SCGB Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF Program)

Opportunity

The goal of the Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain (SCGB) Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program is to spark and sustain interest in systems and computational neuroscience among undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds underrepresented in neuroscience research. The SCGB supports this program with the recognition that diversity improves scientific innovation and collaboration. SURF provides funds for undergraduate research assistants to work in SCGB-funded laboratories during the academic year under the mentorship of postdoctoral fellows or Ph.D. students to provide personalized guidance to undergraduates.

Timeline and Funding

This request for applications (RFA) is aimed at undergraduate students from underrepresented groups who are interested in gaining laboratory experience. Applicants must live within a reasonable commute of an available lab opportunity. Fellows will receive a commitment of $25 per hour wage for 10 hours per week over 30 weeks, administered through the hosting laboratory. Awards will begin in the fall 2022 academic semester.

In addition to financial support, SCGB will provide program certificates to fellows, facilitate meetings among fellows and mentors, provide access to professional development opportunities including a computational boot camp, and arrange an end-of-year research symposium for fellows to share their work.

Application Process

Update: Please note the application deadline has been extended to June 2, 2022 at 5pm Eastern.

Undergraduates interested in applying to SURF should first review the list of available SCGB lab opportunities. Applicants may select and rank up to three opportunities of interest and should be able to regularly engage in in-person lab activity when practical according to public health conditions. Applications will be reviewed by SCGB scientific staff and a Review Committee including SCGB faculty, postdoctoral fellows and Ph.D. students. After review, SCGB will coordinate with labs to match undergraduate finalists with available mentors. Applicants should be available to speak with possible matches between July 8 and July 22. Fellows will be informed of their matches by July 28 and allowed until August 4 to accept or decline. Funds will be administered through the host laboratory’s institution.

Eligibility

• Applicants must be currently enrolled at a degree-granting undergraduate institution (including community colleges).
• The program application is open to individuals who are from gender, racial, ethnic and other groups underrepresented in systems and computational neuroscience, including individuals with disabilities and individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. This includes, but is not limited to, women of any ethnic or racial group as well as any individual identifying as Hispanic/Latine, Black/African American, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander or American Indian/Alaska Native. We will consider applicants to have come from a disadvantaged background if they meet at least two of the following criteria:
• Were or currently are homeless;
• Were or currently are in the foster care system;
• Were eligible for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program* for two or more years;
• Have/had no parents or legal guardians who completed a bachelor’s degree;
• Were or currently are eligible for Federal Pell* grants;
• Received support from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children* as a parent or child;
• Grew up in one of the following areas: a) a U.S. rural area, as designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer or b) Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services-designated Low-Income and Health Professional Shortage Areas (qualifying zip codes are included in the file). Only one of the two possibilities in this bullet can be used as a criterion for the disadvantaged backgrounds.
• * For non-U.S. applicants, please consider approximately equivalent programs.
• Applicants should be able to regularly engage in in-person lab activity when practical according to public health conditions.
• It is not necessary for applicants to have prior laboratory experience.
• Individual hosting institutions may have additional eligibility requirements; applicants should check that they meet both SCGB’s eligibility criteria above and any additional criteria listed for the lab opportunities selected in their application.

You are strongly encouraged to contact SCGB at scgbsurf@simonsfoundation.org before applying if you are unsure of whether you meet the eligibility criteria above.

Instructions for Submission

The deadline for application submission is Thursday, June 2, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

All applications must be completed electronically and submitted using forms provided at ProposalCentral. To submit your application, please log in as an applicant, go to the Grant Opportunities tab, scroll to Simons Foundation and click Apply Now for the “Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF Program Supplement)”. For assistance, please call 800-875-2562 or email pcsupport@altum.com.

All applications must include:

• Resume or curriculum vitae, not to exceed one (1) page
• Transcript (unofficial accepted)
• Statement of interest, up to 300 words. Please explain your interest in applying for the SURF program, including how participating in this program will help you achieve your academic and career goals.
• Statement of experience, up to 300 words. Please include a brief description of your prior and/or planned experience in the below subject areas. Planned experience can include summer courses or participating in the SURF computational bootcamp. Applicants are not expected to have experience in all areas. This is intended to help us better understand each applicant’s transcript and assess their fit with lab opportunities.
• Neuroscience / psychology / biology
• Computer science / math / physics
• Signed self-attestation of eligibility (available on ProposalCentral)
• Letters of recommendation (separate, blind submission). At least one (1) and up to two (2) letters of recommendation are required. Letter-writers should be able to speak to the applicant’s potential to engage in and benefit from the program and may include academic advisors, counselors, teachers, professors or instructors, including teaching assistants or resident advisors, though this is not an exhaustive list. Confidential letters must be submitted through ProposalCentral (see instructions available for download in ProposalCentral).
• Selection of at least one (1) and up to three (3) lab opportunities the applicant would be interested in working in if selected. A list of laboratory opportunities to choose from is available here. For opportunities that list prerequisites, the applicant should briefly explain how they will meet those requirements.

Applications are reviewed by the SCGB scientific staff and the SCGB Review Committee. Reviewers will weigh criteria related to the applicant’s potential to engage in and benefit from working in a scientific laboratory. Prior laboratory experience is not heavily weighted in review.

List of Lab Opportunities

A list of available laboratory opportunities can be found here. Applicants may indicate up to three opportunities of interest in their application. For opportunities that list prerequisites, the applicant should briefly explain how they will meet those requirements.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Many of the greatest ideas and discoveries come from a diverse mix of minds, backgrounds and experiences. The Simons Foundation is committed to grantmaking that inspires and supports greater diversity and inclusiveness by cultivating a funding environment that ensures representation of all identities and differences and equitable access to information and resources for all applicants and grantees.

The Simons Foundation provides equal opportunities to all applicants for funding without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, pregnancy, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic disposition, neurodiversity, disability, veteran status or any other protected category under federal, state and local law, except when identifying from a disadvantaged background or underrepresented group is an eligibility requirement of the request for application (RFA).