Diversity Program and Fellowship Opportunities

NCM Diversity Fellowship

 The fellowship program for under-represented minorities is intended for trainees (graduate students or post-docs) and faculty members of the Society for the Neural Control of Movement.  The fellowship will cover the cost of registration plus $500 towards travel.  Additional funds can be provided should there be a barrier to attendance due to insufficient funds.  Should this be the case, please submit a statement of need with rough costs.

To be eligible, applicants must contribute to the diversity of meeting attendees. This diversity could be that of:

• Under-represented minorities in terms of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, or persons with mental or physical disabilities.
• Attendees from developing countries that face financial barriers to attendance.

Preference will be given to applicants seeking assistance to attend their first NCM Meeting.

To apply, please send an email with a single pdf file to the NCM Secretariat describing how you would provide diversity to the NCM community and why attending the meeting would be beneficial to you. Include a brief CV and a statement about how often you’ve participated in the annual meeting, and in what capacity. Support is limited to members of the society and applications will be considered and awards will be made until funds are exhausted.

Successful recipients are expected to present their research at the annual meeting either through an oral or a poster presentation.

All statements on diversity will be kept confidential and only shared among the NCM Executive responsible for review and decisions.

Support for Faculty at Predominantly Undergraduate Institutions

Faculty members conducting research into motor control at Predominantly Undergraduate Institutions are eligible for a fellowship of $1500.  Up to three fellowships will be offered for the 2024 Annual Meeting.

To apply for this fellowship, send a CV and a one page statement of interest, which should cover how your research pertains to motor control as one pdf file to the NCM Secretariat.  Recipients are expected to present their research at the Annual meeting.

Deadline for Predominantly Undergraduate Institution Fellowship Application is February 19, 2024 and acceptances decisions will be made upon submission of documents.  The fellowships will be awarded on a first come, first served basis.

Family Care Grants

NCM is pleased to provide a Family Care Grant Program designed to support attendees who incur extra family care expenses incurred either at the meeting, or at home (e.g., additional daycare, babysitting or nanny services, increased care service support for elder care, or care of a family member with disabilities) as a result of attending the annual meeting. Grants up to $500 will be offered to help defray those additional expenses. Receipts or proof of payment of those expenses will be required for reimbursement following the annual meeting.

Eligibility and terms

• All members with one or more dependent who requires childcare, elder care, or care due to disability are eligible for this grant
• Financial need should be expressed in application
• Grant recipients must be registered for the Annual Meeting
• Only one parent/caregiver for a given family may apply

Supported expenses include increased expenses at home due to the NCM Member not being present (for example:  Overtime services for a nanny, additional babysitting, or increased care service support) during the annual meeting and in the immediate travel days before or after. The family care grant can also be used to subsidize the airfare of a care giver to travel to the Annual Meeting destination, or the home of the NCM Member, to provide care for the dependent, allowing the NCM Member to participate fully in the meeting.

An allowable expense also includes services to support nursing parents during the meeting, including the Milk Stork system. Special thank you to Meta for providing additional funds to support the Family Care grant program and this initiative in particular.

Unallowable expenses include, but are not limited to, attendee meeting travel, family member registration on excursions or meals, pet care expenses, and family care not related to the meeting attendance (monthly care).

To apply, please send an email with a single pdf file to the NCM Secretariat with a statement describing how a Family Care Grant would benefit your ability to attend the NCM annual meeting, why financial support is required, and including a brief CV.

Applications will be considered and awards will be made until funds are exhausted.