SureCV is a program of the Cardiovascular Research Center (CVRC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison that provides undergraduate students a structured summer research experience. Students participating in SureCV join the laboratory of a CVRC sponsor to participate in ten weeks of mentored research, seminars, career development activities and networking opportunities. CVRC will sponsor five students from affiliated laboratories to join SureCV in the Summer of 2026. Students need the support of the principal investigator to apply for this opportunity.
Key program information
- Application deadline: February 20, 2026
- Program dates: June 3, 2026 – August 12, 2026
Support and benefits
- $6000 stipend (disbursed in accordance with UW-Madison policies).
- Travel support to attend a conference with the sponsor.
- Full participation in SureCV.
Strongly encouraged to apply
- Students with disabilities.
- Students from low-income backgrounds or who are first-generation college attendees.
- Students who attend small colleges or institutions without broad research facilities.
- Students from groups that are underrepresented in science.
Eligibility Requirements
- Support to apply from a CVRC-affiliated laboratory. The PI will need to submit a letter of support.
- Junior or senior status with good academic standing at the time of the start of the program.
- Enrolled full-time at an academic instititution during the 2026 Spring/Winter Semester.
- At the time of application the student must be:
- A US citizen or permanent resident, or
- Foreign national holding a student or exchange visa, including F1, H1, H1B, J1, PR or TN. If you hold Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status, contact the program before you apply.
Application Requirements
- General application form
- CVRC Sponsor lab – Provide the contact information of the PI from the sponsoring laboratory. We will send an email requesting a letter of support from the PI. Please ensure they are able to respond before the application deadline.
- College transcript; unofficial transcripts are acceptable
- Resume/CV
- Three short personal essays
- Personal statement: How have your background and life experiences motivated your decision to pursue a research opportunity at the University of Wisconsin-Madison?
- Research interests and experience: Although previous research experience is not required to be considered for participation in our summer program, please describe any past research experience. This may include research as part of a course if you do not have other research experiences.
- Future goals and career plans: Describe how your participation in SureCV at UW-Madison will contribute to your future goals and career plans.
APPLICATION CLOSED
Contact us
For more information email: CVRC Summer Program
Leadership team
- Dr. Hector Valdivia, MD, PhD, Program Director
- Eric Schafer, BA, Administrator
- Katie Randall, BS, Administrative Specialist
SUMMER 2026 COHORT
Ava Barsness
Ava is an incoming senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, studying Kinesiology. She has been involved in the Schrage Lab for the past three years and is excited to continue researching cerebrovascular abnormalities under environmental stressors and in individuals with metabolic syndrome.
Yu Chen (Adjacent Trainee)
Yu is a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, double majoring in Molecular Biology and Computer Science. Her current research in the Glukhov Lab focuses on how chronic mechanical stress affects sphingolipid signaling and caveolae remodeling in cardiomyocytes, with the goal of better understanding mechanisms contributing to heart failure.
Andrea Gregor
Andrea Gregor is an undergraduate student at the Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP) in Mexico, pursuing a Bachelor ‘s degree in Biology. She joined the Valdivia Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison through the SureCV program in 2026, where she is involved in the isolation and purification of ryanodine receptors (RyR) from skeletal and cardiac muscle cells. Her research interests include cardiovascular and neurophysiology, particularly how neural signaling influences cardiac function and cardiovascular regulation.
Haejin Lee (Adjacent Trainee)
I’m an incoming senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, double majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Neurobiology. I joined the Guo lab in fall 2025 and plan to research maturation of RNA binding motif 20 inducible ihPSC-CMs as a viable method to develop adult phenotypic cardiomyocytes.
Landon Ludeman (Adjacent Trainee)
Landon is an incoming junior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, studying Molecular and Cellular Biology. He started in the Alvarado Lab in January 2026, where he does research in the field of cardiovascular electrophysiology, specifically concerned with Ca2+ ion channels. This summer, he will investigate indicators of Calcium Release Deficiency Syndrome (CRDS) via intracardiac ECG protocols.
Noah Marquard
Noah Marquard is an incoming junior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, majoring in Mechanical Engineering with an interest in hemodynamics. He joined the Cardiovascular Fluid Dynamics Lab in the fall of 2025 and plans to focus this summer on using 4D-flow MRI to analyze aortic dissection and regional wall shear stress.
Katelyn Morris
Katelyn is an incoming junior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she is double-majoring in Genetics and Genomics and Biology. She started in the Lo Sardo Lab her freshman year in January of 2025, and has started and will continue her own project focusing on the MMP16 gene with the goal of better understanding how this gene contributes to cardiovascular disease.
Sid Shah (Adjacent Trainee)
Sid is an incoming junior at UW-Madison, majoring in Biology and Global Health with a certificate in Health Policy and Genetics in a Modern World. His current research focuses on the gene RBM20 and its impact on cardiac muscle function, more specifically looking at its impact on myosin splicing through gel electrophoresis. This summer he plans on continuing this research as well as looking at various organ tissues to find the presence of unknown small proteins.