Undergraduates can gain research experience in the lab of an MRSEC faculty member through the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program.

Program benefits

During the summer, REU students become immersed in the University of Chicago research culture. They receive safety and ethics training, interact with graduate students and faculty members, and explore the city of Chicago. Participants attend seminars several mornings a week given by faculty and graduate students from across MRSEC. Guided tours of nearby national laboratories and relevant startups further broaden students’ exposure to state-of-the art materials research. Each student has the opportunity to present a seminar on their summer research during the last two weeks of the program and prepare a written report.

As registered University students, REU students also have full University privileges for the duration of the program, including access to libraries and athletic facilities, and substantial discounts to University-sponsored social and cultural events.

The stipend for the full 9.5-week summer program (June 10 to August 14) is $7,000. The program provides a modest travel expense reimbursement for flights and personal vehicles (no rental cars). Participants must be US citizens or permanent residents who are enrolled in but not yet graduated from an accredited undergraduate college degree program with a concentration in a materials science–related field.

The highly selective program chooses participants from a nationwide pool and has an acceptance rate of less than 10%. Many participants become listed as co-author on publications resulting from their summer research projects. About 75% of MRSEC REU students enrolled since 1995 have gone on to graduate studies in related fields or have expressed an intent to apply for graduate study upon completion of their undergraduate degree.

Sample Research Projects

Past REU Projects have included:

• Modelling Buckling in Elastic Cubic Lattices using Classical Field Theory (Jaeger Lab)
• Functionalization of Cellulose Nanocrystals Using Hindered Ureas and Synthesis of Dynamic Covalent Poly(alkyl-urea) Network Composites (Rowan Lab)
• Self-Assembly of FeOx Nanoparticles into Binary Superlattice (Talapin Lab)
• Exploring pluripotency in dynamic covalent composites (Rowan Lab)
• Harnessing the piezoelectric effect for mechanically triggered epoxy polymerization (Esser-Kahn Lab)
• Mechanical Behavior and Relaxation Dynamics of Composite Hydrogels (Jaeger Lab)
• Coarse-Grained Modeling of State-Dependent Arp2/3-Mediated Actin Branching Dynamics (Voth Lab)
• Bacteria detection using optically detected magnetic resonance of nanodiamond nitrogen-vacancy centers (Zhong Lab)
• Investigating Orientational Restraints in Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Peripheral Membrane Proteins (Lee Lab)
• Encapsulation of quantum dots in polymer microspheres (Rowan Lab)
• Effect of Metal Ion Incorporation on Organic Ionic Plastic Crystals (Patel Lab)
• Original game development of digital, one-player maze game illustrating quantum principles (e.g. superposition and quantum gates), developed in GameMaker. (Kawalek lab, STAGE Center)

How to apply

Apply Here

Interested undergraduate students can apply using the online web application. Applications for the 2026 summer program will be due February 16, 2026.

Questions? Email the organizers at mrsec_reu@uchicago.edu.