Purpose
Funded by the University of Washington Morell Endowment and the UW School of Dentistry Office of Research, the Summer Research Fellowship (SURF) Program offers an opportunity for UW School of Dentistry students to work on a research project under the direction of a faculty member. A stipend and allowance for research expenses is provided.
What is Offered?
- Opportunity to work on a research project under the direction of a faculty member.
- Stipend ($4,000 for 2026) + $500 allowance for research expenses.
- Students making a presentation at a national meeting may also receive an allowance for travel to the meeting if selected based on their final SURF paper.
- Opportunity to work with faculty member to publish results of project in a scholarly journal.
Who is Eligible to Apply?
Dental students in good academic standing at the University of Washington (including entering students).
Students who have previously successfully participated in the SURF program. Successful completion of SURF defined as 1) submitted final paper by deadline, 2) presented at Research Day, and 3) recommendation by SURF mentor to participate again.
Who is Not Eligible?
Students with heavy clinical obligations during the summer.
Time Involved
Three months full time equivalent spread between March – December for first time participants.
Conditions and Explanations
- The SURF Program is the principal research opportunity for dental students.
- Application Procedure: a) students discuss research opportunities with faculty preceptor; b) student and preceptor submit a letter of intent and write a proposal; c) proposals are submitted early December.; d) proposals are reviewed for suitability by Research Advisory Committee; e) fellowship awards announced by early March.
- Students conduct all aspects of research: literature review, data collection, data analysis, and presentation of the results.
- Students participate in a seminar on Research Design and Methods (DENTEL 530 – Research Methods Seminar)*. Students’ own projects are used as examples for discussion.
- Elective Credits: 6 elective credits are awarded for the research project, 1 credit for the seminar.
- Students write an abstract of their project and give a presentation at Research Day, January 27, 2027.
- A written report describing results of the research project must be submitted to the Office of Research at dentres@uw.edu* by December 11, 2026.
- Students are strongly encouraged to work with their mentor to publish the results of their project in a scholarly journal.
*Students who are participating in the SURF program more than once are not required to complete DENTEL 530 – Research Methods Seminar after year one.
Resources
- Introduction to Surf (MP4) (UWNETID required to view)
- Dr.Chi video on how to choose a mentor (MP4) (UWNETID required to view)
- Faculty Research Interests
- SURF Program Expectations – Trainees and Preceptors
Submit an application
The application deadline for first time participants in 2026 has passed. Please check back Summer 2027 for the next application cycle.
2026 SURF Recurring Application Fillable (PDF)
Project Timetable – recurring SURF application (XLS)
Recurring SURF applications must be submitted via email to dentres@uw.edu* by February 9, 2026.
For additional information contact: dentres@uw.edu*.
SURF Mentors
Please consider becoming a mentor to a SURF student. More information is available in this video (MP4) (UWNETID required to view). If you are interested, please ensure your information is up to date on the Faculty Research Interests page (updates can be sent to dentres@uw.edu*) or send information about a project you would like to work on to include in the Potential Projects List (see list in resources section).