# Visual Sciences Training Program (VSTP)

> **NIH NIH T32** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE · 2023 · $98,633

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The UC Irvine Vision Science Training Program (VSTP) is specifically designed to train PhD and MD/PhD
candidates who will advance research on the causes, diagnosis, progression and treatment of human visual
impairments. The goals of this multidisciplinary, inter-departmental training program are to (i) provide high
quality research training in basic sciences disciplines that are relevant to vision research and (ii) provide
opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborative and translational research so that our trainees can skillfully
function in an interactive research environment and draw clinical correlates from their basic findings. A strength
of our program will be that all trainees will receive mentoring that is both discipline-specific, i.e. departmental
and thematic, i.e. within and across four broad visual sciences areas that encompass the VSTP; (a) Anterior
segment and ocular surface, (b) Metabolism & visual processing, (c) Retina and retinal diseases, and (d) Lens.
Through our program’s progressive design, trainees will first participate in didactic training to establish a strong
foundation in cell and molecular biology, followed by additional didactic training in the biochemistry and
molecular biology of all major components of the eye and visual processing. They will then acquire advanced
understanding in an area of specialization via advanced courses and thesis research, which are organized
according to the four research themes described above. The VSTP leverages UC Irvine’s robust vision science
community, bringing together an outstanding group of clinicians and scientists with strong track records of
vision research and mentoring. By leveraging these strengths, the VSTP is uniquely poised to produce vision
scientists that can creatively apply contemporary research approaches toward understanding problems in
vision and ophthalmology.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10615907
- **Project number:** 5T32EY032448-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Krzysztof Palczewski
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $98,633
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-05-01 → 2027-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10615907

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10615907, Visual Sciences Training Program (VSTP) (5T32EY032448-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10615907. Licensed CC0.

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