William C. Ezell Fellowship Grant

The William C. Ezell Fellowship supports graduate students pursuing vision-related research for a Master's or PhD degree. Established in 1949, it offers a $10,000 award for one year along with two $1,000 travel grants for attending key professional meetings. This competitive fellowship focuses on areas like glaucoma, cornea, and binocular vision. First-time awardees are preferred, while previous fellows are also encouraged to apply, ensuring the advancement of research in eye care.

Since 1949, Ezell Fellowships have provided support to graduate students enrolled in a full-time program of study and training in vision-related research, which leads to a Master’s or PhD degree. Fellowships are for one year, and for the 2025 funding round, the award amount has increased to $10,000.
This prestigious award is also inclusive of two $1,000 travel grants, one to attend the annual American Academy of Optometry (AAO) meeting and one to attend the annual Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting.
The Ezell Fellowship program is extremely competitive. Some fellowships focus on specialized areas of research, such as:

• glaucoma, cornea and contact lenses, and binocular vision and pediatrics.

Eligibility

The maximum number of times an individual can be awarded an Ezell Fellowship is two.Applicants should be graduate students enrolled in a full-time program of study and training in an eye or vision-related research that leads to a PhD degree.Applications from individuals pursuing a Master’s degree will be considered only in the rare circumstance that the applicant’s accomplishments in vision-related research are equivalent to those applicants pursuing a PhD.It is the standard policy of the Foundation that program recipients who receive a travel stipend as part of their award cannot receive a second or duplicate travel stipend from the Foundation or its affiliate, the AAO to the same meeting.
You must be a member of this organization to apply for this award - become a member. Applicants must be a Fellow of AAO, whether as a student, candidate, or Fellow at the time of acceptance of any award.

Ineligibility

Applicants cannot graduate in a particular awards cycle (December 2025 – November 2026)