Summer Undergraduate Vision Research Fellowship Program now accepting applications for 2026

Applications are now being accepted for the Summer Undergraduate Vision Research Fellowship Program hosted at the West Virginia University Health Sciences Center in Morgantown from May 22 - July 31, 2026.

The 10-week, full-time program will provide undergraduate interns with basic biochemistry and visual neuroscience research experience in areas that explore blinding diseases and new diagnostic and treatment methods of therapeutic intervention, including adeno-associated virus (AAV) mediated gene therapy.

Undergraduate students with career interests in vision, neuroscience, biochemistry and molecular medicine basic research topics are encouraged to apply. To be eligible to apply, students must be full-time undergraduate-level students in a U.S. university or college entering sophomore status or higher. The deadline to apply is March 13.

Each student will be assigned a mentor currently conducting research in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences laboratory space, will complete a small-scale research project, and will give a formal presentation at the conclusion of the internship.

The program is led by co-fellowship coordinators Michael Robichaux, Ph.D., and Saravanan Kolandaivelu, Ph.D., and is supported by the National Institutes of Health Visual Sciences Center of Biomedical Research Excellence grant at the WVU School of Medicine.

To learn more about the program and apply, visit the program's dedicated webpage.