research & Graduate Education for the current year’s application. Preference will be given to students continuing their previous research project. Applications for the AVMF/AVMA Second Opportunity scholarship will be reviewed and scored by a selection committee, but only one application will be forwarded electronically by the SVM Office of Research to the AVMF/AVMA for national competition. DO NOT SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION DIRECTLY TO AVMA.
Office of Graduate Studies
GradLink
GradLink is an electronic newsletter for the graduate education community at UC Davis and published by Graduate Studies. For current and recent editions of GradLink, find information here. In addition, GradLink events are listed on the Graduate Studies calendar.
Extramural Fellowships
For a comprehensive listing of external fellowships, funding search engines, resources, and information on application processing, please see the fellowships page here.
Grad Pathways Workshops & Courses
Graduate Studies offers unparalleled opportunities and support for professional and career development. Their nationally-recognized GradPathways program has served as a model for other graduate student and postdoctoral professional development programs across the nation. This comprehensive program is designed to help graduate students and postdoctoral scholars succeed both at UC Davis and in their chosen career paths.
President's and Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
The UC President's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (PPFP) and the UC Davis Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (CPFP) offer postdoctoral research fellowships and faculty mentoring to outstanding scholars in all fields whose research, teaching, and service will contribute to the diversity and equal opportunity at the University of California. These contributions may include public service addressing the needs of our increasingly diverse society, efforts to advance equitable access to higher education, or research focusing on underserved populations or understanding inequalities related to race, gender, disability or LGBTQ+. Each fall, the program seeks applicants with the potential to bring to their academic careers the critical perspective that comes from their non-traditional educational background or understanding of the experiences of members of groups historically underrepresented in higher education. More information found here.
SVM Postdoctoral Scholar Resources
The Office of Research and Graduate Education has put together a Box folder containing important resources for postdocs at SVM including key campus contacts, recurring funding opportunities, grant writing training and more. Visit the Box folder here.
NSF Supplemental Grant for Graduate Student Non-Academic Internships
NSF has identified improving graduate student preparedness for the STEM workforce as one of its priorities. As part of this effort, a supplemental funding opportunity is available in fiscal years FY 2021 and beyond to support non-academic research internships for graduate students in any sector of the U.S. economy. NSF currently invests in a number of graduate student preparedness activities and has historically encouraged principal investigators (PIs) to include such activities in research proposals to NSF. The Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) linked below describes new commitments and funding opportunities at NSF to ensure graduate students are prepared for the 21st-century STEM workforce. More information found here.
Animal Models of Infectious Disease (AMID) T32 - Trainee Positions Available
We are pleased to announce the availability of NIH predoctoral fellowships for the Animal Models of Infectious Diseases (AMID) training program, directed by Dr. Stephen McSorley. The AMID T32 program has been funded since 2004 and was most recently renewed in 2020. We seek outstanding students who use an animal model to study human infectious disease. Details about the program, eligibility, and information on how to apply can be found here.
Michigan State University DVM Summer Research Programs
During this 12-week program, students work closely with faculty mentors to conduct a biomedical research project focusing on comparative and veterinary medicine. Professional development activities are designed to prepare students for a research career and gain leadership skills. At the end of the program, students present their findings at the Veterinary Scholars Symposium. The program provides a stipend and covers the cost of travel to the symposium. More information can be found here.
Eligibility:
- Any first- or second-year veterinary student who is enrolled in any veterinary school and is a student in good standing.
- No previous research experience is needed.
NIH Opportunities
Summer Internship Program (SIP)
This program is for college, graduate and professional students interested in exploring careers in research and healthcare. These are full-time research positions within one of the NIH Institutes and Centers (IC) in the NIH Intramural Research Program. Research groups are located on all NIH campuses, including the main campus in Bethesda, MD.
Summer interns work in a research groups directed by a Principal Investigator (PI). We offer research opportunities in the biomedical, behavioral, and social sciences with opportunities to explore basic, translational, and clinical research. Students interested in biology, engineering, epidemiology, psychology, mathematics, chemistry, pharmaceutical sciences, nursing, physics, computer science, bioinformatics, and other health-related fields are invited to apply. Learn more here.
