Admission to the Visiting Scholars Program is on a competitive basis; a limited number of Scholars are accepted at any given time to assure adequate facilities and mentorship for each individual. Acceptance is not automatic. Applicants must hold a professorial title at another institution. Interested individuals should submit the following documents to Visiting Scholar Coordinator. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. All materials should be submitted in electronic format (PDF format).
Visiting Scholar Application form: Application form in fillable PDF Format
Curriculum Vitae: The CV should be in PDF format, and be up-to-date, including all training, publications, and experiences that might be relevant to an experience at the University of Washington.
Statement of Purpose: The applicant should submit a statement of intent that outlines their goals for their visit to Restorative Dentistry. In short, why does the applicant want to visit and why is the UW Department of Restorative Dentistry a preferred site to attain the applicant’s goals? The statement should be sent in pdf format.
Faculty Advisor Approval: A UW Restorative Dentistry faculty member who has expressed interest in working with the Visiting Scholar must verify interest to the Visiting Scholar Coordinator in writing for inclusion in the application file. If no faculty member is noted on the application, the Coordinator will attempt to identify faculty advisors or mentors based on faculty availability, and will try to match a faculty member with the interests and goals of the applicant. In any case, a host member of the Restorative Faculty must be identified prior to application approval.
Letters of Recommendation: Two (2) letters of recommendation are required. Letters should come from faculty or other professionals in dentistry who can best evaluate the applicant’s capacity for a positive experience in the United States. The letters should be addressed to the Visiting Scholar Coordinator and should be emailed directly to the Visiting Scholar Coordinator in pdf format with a signature (or e-signature) of the recommending individual. The letters should be a candid assessment of the ability of the applicant to achieve their goals for the proposed visit.
Letter of Financial Support from Sponsoring Institution/Employer: Evidence of sufficient funding to support the Scholar’s living and transportation costs is required for all non-U.S. applicants to process visa requests. Support required currently stands at $2,100 a month minimum for the Visiting Scholar, $1200 for accompany spouse, and $600 per child.Funding may not be provided solely by personal or family funds. Personal and family funds may supplement but not substitute for institutional, governmental or agency funding. For specific details, please see information on Funding for J-1 Visa Exchange Visitors.
Proof of Highest Academic Degree: (photocopies sufficient) is required to process visa requests. Documents should be in English or be translated into English.
J-1 English Proficiency Requirement: All J-1 exchange visitors must be proficient enough to participate successfully and are subject to this requirement. Sponsoring departments are required to document English proficiency through one or more objective measurements as outlined in the International Scholars Office website. Please see J-1 English Proficiency Requirement for information and documentations needed to meet the English proficiency requirement.
Family: If an applicant wants to bring family to stay with them while the Scholar is at the University, the applicant is responsible for additional visa fees, demonstration of funds to support the family, and any travel, insurance, or other costs associated with family while they are here.
Please send all application materials electronically (in PDF format) to Dr. Zhang:
Email Address: haizhang@uw.edu
Applicant Deadline and Timeline
Applications are accepted year-round.
Recent changes in the U.S. immigration procedures require that all Visiting Scholars should submit their applications at least 4 months prior to their anticipated arrival in the United States.
Assessment of applications takes at least 3 weeks from the date of receipt, and will take longer if the application is incomplete. Applications will not be processed until they are complete.