Veterans Innovation Network
VetIN is home to the Veterans Innovation Fellowship (VetIF) program and the Veteran Research Assistant (VetRA) program. These programs are dedicated to the training, mentorship, and promotion of student veterans seeking careers in research. Our mission is to enhance the pool of future STEM leaders through a focus on established talent with high uncertainty, field tested experience. Specifically, we seek to empower and embolden student veterans to pursue leadership career paths in research. This is done through unprecedented support of student veterans through a 360-degree mentorship and training environment.
Our fellowship and research assistant programs offer comprehensive training, financial support, basic & applied research experience, mentorship, coaching, networking, and advocacy. Our efforts are designed to provide direct, unambiguous paths to advanced degrees and careers in research so that our vibrant collection of student veterans can contribute to solving the numerous challenges that exist for our nation and the world.
We invite you to explore the Veterans Innovation Network and consider partnering with our efforts to leverage the intellectual capital of student veterans towards the challenges of today and tomorrow.
World-class Mentorship
Obtain 1-1 mentorship with world leading researchers and personalized coaching sessions designed to support you as a student, a veteran, and a researcher.
Collaborative Research
Learn both basic and applied research skills while contributing to the technical discoveries of a science and technology center at that operates at the precipice of what is possible.
Financial Support
Generous pay/stipends designed to allow student veteran researchers to focus on attaining the most from both educational and research experiences.
World-class Mentorship
Obtain 1-1 mentorship with world leading researchers and personalized coaching sessions designed to support you as a student, a veteran, and a researcher.
Collaborative Research
Learn both basic and applied research skills while contributing to the technical discoveries of a science and technology center at that operates at the precipice of what is possible.
Financial Support
Generous pay/stipends designed to allow student veteran researchers to focus on attaining the most from both educational and research experiences.
Networking
COMPASS connects participants with best-in-class research institutions, professional organizations, and faculty to ensure that our student veterans have the strongest possible network as they advance into the next stage of their education or careers.
Professional Development
We provide formal training in project management, personal branding and brand management, application (graduate program and award) development, and writing & communication to all of our student veterans.
Networking
COMPASS connects participants with best-in-class research institutions, professional organizations, and faculty to ensure that our student veterans have the strongest possible network as they advance into the next stage of their education or careers.
Professional Development
We provide formal training in project management, personal branding and brand management, application (graduate program and award) development, and writing & communication to all of our student veterans.
Inaugural 2024 VetIF Cadre of Research Fellows
Olubukola Akinbami
Olubukola Akinbami is a cognitive science major at the University of Michigan and a US Army veteran. She is currently working at the interface of AI and decision making science under within the research group of Paul Bogdan (University of Southern California).
Steven Crechiolo
Steven Crechiolo is a physics major at the University of Michigan and a US Marine Corps veteran. He is currently working at the interface of mechatronics and complex composites manufacturing in the laboratory of Carlos Cesnik (University of Michigan) towards aerospace applications.
Brandon Olson
Brandon Olson is a neuroscience major at the University of Michigan and a US Marine Corps veteran. His research currently focuses on the use of complex particle systems for early cancer detection in the laboratory of Nick Kotov (University of Michigan).
Jebril Thaxton
Jebril Thaxton is a electrical engineering student (University of Michigan) and a veteran that served as a nuclear Navy power system technologist. Working in the laboratory of Albert Liu (University of Michigan), his research focuses on nanoelectrical and photonic devices for sensing and optoelectronic applications.
Please contact the Veterans Innovation Network (VetIN) Program Manager
with questions or to get involved:
Dr. Jeff Raymond – [email protected]
2025 VetIF Application
Applications now open until MARCH 3rd.
Click the link below to download the application and instructions. Please review the below materials, the rest of the Veterans Program webpages, and the entire COMPASS website prior to beginning your application to ensure that you are qualified to apply.
Multiple Zoom info sessions will be held prior to the application close date.
Session 1
January 28th at 6 PM EST / 5 PM CST
Session 2
February 12th at 12 PM EST / 11 AM CST
Session 3
February 20th at 4 PM EST / 3 PM CST
Overview
Our competitive program offers up to 3 years of support with a generous stipend ($3300/month) and a health insurance allowance ($100/month). The fellowship has a research requirement of 12-18 hours of research per week while attending full time during the semester and requires a full-time commitment during the summer. Research is performed on campus with a COMPASS faculty member advisor during the year and matching to an external (i.e., industry) partner or program during the summer. Fellowship recipients receive a multi-tiered array of professional and technical mentors to include bi-weekly 1-1 coaching, a day-to-day research mentor, monthly 1-1 PI coaching, and an applied research mentor. Recipients are also exposed to an extraordinary network of world-class researchers, manufacturers, and R&D centers in order to best position them to bring the skills they master in the program to the real world as innovators and leaders. Many of our fellows choose to select a second mentor from other Universities within the COMPASS network, thereby doubling their networking and mentorship opportunities while gaining even greater exposure to cross-disciplinary research.
Applications
Our rubric for assessing students focuses on personal goals and programmatic fit. Applicants will be assessed as follows: academics and recommendation letters (30%), military experience (10%), Short form essays (40%), and alignment with the Center (10%). The application requirements, application materials, links, and additional instructions will be forwarded to you through your campus student veteran offices prior to the end of the fall semester.
Academic backgrounds
Because our research spans so many disciplines, we accept many majors: all physical and mathematical sciences, all engineering disciplines, certain life sciences (general biology, cell/molecular biology, cognitive science, neuroscience), computational and data sciences, and most interdisciplinary STEM majors. Awardees must maintain a minimum of a 3.0 GPA and successfully complete research training and assignments each semester.
Timeline
Applications will open on 1/1/25 and close 3/3/25. Review of applications will begin immediately and offers will be extended by 5/1/25. During the summer, incoming fellows will select a home research laboratory and support/research will begin 9/1/25.
Preparation
The only preparation for this application is familiarization with the faculty research for the Center. While headquartered at the University of Michigan, our researchers span multiple universities and disciplines. Familiarizing yourself with our work prior to writing the essay materials will also be beneficial. Due to the financial support and research commitment requirements of the program, fellows should not intend to seek any other student employment during the school year and should plan on a full time commitment during the summer.