Shenoy Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Neuroscience (SURFiN)

Opportunity

The goal of the Shenoy Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Neuroscience (SURFiN) Program is to spark and sustain interest in neuroscience among undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds underrepresented in neuroscience research. SURFiN provides funds and programming for undergraduate research assistants (fellows) to work in-person in Simons Foundation-supported neuroscience laboratories under the mentorship of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers (mentors) during the 2023-2024 academic year.

The Simons Foundation is invested in supporting the next generation of researchers and provides this program in recognition that diversity improves scientific innovation and collaboration. Through programs like SURFiN, the Simons Foundation and our scientific community aims to expand access to research experiences, support early career scientists in advancing in their careers, and work to create a more inclusive research training environment.

This request for applications (RFA) is aimed at undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds underrepresented in neuroscience research who are interested in gaining in-person laboratory experience.

Undergraduate students accepted into SURFiN can expect to:

• Complete an in-person, paid undergraduate research assistantship located at one of the U.S. or international laboratory sites offered for the 2023-2024 academic year (September 2023 through May 2024). Undergraduate students must live within a reasonable commute of an available lab opportunity and engage in regular in-person lab activity.
• Work with the guidance of a graduate student or postdoctoral researcher mentor.
• Participate in both virtual and in-person professional development and community-building activities, including a computational sciences boot camp as it relates to lab placement or interest.
• Connect with the SURFiN scientific community and Simons Foundation.
• Travel to and present at the Simons Foundation in New York City in Spring 2024 for an undergraduate research symposium, with travel and lodging coordinated and covered by the Simons Foundation.

Level and Duration of Funding

Fellowships will be for the 2023–2024 academic year. Fellowships will begin in the Fall 2023 academic semester and continue through the Spring 2024 academic semester.

Fellows will receive the following financial support throughout their academic year fellowship, administered by the hosting principal investigator’s (PI’s) laboratory:

• $7,500 salary support/stipend: These funds must be used to cover the total wages earned by the student during the academic year at a rate equivalent to $25/hour for 10 hours a week over 30 weeks.
• Fringe Benefits: If eligible, the student will also receive fringe benefits.
• $2,000 resource stipend: These funds are to be used to support the fellow’s work and professional development during the academic year. This may include small equipment such as a laptop computer for coding projects or fees for training courses. Any equipment purchased with these funds will be the property of the laboratory and should remain with the lab after the SURFiN fellow’s project concludes. Please note that commuting costs, renewable reagents and animal costs may not be requested through this supplement. The resource stipend may also be used toward travel costs or registration fees for the SURFiN fellow to attend conferences related to the research project.

After the academic year program, PIs, mentors and fellows may have the opportunity to request an extension of the fellowship for fellows who remain enrolled in their undergraduate degree program through the summer and/or next academic year. Alternatively, mentors and fellows may seek other funding sources to support a fellow after the 2023–2024 academic year.

Application Process

Undergraduate students interested in applying to SURFiN should first review the list of available lab opportunities here. Applicants may select and rank up to three (3) opportunities of interest that they must be able to regularly commute to and engage in regular in-person lab activity. Undergraduate students must apply by submitting an application, also known as a “Letter of Intent” (LOI). Please see the How to Apply instructions for more information.

Applications will be reviewed by Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain (SCGB), Simons Collaboration on Plasticity and the Aging Brain (SCPAB), and Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) scientific staff and an external 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 required and will not be heavily weighted in the review process.

After review, undergraduate finalists will be invited to interview with potential mentors in June 2023. Simons Foundation staff will assign final pairings based on mentor and finalist feedback from these interviews. If matched with a lab, fellows will be notified of a lab placement by June 30, 2023 and allowed until July 14, 2023 to accept or decline. Mentors will be notified of the final pairing by July 20, 2023.

All fellowships and awards will begin in September 2023.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the Shenoy Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Neuroscience (SURFiN) Program, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Applicants must be currently enrolled at a degree-granting undergraduate institution (including community colleges) and intend to remain enrolled through Spring 2024.
• The program application is open to women, individuals who are Black or African American, Hispanic or Latine or Native American or American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and other Pacific Islanders, individuals with disabilities and individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. We will consider applicants to have come from a disadvantaged background if they meet at least two (2) 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.
• Individuals identifying as LGBTQIA+ within the above listed communities are encouraged to apply.
• Applicants should be able to regularly engage in in-person lab activity.
• 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 SURFiN’s programmatic eligibility criteria listed above and any additional criteria listed for the lab opportunities selected in their application.

We cannot make a formal determination of any individual candidate’s identity, disability status or disadvantaged background. Applicants must review and sign a self attestation form regarding these eligibility criteria. This self-attestation form will be available for you to download on the Simons Award Manager (SAM). If you meet the criteria, you are welcome to apply.

Informational Sessions

The Simons Foundation held an informational session on how to submit an application through our new grants management system, Simons Award Manager (SAM), on Tuesday, April 4 – Click here to watch the recording.

For an overview of the SURFiN Program, interested undergraduate students are encouraged to review the informational webinar held on Wednesday, April 5 – Click here to watch the recording.

Instructions for Submission

The deadline for the Letter of Intent (LOI) application submission is 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, May 4, 2023. All LOIs must be submitted via SAM. For more detailed instructions on how to submit a LOI, please refer to the How to Apply instructions.

The following information must be submitted:

• Expected Graduation Date
• Field of Study
• Resume or Curriculum Vitae (not to exceed one (1) page)
• Transcript (official or unofficial copy)
• Statement of Interest (300 words or less):
• Please explain your interest in applying for the SURFiN Program, including how participating in this program will help you achieve your academic and career goals.
• Summary of Research Experience (300 words or less):
• Please provide a brief description of your prior and/or planned experience in the following subject areas: neuroscience, psychology, biology, computer science, math, physics or other relevant subjects. Experience may include research, project(s) or coursework. Applicants are not expected to have research experience. In the absence of research experience, please detail any relevant coursework. This is intended to help us better understand each applicant’s transcript and assess their fit with lab opportunities.
• Signed Self-Attestation of Eligibility (available for download in SAM)
• Letters of Reference (separate, blind submission):
• At least one (1) and up to two (2) letters of reference 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 SAM.
• 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.
• Any additional application information (100 words or less, if applicable): Describe any additional information or circumstances not reflected elsewhere in your application.This may include an explanation of factors that may have affected your past academic or extracurricular performance, such as family care responsibilities, illness, military service or other factors.

List of Lab Opportunities

A list of available laboratory opportunities can be found here. Applicants may indicate up to three (3) opportunities of interest in their application. Undergraduate students must live within a reasonable commute of an available lab opportunity and engage in regular in-person lab activity.

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).