Funder: Simons Foundation
Due Dates (Anticipated): April 2027 (Application and recommendation letters)
Funding Amounts: $25 per hour for 10 hours weekly over 30 weeks; $2,000 resource stipend for host labs (2026–2027 cycle)
Summary: SURFiN supports paid, mentored undergraduate neuroscience research assistantships for students with limited access to research training.
Key Information: Applicants must live near a participating laboratory in the U.S., Canada or Europe for in-person research.
Description
The Shenoy Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Neuroscience (SURFiN), administered by the Simons Foundation’s Autism & Neuroscience division, aims to spark and sustain interest in neuroscience among undergraduates who have not had access to research training opportunities. It funds paid, in-person research assistantships during the academic year, pairing students with nearby Simons Foundation-supported laboratories and direct mentorship, typically from graduate students or postdoctoral researchers.
Participating laboratories span the foundation’s programs in global brain research, plasticity and the aging brain, ecological neuroscience, and autism research. Projects are designed to be accessible to students with a range of skills, and prior laboratory experience is not required. Alongside hands-on research, fellows and mentors participate in career development activities, including a virtual coding boot camp and a scientific symposium in New York City.
