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Fellowships

The CEST Predoctoral Research Fellowship is a semester-long fellowship for Notre Dame doctoral students in any area of environmental science or environmental engineering. The Center awards an average of nine fellowships each year. 

Eligibility

The application requirements are as follows:

  • The doctoral student has passed comprehensive PhD examination(s) (written and/or oral) by the application date.
  • The student is a candidate in good standing for their PhD.
  • Student is pursuing a doctoral research relevant to the environment that relies to some extent on CEST instrumentation.

Deadline

Each year, fellowship solicitations begin in mid-March and applications are due in mid-April. Selected applicants will be notified shortly after the end of the Spring semester.

Fellowship Period

The CEST Fellowship provides support for one semester within the awarded academic year. Tuition is to be provided by the student's major department.

Application Format and Submission

Interested applicants must submit the following information via hardcopy:

  1. No more than a two-page description by the doctoral student of their research and its relevance to environmental studies, as they are broadly defined, and an explicit explanation of how the research involves CEST facilities. If applying for a renewal of a previous CEST award, this description should include an overview of how the previous funds were used.
  2. A transcript of courses taken at the University of Notre Dame. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable.
  3. Written verification from the departmental Graduate Studies Director that the student has passed their comprehensive examinations (written and/or oral) by the application date and is in good standing as a candidate for their PhD.
  4. A letter from the faculty advisor(s) in support of the student's application for the fellowship, including details of current research support available to the faculty advisor(s). The research advisor should indicate that the student has sufficient funds and facilities available to permit the timely completion of their proposed research. If the advisor is writing a letter for more than one of their own students, the letters should rank the needs and merits of the applicants.

Applications must be mailed or hand-delivered to Jeremy Fein's office.

Application Review Criteria

Applications are evaluated on:

  • Merit of the student’s environmental science or environmental engineering research.
  • Necessity of using CEST facilities for the research and an explicit description of the equipment to be used, if awarded.
  • Likelihood for research success.
  • Accomplishments of the student to date. Preference is given to applicants who have not previously received a CEST Fellowship award.
  • Proposals from students of junior faculty are particularly encouraged, as long as the students meet the fellowship requirements.
  • Interdisciplinary and/or co-advised proposals are given special consideration, as a means to promote collaborative research on campus.

Acceptance Conditions

In accepting a CEST Predoctoral Research Fellowship, the fellow agrees to:

  • Submit a progress report at the end of the fellowship period to the Center on their research activities during the fellowship.
  • Express acknowledgement of the fellowship in any publications and presentations resulting from research conducted over the course of the fellowship.
  • Devote an average of two hours per week working in the CEST laboratories, assisting CEST staff in Center-related activities.
NEED MORE INFORMATION?

Please direct any questions regarding the fellowships to CEST Director, Jeremy Fein.

Recent Fellows

  • Whitney Conard, Biological Sciences (2021-2022) Advisor: Gary Lamberti Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in the Lake Michigan Food Web
  • Jeffrey Dubose, Chemistry and Biochemistry (2021-2022) Advisor: Prashant Kamat Stabilizing the Surface of Perovskite Nanoplatelets for Photocatalysis
  • Michael Dugas, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (2021-2022) Advisor: William Phillip Fabricating Organic Solvent-Stable Copolymer Membranes for Energy-Efficient and Environmentally-Responsible Pharmaceutical Separations
  • Justin Greaves, Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth Sciences (2021-2022) Advisor: Kyle Bibby Virus-Particle Association in Sewage
  • Peng He, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (2021-2022) Advisor: Jennifer Schaefer Poly(tetrahydrofuran)-based Single-Ion Conducting Polymer Electrolytes for Rechargeable Batteries
  • Tsuyoshi Kohlgruber, Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth Sciences (2021-2022) Advisor: Peter Burns U60-Mineral Surface Interactions
  • Mengfei Li, Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth Sciences (2021-2022) Advisor: Rob Nerenberg Mechanical Properties of Biofilms: Characterization for Strategic Biofilm Control
  • Bumjun Park, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (2021-2022) Advisor: Jennifer Schaefer Vertically aligned 3D Li Metal Anode Host Configuration with Viscous Polymer Electrolytes for Stable Li Deposition/Dissolution Cycles in Li Metal Batteries
  • Ceara Talbot, Biological Sciences (2021-2022) Advisor: Stuart Jones Lateral Carbon Transport in Ecosystems

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