Research Training Grant

Description, Eligibility & Criteria Application Past Recipients

Description, Eligibility & Criteria

The Education and Training Committee is pleased to announce that SPR will once again provide Research Training Grants. These grants enable graduate students and postdocs to obtain mentored training in psychophysiological methods that are necessary for their future research goals, but are not available at their home institution. Applicants should propose a training plan involving one or more outside sponsors who are experts in the chosen psychophysiological methods. These awards may facilitate in-person training through a visit to the sponsor’s laboratory, remote training through virtual meetings with the sponsors, or a combination of the two.

Budget and Allowable Costs

Applicants may propose a budget of up to $5,000 USD. Smaller budgeted applications are encouraged so more applications can be funded. Grants are intended to support the direct costs of training with the proposed sponsors.

Allowable costs include the following:

- Travel and lodging for in-person training activities (e.g., visiting the sponsor’s institution or hosting the sponsor at the applicant’s institution)
- Childcare costs to protect time for training activities
- Partial coverage of the applicant’s salary to protect time for training activities (e.g., summer support)
- Software licenses necessary for the proposed training (e.g., statistical or signal processing software)
- Up to $500 to support attendance of the SPR Annual Meeting

Unallowable Costs

Unallowable costs include the following:

- Purchase of research equipment or instrumentation
- Compensation for research participants
- Attendance at other scientific meetings or workshops
- Indirect costs or institutional overhead

If a proposed item is not explicitly listed under allowable costs, applicants are encouraged to consult with the program contact prior to submission.

Attendance at the SPR Annual Meeting

Awardees are expected to attend the SPR Annual Meeting to formally accept the award at the Business Luncheon. Awardees are also strongly encouraged to present their research findings at the SPR Annual Meeting the following year.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must be graduate students or postdoctoral researchers who are in good standing at their home institution at the time of submission. Preference will be given to applicants and sponsors who are active members of SPR. However, all graduate students or postdocs interested in obtaining mentored training in psychophysiology are encouraged to apply. Applicants who have previously received a Research Training Grant are not eligible to apply again.

Review Criteria and Tips for a Strong Proposal

Applications will be reviewed based on the following:

Quality and significance of the proposed research. Clearly articulate the research questions motivating the project. Explain why these questions are important to the field and how they align with your long-term research interests.
Appropriateness of the training plan and environment. Outline a structured training plan that details exactly what new skills or techniques you will learn and how you will learn them. If working with multiple sponsors, clarify each sponsor’s unique expertise and role.
Goals and milestones. Present short-term and long-term objectives. Establish a timeline for the training, breaking it down into phases with measurable milestones. Explain how sponsors will track and evaluate progress.
Budget appropriateness. Provide detailed justification for each budget item and verify the allowable and unallowable costs, ensuring your requests align with the guidelines provided above.

Grant Timeline

- Applications are due on June 1, 2026, by 11:59 pm UTC.
- Winners will be announced by late June.
- Award period can begin as early as July 1, 2026, and must be started by the time of the 2026 SPR annual meeting (October 14-17, 2026).

Duration of the award is one year from start of spending.

To Apply

Please download this pdf: PROPOSED BUDGET FORM

1) Fill out the pdf form, save it, and upload it in the field listed in the application tab above.
2) Fill out the rest of the online form in the 'Application' tab above and submit.

Note: Each applicant must submit their own biosketch, along with the biosketches of their mentor and training sponsor. Applicants must also include a recommendation letter from their primary mentor and a support letter from the sponsor.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact:

Dr. C.J. Brush
School of Kinesiology
Auburn University
cjbrush@auburn.edu

Application

The deadline for this application is June 1, 2026.

2026 SPR Research Training Grant Application

Please note, you can begin an application and complete at a later date by simply clicking the 'Save & continue' button at the bottom of the form. You will receive a unique link that will allow you to return to your draft to complete and submit.

Name(Required)

First Last

Email(Required)

Institution(Required)

Department(Required)

Status(Required)

Graduate Student

Post-Doctoral Student

Year in program/fellowship(Required)

Intended year of completion(Required)

Number of prior SPR conferences attended(Required)

Primary Mentor (from home institution)

Name(Required)

First Last

Number of prior SPR conferences attended(Required)

Training Sponsor(s)

Sponsor Name(s)(Required)

Sponsor Institution(s)(Required)

Number of prior SPR conferences attended(Required)

I attest that I meet all eligibility requirements of this Research Training Fellowship:(Required)

I am a graduate or post-doctoral student from any country in good standing at my home institution at time of submission.

