Faculty, staff, and students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine participate in and advance knowledge in animal and human health through research.
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) students have several opportunities to engage in research while they are veterinary medical students at Wisconsin — from hourly lab work to summer fellowships to dual degrees and more.
Hourly Lab Research
Find a research lab where a Principal Investigator (PI) is looking for student-hourly help. Before contacting the PI, make sure you know how many hours you have available per week during the semester and vacations; PIs like reliability and continuity. When you contact them, make it clear that you are interested in their research topic.
Browsing faculty research lab websites can give you an idea of what type of research goes on in that lab. If you know of a researcher in the UW School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) and cannot find them, check the People section of the website — all faculty are listed there and searchable by specialties and research interests.
If you have a specific research area interest, and you want to find out who is working in that area on campus (e.g., immunology, oncology, etc.), search the Experts Database.
Another way to find people working in a particular research area is to visit campus websites for graduate training in that area (e.g., cell and molecular biology, neuroscience training program, microbiology, etc.). A full list of all graduate programs can be found at the Graduate School website.
You can also look for opportunities at the campus student jobs website. Write a brief e-mail introducing yourself as a veterinary student, expressing your interest in their research/the position, outlining the time you have available including vacations, and whether you would also be available the following year. Attach your resume.
Summer Research
You may find work in a research lab during summer as a student hourly; however, other programs are designed specifically for a 10-week or 12-week research training experience that includes lectures on topics like research ethics and the responsible conduct of research, how to write a manuscript, and prepare a research presentation.
Research Degree Fellowships
Non-degree research fellowships
Hanna H. Gray Fellow Program
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Hanna Gray Fellowship Program supports up to 4 years of postdoc support and up to 4 years of early career faculty support for URMs and women. Although the eligibility criteria is “MD (or equivalent)” it includes DVMs, as noted in the application components PDF.
NIH Medical Research Scholars Program
The NIH will support 12 months of training at the NIH campus. The program is designed for students who are U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have a strong interest in conduction basic, clinical, translational, population health research and are currently enrolled in their 2nd, 3rd, or 4th year at an accredited medical, dental, or veterinary program.
Contact Us
If you want to learn more about research opportunities throughout your career, please reach out with your questions or to schedule a meeting.
M. Suresh
Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Training
(608) 265-9791
suresh.marulasiddappa@wisc.edu
Lauren Trepanier
Assistant Dean for Clinical and Translational Research
(608) 265-9022
lauren.trepanier@wisc.edu