[visionlist] VSS 2026: FoVea Travel and Networking Award

[Schoenlein, Melissa]

FoVea Travel and Networking Award
Females of Vision et al. (FoVea) is excited to announce its 10th round of the FoVea Travel and Networking Award. Up to eight awards will be funded by the National Science Foundation and the journal Visual Cognition. The FoVea Travel and Networking Award includes up to $1000 to cover costs for attending the 2026 Vision Science Society (VSS) meeting.
Submissions are due on March 2nd, 2026 and should be submitted through http://www.foveavision.org/awards/accepting-applications.

Questions can be sent to fovea.award at gmail.com<mailto:fovea.award at gmail.com>.

The FoVea Travel and Networking Award is open to members of the Vision Science Society (VSS). Applicants may hold pre-doctoral, post-doctoral, pre-tenure faculty, or research scientist positions. FoVea is working toward advancing the success of vision scientists and strives to create opportunities for all who want to participate in the field of Vision Science. A key aspect of professional development is building a professional network to support scientific pursuits and to provide mentorship at critical junctions in one’s academic career. The FoVea Travel and Networking Award will help those in vision science to build their professional network by encouraging them to meet with two Networking Contacts at the VSS meeting to discuss their research, career, and consider potential for collaboration. The Networking Contacts can be any vision scientist attending VSS 2026 who is further along in their career than the applicant.
The goals of the FoVea Travel and Networking Award are to:

  1.
Increase the visibility of vision scientists by giving them the opportunity to meet and have one-on-one discussions with senior scientists at the meeting.

2. Increase the productivity of vision scientists by potentially stimulating collaborative research with the Networking Contacts.
3. Increase the networking skills of vision scientists, both those who apply for and win the awards, and those who peruse the written reports of awardees on the FoVea website (www.foveavision.org).
4.   Increase the opportunities to attend VSS for excellent vision scientists.
5.   Increase the number of awards vision scientists can list on their CVs, thereby enhancing their professional profile.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
Materials to be submitted by the applicant:
The following materials should be combined in a single PDF and uploaded through the “Submit Application” link at http://www.foveavision.org/awards/accepting-applications.

  1.
CV 

  2.
Networking Plan (500 word limit): A proposal describing the applicant’s plan to network with two senior scientists during the VSS 2026 meeting. The plan should demonstrate establishing new relationships with the identified scientists. Plans should include an explanation for why the applicant chose these particular Networking Contacts, a plan for what topics will be discussed during the meeting, and a statement of how the applicant hopes relationships with the Networking Contacts will help advance their research/career agenda. 

  3.
Personal Experience Statement (250 word limit): A description of the ways in which the applicant's personal experiences and activities contribute to increasing opportunities for all who want to participate in the field of Vision Science.
  4.
Networking Contact statements of agreement: A statement from each senior scientist named as a Networking Contact that says:

“I agree to serve as a Networking Contact for [applicant] and will meet with them at VSS 2026.”
This is not a letter of recommendation and should not elaborate on the merits of the applicant. Networking Contacts can provide this statement in an email to the applicant or written on letterhead. Statements of agreement should be included in the PDF submitted by the applicant.
Materials to be submitted by the applicant’s advisor, research supervisor, or department head:

  1.
A letter of support: This can be from the applicant’s advisor, research supervisor, or department head. This letter should be no more than 1 page and should include details of the applicant’s research potential and the value of the networking activities given the career stage of the applicant.

This letter should be submitted by the letter writer through the “Submit Recommendation” link at http://www.foveavision.org/awards/accepting-applications.

Awardees will agree to write a brief report on their networking methods and outcomes after the conference by no later than June 3, 2026. FoVea will post these reports on its website.
ELIGIBILITY: An applicant must be a member of the Vision Sciences Community.  Graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, research scientists (non-tenure track), or pre-tenure faculty members are eligible.
REVIEW PROCESS: Applications will be reviewed by a committee consisting of five members of the VSS community with Charisse Pickron as Chair. Awards will be announced by early April.
REIMBURSEMENT: After VSS, reimbursement will be processed as a $1000 stipend. Individuals that are not residents of the US for tax purposes may have a withholding tax deducted from the award per Federal and State laws.
FoVea Committee:
Diane Beck, Mary Peterson, Charisse Pickron, Karen Schloss, Melissa Schoenlein, Cathleen Moore, and Allison Sekuler


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