AAOF OD to PhD Fellowship Program

The AAOF OD to PhD Scholarship Program funds optometrists pursuing a PhD in eye-and-vision-related fields (e.g., Vision Science, Physiological Optics, Biomedical Sciences, Public Health, Neuroscience). Each fellowship is a $30,000 award payable over two years ($15,000 in year one, $15,000 in year two upon satisfactory progress). Three named fellowships are offered: two EssilorLuxottica OD to PhD Fellowships, the American Academy of Optometry OD to PhD Fellowship, and the Jill & George Mertz / CCLRT OD to PhD Fellowship (the CCLRT variant requires a cornea/contact-lens/refractive-technology research focus).

Eligibility: candidates must have completed or be completing clinical training leading to an optometry degree and plan to enter a full-time PhD program at a North American institution; those already started in a PhD program, or prior recipients, are not eligible. Applications require an NIH biosketch, Scopus profile, research plan, and institutional confirmation.