The AVA is pleased to advertise a call for our annual Bradshaw/Eagle undergraduate research studentship, named in honour of Mark Bradshaw and Richard Eagle.

The aim of this scheme is to support undergraduates who wish to carry out supervised summer research projects during the middle years of their degree in a vision laboratory, normally in a UK Higher Education Institution. The Scholarship will provide a stipend (£200 per week, subsistence, for up to 8 weeks) to support undergraduates to carry out a self-contained vision-related research project, in the laboratory of an AVA member. The purpose of the scheme is to allow the student to experience a real research environment and to be trained to carry out a piece of scientific research, with the aim of encouraging them to consider an academic research career.

Eligibility: The project supervisor will be responsible for the application and will be the formal award-holder, if an award is offered. They must be an AVA member. The supervisor must hold an established academic position, normally within a UK university. They must be able to guarantee the student space, and full supervision, in their laboratory for the project period. Preference will be given to applicants who have not held this award in the past. Only one application per student and supervisor is allowed in any one year. Supervisors must be able to confirm that the student has not obtained an award from any other source for this project. 

Students must be studying a relevant discipline (usually psychology, biology, optometry or a related discipline) and should be in the middle years of their degree program (i.e. not the first year, nor the last year, of studies) when the application is submitted.

Funding criteria: Projects should fall within the field of vision research, as judged by the AVA Committee, in the sphere of interest of journals including Perception, Vision Research and the Journal of Vision. Applications should be submitted by the supervisor, with relevant sections of the application form completed by the student. The project should be a self-contained piece of academic research with a clearly defined objective, and will be judged on scientific merit of the proposed work, quality of the training/experience provided to the student, and last but not least on the student’s academic record and aptitude for research.

The deadline for application is 5pm, 16th March 2018. The application form is found on the AVA website (http://www.theava.net/awards/bradshaw-eagle.php ), where you can also read brief biographies of Mark Bradshaw and Richard Eagle. Completed form should be emailed to Dr Jasna Martinovic ([log in to unmask]).  Funding decisions will be announced at the start of May 2018 and the projects can start from June 2018 onwards..