Applications for 2020 Beckman fellowships and awards are now open with a deadline of 5 p.m. CST Tuesday, March 10, 2020.

Apply now

Several awards and fellowships have a spring application deadline for summer awards and fellowships. Review the program and eligibility requirements and the application process below. Then apply online.

Undergraduate programs

Beckman Undergraduate Fellows Program

Carle Neuroscience Institute Undergraduate Research Award (research topic must be related to magnetic resonance neuroimaging. Research will take place at Beckman and the Carle Neuroscience Institute)

Erik Haferkamp Memorial Award for Undergraduate Research (for neuroscience research)

Graduate programs

Nadine Barrie Smith Memorial Fellows Program (for female engineering graduate students who are conducting research in the general field of medical imaging; preference given to students from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering)

Thomas and Margaret Huang Award for Graduate Research (for graduate students in the broad area of human-computer intelligent interaction)

For each of these programs, a $3,000 disbursement will be made to each successful applicant’s university account at the end of the spring semester. The purpose of the $3,000 award is to pay for housing and/or other living expenses so that the selected students can remain on campus during the summer to conduct research in Beckman Institute laboratories.

Program requirements

Applicants are expected to be engaged full-time in their research project at the Beckman Institute (or the Carle Neuroscience Institute for one award) over the summer. (See above notes for individual area of research requirements for applicants for certain awards.)

A progress report, not to exceed one (1) page in length, must be completed at the midpoint of the summer and a final report, not to exceed two (2) pages in length, must be completed at the end of the summer.

Eligibility requirements

1. Recipient shall be an undergraduate student or graduate student in good standing at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
2. Recipient must be enrolled for the spring semester of the application year.
3. Recipient must have already been working in a laboratory at the Beckman Institute for at least one (1) semester prior to the summer of the application year.
4. All the application materials (CV, proposal, and letter of support) must be submitted by the application closing deadline.
5. For Huang Award, student must be enrolled in a degree program (M.A., M.S., or Ph.D.) and have a Beckman research advisor who research area is in human-computer intelligence.
6. For the Carle Neuroscience Award, recipients will be United State citizens or permanent residents, and recipients will assist with data collection and analysis (including, but not limited to, image and cognitive data collection and analysis) as part of ongoing neuro-imaging collaborations between the Carle Neuroscience Institute and the Beckman Institute’s Biomedical Imaging Center.) 

Application steps

1. Fill out application form 
   Applicants must fill out the online application form (campus NetID and password are required). The form also allows for the electronic submission of your supporting documents: (curriculum vitae and research plan/personal statement).
2. Curriculum vitae
   A current curriculum vitae must be submitted as an Adobe PDF file using the upload form mentioned above.
3. Research plan/personal statement
   A description of the proposed research project to be pursued is required. This section should not exceed three single spaced pages, excluding references. The research plan must be submitted as an Adobe PDF file using the upload form mentioned above. A statement must be included in either the letter from the faculty member or the research proposal that indicates the specific role that the student will play in the research. The successful proposal will be understandable to a broad audience. For the Carle Neuroscience Award, the personal statement should include a summary of the applicant's interest and experience in conducting magnetic resonance or other imaging research. The statement should also include information about relevant coursework and career goals.
4. Letter from a Beckman faculty member
   The application must also include a letter from a Beckman Institute faculty member indicating his or her willingness to sponsor the student for the summer at the Beckman Institute. The faculty member must submit the letter as an Adobe PDF file, via e-mail to awards@beckman.illinois.edu. A statement must be included in either the letter from the faculty member or the research proposal that indicates the role the student has played in previous research projects led by the faculty member and the specific role that the student will play in the future research.
   For the Carle Neuroscience Award,  the letter may come from a Carle Neuroscience Institute faculty member.
   For the Nadine Barrie Smith Memorial Fellowship, applicants should request letters of reference from two individuals familiar with your research. Please have your references either e-mail letters directly to awards@beckman.illinois.edu, or send them on official letterhead and under separate cover to the address below. No faxed copies will be accepted.
   
   Original letters must be mailed to the address below:

Nadine Barrie Smith Memorial Fellowship
Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
405 North Mathews Avenue
Urbana, IL 61801 USA

Email us if you have any questions.