Undergraduate Assistant Openings

  • NSF REU ON AGILE COMPILER FRAMEWORK

    Project Focus: Compilers, Programming Languages, Hardware Accelerators, and Machine Learning

    This summer opportunity is a research experience for undergraduates (REU) with support from The Grainger College of Engineering Illinois Scholars Undergraduate Research (ISUR) Program

    To apply, please email Prof. Charith Mendis (charithm@illinois.edu) your CV, unofficial transcript, programming experience, and a statement of interest. The subject line should contain the words “Summer REU Applicant”

    Eligibility

    • Must be U.S. citizen or permanent resident
    • Must be a Computer Science Major
    • Preferably rising juniors or seniors
    • Women and students from underrepresented groups in STEM are encouraged to apply

    Participation in the research as an REU student entails two (2) phases. The first phase will be the educational phase wherein students will learn about the topic of interest and build their background knowledge. It will include reading relevant literature, developing skills needed for the research, and identifying a potential research project. The second phase will be the research phase wherein students will work on a research project.

    Students will work closely with Prof. Mendis and will receive a summer research scholarship. They will also participate in weekly summer research seminars with other summer research program participants.

    Program Duration: 10 weeks in summer, 30-35 hours per week

  • INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH PROJECTS

    Check out the different research projects available. No prior research experience necessary

    To apply, please email Dr. Muhammad Fayyaz (mfayyaz2@illinois.edu) your resume and a brief statement of interest.

    Project 1. Drug Delivery

    Dive deep into the world of drug delivery, performing:

    • Release kinetic studies to understand how drugs are released from carriers.
    • Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic modeling to analyze drug behavior in the body.
    • Explore metabolomics, lipidomics, and proteomics to gain insights into drug interactions at the molecular level

    Project 2. Device Development

    Unleash your creativity and technical skills in medical device development:

    • Learn to create CAD models using SOLIDWORKS for 3D printing and prototypingBe part of the process of designing and developing innovative medical devices.
    • Be part of the process of designing and developing innovative medical devices

    Project 3. Biomimetics and Biodegradable Semiconductors

    This project is at the forefront of technological innovation: Explore and develop materials for biodegradable semiconductors, a revolutionary advancement in device development.

    Desired Skills and Time Commitment

    • Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office 365 and Visio
    • Basic knowledge of MATLAB, SOLIDWORKS, CAD, and 3D printing (an advantage, but not required)

  • FERROELECTRICS AT NANOSCALE

    This undergraduate research opportunity is for summer 2024 and fall 2024.

    To apply, please email Shahriar Nahid (snahid2@illinois.edu) your resume and a brief statement of interest.

    Background:

    The electronic and mechanical properties of ferroelectrics at the nanoscale depend strongly on their thickness. For example, flexoelectricity in ferroelectrics scales inversely with length which makes the effect a promising candidate for electromechanical actuation at the nanoscale. 2D materials add one more advantage to realize strong flexoelectric response in ferroelectrics due to their enhanced mechanical flexibility. However, common techniques to achieve thin 2D ferroelectrics, such as mechanical exfoliation or chemical vapor deposition growth, lacks precise control and high material quality. Moreover, the lateral size is limited to only ~10s of microns.

    Project Focus: Utilization of top-down techniques to controllably achieve large area (100 microns) and thin (less than 10 nm) 2D ferroelectrics In2Se3

    We will adopt two methods to thin down In2Se3 layer by layer: (i) gold-mediated large area exfoliation, and (ii) plasma treatment-chemical etching assisted thinning. We will optimize the conditions for the two processes and compare the yield. We will characterize the thin In2Se3 obtained from both the methods and compare the quality by various optical spectroscopy and scanning probe techniques. This work will provide an easy and controlled fabrication technique to achieve thin In2Se3 which will be useful for flexible electronics systems.

    Student Outcomes

    • Hands-on training on different nanofabrication and advanced characterization techniques commonly used in the semiconducting industry (For example, lithography, standard cleanroom operation procedures, deposition and etching tools, optical spectroscopy, scanning probe microscopy etc.).
    • Learn advanced characterization techniques commonly used in the semiconducting industry (e.g., lithography, standard cleanroom operation procedures, deposition and etching tools, optical spectroscopy, scanning probe microscopy etc.).

    Desired Qualifications

    • Preferably majoring in electrical engineering, materials science and engineering, mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, physics, or industrial engineering
    • Interest in participating in the Illinois Scholars Undergraduate Research (ISUR) program (preferred)