# Interdisciplinary Vision Training Program

> **NIH NIH T32** · BROWN UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $138,793

## Abstract

Project Summary
The Interdisciplinary Vision Training Program (VTP) at Brown University trains graduate students to
become leaders in vision research. The goal is to train students in research and give them essential career
skills, while also familiarizing them with vision disorders and their treatment, so that their future research
will factor in public health needs. Students are admitted into either the interdepartmental Neuroscience
Graduate Program or the graduate program in the Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological
Sciences. In these graduate programs, students take required and elective coursework to build a solid
scientific foundation. By the second graduate year, students settle on a research lab and they have
acquired the necessary scientific knowledge to conduct their dissertation research. At that stage, graduate
students pursuing vision research in one of the preceptors' labs are encouraged to apply for the Vision
Training Program. Students are selected based on their potential for a successful and productive vision
research career. Students are generally admitted to the Vision Training Program in their 2nd or 3rd year,
with 3 graduate students participating at a time. The program lasts 2-3 years so that students experience
the full range of training activities. Once admitted to the VTP, trainees receive specialized training and
experiences aimed at strengthening and broadening their understanding and abilities in vision research.
The core of the vision program is the laboratory research training they receive. Research conducted in the
preceptors' labs investigates a wide range of topics including retinal structure and function, development
of the visual system, visual processing in the brain, visual perception and learning, computational models
of vision, and visually-guided behavior. A key part of the program is a group of activities through which
the students learn about visual disease and disorders so that they can appreciate the public health needs.
Through regular interactions with the Department of Ophthalmology, students learn the vocabulary and
procedures used by ophthalmologists and neuro-ophthalmologists. Trainees also observe eye surgeries
and visual assessment as conducted in the vision clinic. At all stages, students learn essential skills for a
successful independent research career in vision research. These include critical thinking and reasoning,
effective science writing and oral presentation, knowledge of the scientific review processes, and training
in ethics. To ensure a successful training program, we have selected a broad training faculty with
productive track records and experience training students; a couple are relatively junior but are highly
active in research and student training and they show great promise as research mentors. In addition to the
preceptors in the vision training program, there is a rich intellectual environment at Brown. The Institute
for Brain Sciences has over 130 facul...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10168545
- **Project number:** 5T32EY018080-15
- **Recipient organization:** BROWN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** MICHAEL A PARADISO
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $138,793
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2007-04-01 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10168545

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10168545, Interdisciplinary Vision Training Program (5T32EY018080-15). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10168545. Licensed CC0.

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