Research Fellowship Program

MCEVBD Research Fellows receive a stipend. Fellowship stipends start at $7200 for the summer and vary depending on experience. Some fellows may receive a larger stipend due to exceptional academic backgrounds or professional experience.

Ideal candidates will have experience or coursework related to entomology, wildlife, environmental management, botany, forestry, ecology, parasitology, infectious disease, and/or public health. Applicants should be interested in pursuing career paths related to vectors and vector-borne disease, and they should be open to working both in laboratory settings and in the field under potentially adverse conditions.

Applicants from underrepresented backgrounds are encouraged to apply and may be eligible for additional financial support.

Fellowships are offered to trainees at all levels, including undergraduate students, graduate students (MS, MPH, PhD, etc.), or professional students (e.g., MD or DVM), as well as recent graduates from any of those degrees.

MCEVBD offers approximately 15 research fellowships each year. The exact number of fellowships awarded each year varies based on our fellowship placement site needs and the applicant pool.

Fellows typically work full time (40 hours per week) for twelve weeks during the summer. Exact fellowship start and end dates are negotiable, but fellows often start work in May or early June and work through August. Alternative work schedules are approved on a case by case basis.

Fellows engage in a wide variety of research projects. We try to match fellows with projects that match their expertise, interests, career goals.

Examples of past fellow projects:

• Dragging for ticks in public parks to assess where ticks are established in order to update public health risk maps
• Trapping and testing mosquitoes for Jamestown Canyon Virus to identify which species of mosquito is responsible for infecting humans
• Developing statistical models based on mosquito and weather data to better predict West Nile Virus
• Developing new repellents for mosquitoes and ticks and testing their effectiveness
• Creating and conducting surveys of veterinary and medical professionals about Lyme disease knowledge and prevention recommendations

Applications are now open for the 2024 Summer Fellowship- apply here now.

We accept applications for the fellowship on a rolling basis. We begin interviews for fellowship in January each year, and we recommend getting your application in as soon as possible to ensure consideration. Most fellowships are awarded by March each year.

In order to apply for a fellowship, you will need to submit:

• A statement explaining why you are interested the MCEVBD Research Fellowship
• A PDF copy of your resume and transcripts
• Notes regarding any conversations you have already had with MCEVBD partners regarding a potential fellowship

There is no firm deadline for applications, however applications are reviewed as they are received. Applicants usually begin applying in December, interviews are typically conducted in February or March, and placements are typically finalized by April. Candidates who apply by January are more likely to be selected than those who apply later.

Questions about the application process can be sent to mcevbd@wisc.edu