Skip to main content
Education / Neuroscience Graduate / Program Activities / Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Neuroscience (SURF-N)

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Neuroscience (SURF-N) provides summer stipends to undergraduate students interested in cutting-edge research in several disciplines of neuroscience.  Selection to SURF-N provides fellows with a unique hands-on training experience with faculty mentors within the program.

Our primary goal is to provide our fellows with an excellent research experience that will serve as a foundation for a career in neurosciences. We generally invite 10-15 students annually to work with their identified mentors and other laboratories to learn basic techniques for conducting independent research projects.

Our program faculty work in multiple areas of neuroscience including the study of neurological and psychiatric disorders, obesity, addiction, neurotoxicity, pain, development, etc. The program is usually 10 weeks in length and ends with a capstone poster presentation event. Students present and discuss their data and compete for awards. In addition to hands-on laboratory experience, our students participate in various social and academic activities with students from other summer programs within the University.

To learn more about our neuroscience faculty and their research interests, please consult our faculty roster. We hope you'll decide to spend your summer in Cincinnati!

Eligibility

The application process for SURF-N fellowships is extremely competitive.  The minimum requirements for consideration are:

  • Sophomore or junior status in an accredited college or university. (Seniors may be considered if their expected graduation date is at least six months after the fellowship term ends.)
  • GPA of 3.0 or higher.
  • Science coursework, such as general biology, general chemistry and/or physics as well as some advanced mathematics and/or statistics courses.
  • US citizen or lawful permanent resident.

The ideal applicant will also have previous research lab experience and/or an interest in pursuing graduate education in Neuroscience or a related, research-oriented field.

Application

Surf memberApplications are accepted between November 1 and February 1 preceding the summer in which the applicant wishes to participate. For example, Summer 2019 SURF-N students would have applied between November 1, 2018, and February 1, 2019. We encourage interested students to apply before January 1 for full consideration. Applicants are notified of their status between mid March and early April.

There is a single application for multiple SURF programs. When applying please specify “Neuro” to be considered for the SURF-N program. We encourage you to apply to multiple SURF programs. To learn more about the application requirements, check out the SURF website.

Note: incomplete or late applications will not be considered. The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the application and all supporting materials, including letters of recommendation, have been received by the February 1 deadline.

Award

The fellowship provides a $5,000 fellowship for 10 weeks of research or pro-rated at $500/week, paid twice a month. The program term is normally between late May and early August.

Intranet Login

Contact Us

Neuroscience Graduate Program
Medical Sciences Building
Room 1058B
231 Albert Sabin Way
Cincinnati, OH 45267-0548

Mail Location: 0548
Phone: 513-558-1803
Email: ucneurosci@ucmail.uc.edu