Dog Vision Research Team @ U Wisconsin Madison
Lab Manager, PhD, Postdoc positions
1. Research intern: We will have an opening for a research intern position starting between May and July of 2025 (dates flexible). The position is available for 1 – 2 years, but longer term extension is possible for the motivated applicant. Applicants should hold a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) and be approved to work in the United States. The closing date for applications will be December 5th, 2024.
2. Graduate student researcher (MS/PhD). The Mowat lab is interested to hear from graduate student applicants motivated to work with sensory and/or cognitive outcome measures in dogs. Direct program admission is available to suitable candidates. Potential applicants should reach out with questions to Dr. Mowat.
4. Postdoctoral research scholar: A residency trained veterinary ophthalmologist is sought for a generously funded 2-year fellowship in the Mowat Lab. See the COHA website for more information – the application is due in January of each year. If you would like to discuss more, please reach out to Dr. Mowat.
5. Undergraduate research assistants. Interested in neurophysiology, pathology, genetics, ophthalmology, aging, or veterinary medicine? Join our lab to participate in interesting research! The lab has mentored successful applicants into graduate programs, veterinary medicine, medicine and optometry. Training and mentorship will be provided. Minimum 2 semesters, 6-8 hours/week commitment required, can be for credit or paid (following training/orientation period). Send your unofficial transcript and a brief description of why you are interested in joining our lab to mowat@wisc.edu. Students interested in joining the lab should plan to reach out early for next semester involvement – typically we are recruiting mid semester for the following semester. Paid summer research (full/part time) is available to established lab members.
As a veterinarian and a researcher, Dr. Mowat is interested in the similarities between vision in dogs and humans and what predisposes the retina of both species to disease and degeneration. We have shown that there are substantial parallels between dog and human visual aging. Our research also studies how visual decline impacts aging and decline of other senses and the brain. We use a “human-down” approach to study how companion dogs and humans that cohabit age together. Our studies are designed to utilize (and create) outcome measures for companion dogs that have direct parallels to human outcome measures.