Financial Support

Funding for MIRSL research typically comes from research grants with Federal Agencies including the National Science Foundation (NSF), Army Research Office (ARO), Department of Energy (DOE), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Office of Naval Research (ONR), National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),  Department of Agriculture (USDA), and others.  Much of the funding is for graduate student research assistantship and fellowship stipends, as well as for senior researcher salaries.

First-year students are typically offered Research Assistantships providing approximately $32,000 per calendar year.  Tuition, curriculum fees, and health insurance are waived, but each student pays mandatory health fees, graduate union dues, etc., amounting to approximately $1,200 per year.  Frequently, first-year students begin their MIRSL careers during the summer session.  This allows them time to become familiar with our laboratories and to settle into the Amherst area before the fall semester.