Thirty five vision scientists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham seek to provide interdisciplinary vision research training. The faculty comprise a campus-wide vision research community that includes eleven departments from the Schools of Medicine, Engineering, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Optometry, and Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Veterans Affairs. There is considerable research collaboration among the participating faculty, and a history of joint sponsorship of student research. There is an outstanding pool of potential trainees who enter UAB with a B.S., B.A., or O.D. degree. Students enter UAB through the a variety of programs including the Vision Science Program, the one year Neuroscience Graduate Training Program, the Behavioral Neuroscience Program, and the Biomedical Engineering Program. Support is requested for six predoctoral and two postdoctoral positions per year. The predoctoral positions are requested for trainees working directly towards the Ph.D. degree, and the postdoctoral programs are requested for students who have completed the Ph.D. Since the inception of the program, the average time to complete the Ph.D.in the Vision science program has been 4.1 years. A total of 20,000 square feet is available for vision research in the School of Optometry Buildings,which include 12,500 square feet in the Vision Science Research Center. Additional space is provided in the laboratories of advisors whose appointments are in the eleven departments outside of the School of Optometry. There is a strong institutional commitment to vision science training at UAB, as evidenced by institutional support for first year student stipends, tuition, and fees.
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