Parkinson's Foundation Summer Student & Visiting Scholar Awards

Parkinson's Foundation Summer Student Fellowship

Offers summer research placements for undergraduate and medical trainees in Parkinson's disease laboratories through the Parkinson's Foundation.

Eligibility · United States

⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.

The Parkinson's Foundation Summer Student Fellowship places undergraduate and medical students in Parkinson's disease research laboratories for ten weeks during summer. The total award is USD 5,000 per fellow, structured as a USD 4,000 stipend plus up to USD 1,000 in conference travel support. The fellowship is open to students worldwide — no institution-country restriction applies — and requires a confirmed mentor at a Parkinson's research laboratory before applying. The 2026 cycle application deadline was 26 January 2026, with placements beginning in summer 2026. The next cycle is expected to open in late 2026.

Eligible applicants are enrolled undergraduate students or pre-degree medical students who have identified a supervising mentor willing to support the ten-week placement. The program spans basic and clinical Parkinson's research and does not restrict by disease sub-area, method, or institution type. Postdoctoral fellows and PhD students are not eligible under this scheme; the companion Visiting Scholar Award serves those career stages. Applications are submitted through ProposalCentral, the Parkinson's Foundation's standard grant portal.

The fellowship is designed to introduce students to Parkinson's research as a career path, with the conference travel component intended to help fellows present or attend a scientific meeting during or shortly after their placement. Because the stipend covers only ten weeks of work, host laboratories are expected to provide bench access, materials, and active mentorship. Applicants who demonstrate a specific research question aligned with their mentor's current program, and who can show the placement will advance toward a defined scientific output, tend to be most competitive in the review process.