REU 2022, 2023 (Archive)

The University of California San Diego MRSEC Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program provides full-time summer undergraduate research opportunities at the forefront of materials science and engineering. Participants in our highly collaborative and interdisciplinary program, which focuses on predictive assemblies and engineered living materials, will be fully immersed in the research laboratories of the MRSEC faculty from 5 departments across campus (Chemistry and Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Molecular Biology, NanoEngineering, Physics), as they engage in projects with a focus in either or both experiment and theory.

NSF-REU MRSEC students can expect to be:

• exposed to the grand challenges in the field of materials science;
• trained in computational, nanotechnological, and biological methods aimed at making new materials;
• provided mentoring and academic/professional development opportunities, including the potential to produce publishable research and participate in professional conferences.

2023 REU applications will open up in Fall 2022. Please check back in the Fall.

Program Details:

Duration: Monday, June 26 - Friday, August 18 (8 weeks). Trainees will have the option to extend their paid laboratory research participation by up to 2 weeks (10 weeks maximum).

Programming: Extensive training and mentoring (by faculty, postdoctoral researchers and graduate students) in cutting-edge materials science research is accompanied by weekly research seminars, industrial field trips, biweekly professional development workshops (safety and research ethics, science communication, information literacy, graduate school preparation), and social networking/recreation.

Expectations: Full-time commitment to extensive lab work and engagement in program activities, including presentation at UC San Diego’s Summer Undergraduate Research Conference in mid-August.

Support: $600/week stipend (stipend includes allowance for meals*). The program additionally provides on-campus housing and reimbursement of travel expenses up to $500.

Eligibility: This research program is open to undergraduate students in science and engineering at any 2- or 4-year institution who are:

interested in gaining rigorous research experience in materials science and engineering;
majoring in engineering (chemical, bio-, nano-, electrical and other), materials science, chemistry, biology, or physics; and
citizens or permanent residents of the US or US territories, as stipulated by the NSF.

Faculty: Applicants will be asked to select, in a ranked order, up to three faculty whose laboratory they would like to be assigned to, based on their research interests. The list of faculty participating in the REU program is subject to change each year. Please refer to our faculty page.

UC San Diego and our MRSEC are committed to the achievement of excellence and diversity among faculty, staff, and students. Women and minority applicants, veterans and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply to our NSF REU program.

Note: No prior research experience is necessary.; There is no minimum GPA requirement; There is no minimum class standing requirement

*On-campus meal plans will be available for purchase, for more information, visit https://hdhdining.ucsd.edu.

Diego Contreras Mora

Diego is an undergraduate student at Texas A&M University (class of 2022) majoring in chemical engineering. He is participating in the RIMSE summer school on Predictive Assembly as part of the UC San Diego MRSEC REU program. Diego’s computational research with plasmonics, and experience in the semiconductor industry, has nurtured an interest in exploring the intersection between computational work and fabrication. Diego hopes to continue his studies as a doctoral student following his graduation in December.

Thuy Khanh Nguyen

Khanh is a rising junior who will major in Bioengineering at University of California, Los Angeles this Fall 2022 (Class of 2024). Khahn is a UC San Diego MRSEC 2022 REU participant, also partaking in the 2022 RIMSE summer school on Engineered Living Materials. Passionate about plastics environmental issues and materials science, she is interested in exploring mechanisms to engineer bio-based polymers that will be biodegradable at their end-of-life, serving as alternatives to single used plastics.

Gomez, Mynel

ORCID: 0009-0006-1805-4885
BIO: Mynel is an undergraduate student at the University of Texas at El Paso majoring in Metallurgical & Materials Engineering with a concentration on Extractive and Process Metallurgy. She plans to pursue a master's degree in the same field as the next step toward her career goal: to contribute to the development of new industrial processes and materials for a sustainable future. Since a young age, she experienced the cultural and social difference between Mexico and the US, and developed an interest in nature, chemistry, and different types of art such as music, dance, and sculpture.