T32 and T35 Training Grants for Veterinary Students - Participating Institutions
View a list of participating universities across the country with T32 and T35 training grants here.
NIH Medical Research Scholars Program (MRSP)
A superb opportunity for nurturing veterinary students towards an academic and research career! The program is the NIH Medical Research Scholars Program, a one-year research-training program on the NIH campus in Bethesda, MD). The MRSP is designed for veterinary, medical, and dental students who already have had some clinical training experiences. To be eligible to participate, students must be US citizens or permanent residents, attend an appropriately accredited school, and receive permission from their school to participate in the MRSP. The academic and practical benefits of the program are excellent, and the operating philosophy is completely consonant with the One World, One Health, One Medicine concept. We need more veterinary students to apply to this special program, which we believe can be of great benefit to academic veterinary medicine. Applications are accepted annually from Sep 1 - Dec 2. More information found here.
NIH Includes Veterinarians as Eligible for Loan Repayment
In a new development, veterinarians are now listed under the “general eligibility requirements” for student loan repayment programs administered by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on the NIH website, click here. The site states that, to qualify for loan repayment, “you must have a health professional doctoral degree (M.D., Psy.D., Pharm. D., D.O., D.D.S., D.M.D., D.P.M, D.C., N.D., D.V.M., or equivalent doctoral degree) from an accredited institution…”
The specific inclusion of DVMs resulted from meetings with NIH representatives, arranged by the AAVMC’s governmental affairs firm of Cavarocchi, Ruscio, Dennis (CRD) Associates, LLC. AAVMC will continue to work with CRD Associates to expand the inclusion of veterinarians to clinical NIH loan repayment programs.
Cornell University
Veterinary Investigation & Leadership Program (VILP)
The Veterinary Investigation & Leadership Program (VILP) is a 10-week summer program designed to provide incoming Cornell DVM students and current veterinary students with a rigorous and rewarding exposure to biomedical research at the highest level of inquiry, as well as to motivate students to pursue studies on research problems relevant to veterinary medicine. While Cornell DVM students are encouraged to apply, a limited number of spaces are also reserved for external veterinary students. More information here.
Havemeyer Foundation Equine Fellowship Program
The Dorothy Russell Havemeyer Foundation Fellowship Program at Cornell University provides support for short-term educational experiences in academic equine medicine for veterinary students. Fellowships are offered in the Equine Genetics Center in the laboratory of Dr. Doug Antczak at the Baker Institute. The purpose of the Fellowships is to enable students with an interest in research careers to participate actively in cutting-edge investigations in equine medicine. Students in Colleges of Veterinary Medicine in North America and abroad are eligible to apply. The Fellowship term is 10 weeks, with a flexible start date for any consecutive 10 week period between May and September. Stipend support is $5,000. Fellowship participants may be eligible for academic credit through their home institution. Housing is not provided, but readily available near campus. More information here.
American Society of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM) Training Programs
Database of ACLAM ASLAP Laboratory Animal Medicine Training Programs, access here.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Epidemiology Elective Program for Senior Medical and Veterinary Students
The Epidemiology Elective Program (EEP) is a short-term, service-learning rotation in applied epidemiology. Medical and veterinary students learn through training, project assignments, and mentorship from public health experts. Students can participate in a 6- or 8-week rotation. Projects assignments are with CDC, other federal agencies, and state, tribal, local, and territorial health departments. Every effort is made to place students with a host site that provides experience in leadership and project in a topic area of the student's interest. More information here.
Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS)
Established in 1951, EIS has trained over 4,000 disease detectives who have investigated and responded to a wide range of public health challenges and emergencies. EIS officers are CDC's disease detectives who learn from and work alongside subject matter experts while providing service to domestic and international partners. EIS maintains its core focus on training disease detectives to practice consequential epidemiology, which is the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data for evidence-based public health action. More information about the program here and how to apply for a fellowship here.
List of all training opportunities at CDC
http://www.cdc.gov/fellowships