UCI Chem-SURF: Chemistry Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
Opportunity Description:
The Chemistry Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (Chem-SURF) at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), is a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) summer research opportunity for undergraduate students to gain valuable research experience in an academic setting. Participants will engage in original research guided by faculty mentors in UCI’s state-of-the-art research facilities. As part of the program, the REU students will attend presentations, workshops, and seminars related to career planning, industry, and applying to graduate school. The program will culminate with the Chem-SURF Research Symposium, where students will share their research accomplishments by presenting their findings.
The 2022 program will run for 10 weeks from Monday, June 13, 2022 to Friday, August 19, 2022. Chem-SURF participants must commit to the entire program period to be eligible. During this time, the participants will be supported by a $600/week stipend. Other program benefits include free housing, travel allowance, and access to all UCI research facilities.
Minimum Qualifications and/or Eligibility Requirements:
Applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements:
- US citizenship or permanent residency
- Major in chemistry or closely related field
- GPA of 3.0 or higher
- Current freshman, sophomore, or junior at a four-year college without graduate programs in chemistry OR currently enrolled at a community college
- Interested in a STEM-related career
- Preference will be given to students from institutions lacking doctoral research programs in physical sciences
- Women, first-generation college students, and students from groups underrepresented in the sciences are strongly encouraged to apply
- Participants will be required to furnish proof of valid medical insurance upon acceptance into the program
- The participants must be present at UCI for the entire duration of the program from Monday, June 13, 2022 to Friday, August 19, 2022. (Final program dates are subject to change dependent on program needs and availability).
Application Process:
Be sure to have these materials prepared BEFORE the application process. Do not start the application without these materials as you will not be able to complete it otherwise.
- Unofficial transcripts of all your college coursework. Please convert them to PDF format and assemble them into a single PDF file before the upload.
- Your personal statement, which is an essay describing your past experience and future goals as it relates to your career in science. In your statement, explain your reason for applying to Chem-SURF; include research experience (if applicable), educational goals, research area of interest, and future professional and personal objectives. Indicate if you have particular experiences that qualify you to undertake such research and any additional information that may aid the selection committee in evaluating your preparation, potential, and aptitude for graduate study. If you have encountered special personal situations in high school or college that impeded your studies (e.g., first generation to attend college, working long hours while attending school, or other financial hardship) please discuss the ways in which these experiences have affected your academic opportunities. Explain why UCI is a good match for your summer goals, and why you picked specific faculty to do research with. Also, please discuss how your prior life experiences (academic, professional, volunteer, etc.) demonstrate commitment to graduate education, especially at UC Irvine. This essay is typically 2-3 pages in length, and should be a PDF fie.
- You resume or CV, saved as a PDF file.
- Name and e-mail of a person, who can provide a recommendation letter for you. The program will request this letter for you using the information you will provide. Your letter writer must be a college faculty member who can best assess your ability for academic research and your motivation for graduate school.
- THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT: Names of two UCI Chemistry faculty members whose research you are most interested in. Please refer to the Project Descriptions on this website for information on Chemistry faculty, and browse faculty by research topic here. Do your research on who you would like to work with seriously (you may even want to explain why you picked these faculty members in your uploaded essay). This will have a strong effect on the outcome of your application.
The application deadline is February 15, 2022. The deadline to receive support letters is February 28, 2022. For people who applied for the 2022 program, the program will request these letters for everyone who is eligible for the program.