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Vision Training

Research Experiences for Undergraduate, Graduate, and Medical Students

The Center For Vision Research (CVR) faculty is committed to providing a full and exciting research environment for students in our state-of-the-art research facilities.

  • Undergraduate researchers are drawn from other Central New York universities including Syracuse University, Cornell University, and LeMoyne College.  These students work throughout the school year in our laboratories engaging in discovery science at all levels.  During the summer months, an even more in-depth experience is possible through Upstate Medical University’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program.  The SURF program is an intensive immersion experience in research. Fellows are competitively selected for the 10-week paid fellowship. Interested undergraduates can contact our faculty directly as well as contact the SURF program.
  • Graduate training opportunities leading to a PhD or MD/PhD degree are available for students working in all the labs in the CVR. Graduate degrees are conferred by interdepartmental programs in: neuroscience; biochemistry; and cell & developmental biology.

    Students receiving doctoral degrees in our program have gone onto the best research and clinical post-graduate programs in the country.  Former students of our faculty are now taking leadership positions around the country.
  • Medical students are mentored in our research laboratories as well as with our clinical faculty.  Short-term intensive periods of full-time research from two months to one year, are possible as well as long-term research work spread over all four years of training.  

Obligations of each student trainee are tailored specifically to their career goals and preparation as well as on the length of their training period and the precise program of study.  All students receive orientation, chemical, lab, and animal safety training.

The focus of our training program is to provide a supportive and highly collaborative environment with maximum interaction among our research staff.  To that end, we have developed several group meetings that define our academic life. Student researchers are encouraged to attend these:

  • weekly CVR group laboratory meetings
  • weekly individual lab group meetings
  • monthly vision research seminars

The CVR group meeting involves all 30+ CVR researchers and this shared experience provides a consistency of academic training and mentoring for all of the staff. These meetings are focused on in-depth discussion of ongoing experimental design and data analysis as well as journal club activities.  

Internet-based videoconferencing between the Center for Vision Research and other sites in the SUNY Eye Institute extends our scope statewide.  

Students are encouraged at all levels to present their work at regional, national, and international meetings.

For more information contact: Ms. Carol Miller, millerca@upstate.edu CVR Research Administrator or Professor William Brunken, CVR Director, brunkenw@upstate.edu.

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