The training proposed in this application is focused specifically on psychophysiological methods and measures.

I will be attending the Business Luncheon at the SPR Annual Meeting.

Additional qualifications (please check only what applies):(Required)

I am a SPR member in good standing or have been a member previously.

My primary mentor and training sponsor are/have both been SPR members in good standing at the time of submission.

I am not a current SPR member

Digital Signature(Required)

Please type your name to confirm your application

Date(Required)

The following fields request specific information. The entire provided space does not need to be used.

Background and Significance: Describe the line of work pursued by the applicant, including how the psychophysiological measures covered by the fellowship will inform this work.(Required)

Training Aims and Plan: Include measures or techniques to be learned and provide a detailed plan as to how the training provided during the fellowship will allow the applicant to become independently capable of using the measures or techniques in future research. How does this align with the applicant's career/mentoring objectives?(Required)

Training Sponsor(s): Indicate who will provide the proposed training and what their role(s) will be.(Required)

Training Environment: 1. Verification of ability to access resources to complete training proposed in this fellowship (e.g., psychophysiology equipment, laboratory space, software, research participants and payment, imaging facilities, assays). 2. If this involves training for analysis, describe the tools to be utilized for the analysis. 3. Statement of IRB approval or plan for obtaining it if training involves new data collection (approval not required to submit, but is required to receive funds)(Required)

Research Training Proposal References (up to 15):(Required)

List of Applicant's Previous SPR Presentations (e.g., posters and/or symposia talks):(Required)

Supporting Documents

Proposed Budget Form Upload(Required)

Max. file size: 128 MB.

Applicant Bio-sketch Upload(Required)

Max. file size: 128 MB.

Mentor Bio-sketch Upload(Required)

Max. file size: 128 MB.

Training Sponsor(s) Bio-sketch Upload(Required)

Drop files here or

Max. file size: 128 MB.

Recommendation Letter: The primary mentor (from applicant’s home institution) should provide a letter of recommendation for the applicant.(Required)

Max. file size: 128 MB.

Sponsor Support Letter(s): The training sponsor should provide a brief letter to indicate their willingness to provide the training described in this application.(Required)

Drop files here or

Max. file size: 128 MB.

Administrative Contact for Fund Disbursement

Please provide the contact information for the administrative representative responsible for fund disbursement, so we can coordinate payment directly with them if you are selected.

Contact Name(Required)

First Last

Contact Email(Required)

Contact Phone Number(Required)

Past Recipients

2025 Recipients

Emilia Cárdenas, Pennsylvania State University, USA
Mathew Rocha Hammerstrom, University of Victoria, Canada
Martino Schettino, Azienda USL di Bologna, Italy
Abigail Szkutak, Columbia University, USA

2024 Recipients

Katherine Boere, University of Victoria, Canada
Andrew Ude, Rutgers University, USA
Janna Teigeler, University of Würzburg, Germany

2023 Recipients

Carola DELL’ACQUA, University of Padua, Italy
Rachel FERRY, Stony Brook University, USA
Anna MARKSER, University of Cologne, Germany
Kaia SARGENT, University of California Los Angles, USA

2022 Recipients

Jenna Johnson, University of Newcastle
Anna-Lena Tebbe, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
Nicholas Ware, University of Newcastle

2021 Recipients

The Research Training Grants were placed on hold in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2020 Recipients

Madison Chandler, Michigan State University, USA
Andrew Farkas, University of Georgia, USA
Sara LoTemplio, University of Utah, USA
Emily Perkins, Florida State University, USA
Shai Porat, University of Southern California, USA

2019 Recipients

Michelle Thai, University of Minnesota, USA
Yuri Pavlov, University of Teubingen, Germany
Enes Avcu, University of Delaware, USA
David Cole, Utah State University, USA

2018 Recipients

Huase Lin, University of Toronto, Canada
Christopher Brush, Rutgers University, USA
Mona El-Hout, University of South Florida, USA
Keanan Joyner, Florida State University, USA
Richard Ward, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA
Daylin Gongora Lleonart, Cuban Neuroscience Center, Cuba

2017 Recipients

Heather Soder, University of South Florida, USA
Matthias Sperl, University of Marburg, Germany
Martin Hochheimer, University of Würzburg, Germany
Hannah Lawrence, University of Maine, USA