Fellowships and Educational Support

The University of Kentucky has a fantastic range of summer fellowship opportunities for students. There are several opportunities with a neuroscience focus detailed below, but please check out the Office of Undergraduate Research for a full list of opportunities, including the Beckman Scholars Program.

The University of Kentucky and the Office of the Vice President for Research are committed to reducing health disparities in the Commonwealth. The Neuroscience Research Priority Area’s mission is to promote and support innovative neuroscience research at the University of Kentucky, and succeeding in that goal necessitates ensuring the range of neuroscientists is as broad and exceptional as the field itself.

The NRPA Research Fellows Program aims to enhance the field of neuroscience by increasing access, and, as such, a strong candidate is not necessarily one with previous neuroscience experience but someone who demonstrates the curiosity, commitment, and creativity that drive science and discovery.

Interested students are invited to apply to the NRPA Research Fellows Summer 2025 program.
Undergraduate students in their second year of study and above and students enrolled in Medical School are eligible to apply. Applicants do not need to have an established research relationship or identified mentor to apply. The NRPA will help Research Fellows find a mentor, if necessary. Successful applicants will be matched with a neuroscience research opportunity on UK’s campus and provided a stipend to support their work on a research project over the semester.

Undergraduate: Investigators in neuroscience research are invited to identify potential student candidates. Please forward the application to students and ask them to apply. Alternatively, investigators will be paired with undergraduate students interested in this experience. Undergraduate student researchers will be provided a $5000 stipend to enable this activity in your lab over the summer, and it will run for 10 weeks.

Medical Students: The Office of Medical Education has indicated student interest and is identifying potential candidates. Investigators will be paired with medical students interested in this experience. Alternatively, if you have identified potential medical students, please forward the application to students and ask them to apply. Medical student researchers will be provided a $4000 stipend to enable this activity in your lab over the summer, and it will run for 8 weeks.

Faculty Researchers: If you are interested in mentoring a student for this program, please complete this Mentor Survey.

Applications are due March 21, 2025, by 5 pm. All applications must include the following:
• Application Form (link at upper right corner of this page)
• Personal Statement
• Resume
• Unofficial transcript
• Letters of Recommendation/References (sent directly to NeuroscienceRPA@uky.edu)

2024 NRPA Fellowship Recipients

Edward Stump is now a 2nd-year medical student at the University of Kentucky.
His research mentor was Dr. Amanda Glueck, Department of Neurology.

Shelby McCubbin is now a 3rd-year medical student at the University of Kentucky.
Her research mentor was Dr. Robin Cooper, Department of Biology.

Emma Anderson is now a junior, Neuroscience major at the University of Kentucky.
Her research mentor was Dr. Ila Mishra, Department of Internal Medicine.

Isabella Arauz is now a junior, Neurobiology & Physiology major at Purdue University.
Her research mentor was Dr. Thomas Prisinzano, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

The Commonwealth Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) Fellowship, sponsored by the University of Kentucky Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) and Research Priority Areas (RPA) supported by the Office of the Vice President for Research, seeks to ensure the participation of undergraduate students pursuing mentored research in areas defined to be of critical importance to Kentuckians and the Commonwealth.

By providing opportunities to discover, invent, create, and develop new knowledge and skills, the CURE Fellowship will empower undergraduates to become informed citizens and leaders for their respective communities. Multiple CURE Fellowships will be awarded for each RPA.

CURE Fellows will receive a $5,000 stipend for the Summer 2025 period.

For more details about eligibility and to access the application please visit: https://our.uky.edu/CURE-Fellowship