NSF NeXUS Facility

Research Experience for Undergraduates

A 10-Week Summer Program

Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) provides laboratory experience in a range of participating research groups, utilizing the unique capabilities at the NSF NeXUS Facility.
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Lily Nichols and Seth Shields operating the STM end station

The Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program is designed for students interested in graduate school and/or a career in a research field. Participating students will be paired with a faculty mentor to perform a research project while also receiving weekly professional development, plus opportunities for peer networking and socializing.

Participants in the NSF NeXUS REU Program will work with faculty, postdoctoral, and graduate researchers to (1) design and execute experiments to advance knowledge of chemical or material dynamics; and/or (2) develop innovative tools and techniques to analyze or predict chemical, material, and optical properties. You will work with NeXUS research staff to understand the unique experiments NeXUS enables and conduct experiments using it.

Program Benefits

  • $7,000 stipend
  • Travel costs (one round trip to Columbus, OH)
  • Housing provided in an Ohio State dormitory (double occupancy)
  • Valuable experience in a cutting-edge ultrafast science facility
A group of students and presenters at a poster session

Eligibility

  • U.S. citizen or permanent resident
  • Full-time enrollment in a U.S. college or university undergraduate program in chemistry, materials science, electrical/computer engineering, or physics
  • Participants must be at least 18 years old on the first day of the program
  • Applications from students at two-year colleges, or four-year colleges with limited research opportunities, are especially encouraged

What to expect

  • This is a 10-week, full-time position during the summer (ends late July); participants are expected to be on site for the duration
  • Research experience, including experimental design and laboratory safety training
  • Practicing scientific communication skills (written and oral)
  • Field trips and planned social activities
  • Professional development sessions aimed at preparation for graduate school
Students in lab coats standing beside a white board labeled "Welcome to the Baker Lab" with drawings of a light spectrum and a beaker

Ready to Apply?

Participating Research Groups

  • Robert Baker Research Group
    Research in the Baker group seeks to understand the critical role that surface electron dynamics and interfacial solvation have on the selectivity and efficiency of catalytic energy conversion processes.
  • Mike Chini - Lightwave Electronics and Attosecond Photonics (LEAP) Research Group
    The Lightwave Electronics and Attosecond Photonics (LEAP) group focuses on the development and application of next-generation laser-based attosecond light sources and field-resolved spectroscopic tools to study electron dynamics in atoms, molecules, and solids.
  • Jay Gupta Research Group
    The Gupta Group is dedicated to exploring the properties of novel materials at the atomic scale to address problems in energy conversion and advanced computing.
  • Roland Kawakami Research Group
    The Kawakami Group focuses on the fascinating properties of spin, magnetism, and topology in quantum materials including 2D materials, 2D magnets, topological insulators, topological magnets, and skyrmion materials.
  • Bern Kohler Research Group
    Researchers in the Kohler group investigate the photophysical and photochemical dynamics of excited electronic states in photoactive materials and biomolecules using state-of-the-art femtosecond laser spectroscopic techniques.
  • Alexander Sokolov Research Group
    The Sokolov Research Group is a theoretical quantum chemistry group that aims to develop new theoretical methods for the simulation of light-induced and non-equilibrium processes in chemical systems with complex electronic structure.
  • Claudia Turro Research Group
    Inorganic Photochemistry, Excited State Processes, Control of Charge Separation and Recombination, Solar Energy Conversion