REU SITE: Summer Undergraduate Research Opportunity in Chemistry (SUROC) at UNC Chapel Hill

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Chemistry awarded $388,992 under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049) to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to operate a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site from September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2029. The award supports the recruitment, training, and mentoring of 8 undergraduate students annually for 10-week summer research experiences over three consecutive years (2027–2029), with a focus on analytical chemistry, sustainability, and renewable energy. Participants engage in collaborative research projects spanning femtosecond spectroscopy, synthetic methods, catalysis, polymer design and synthesis, solar energy conversion, and biological chemistry—all designed to prepare undergraduates for graduate school or industrial careers in advanced manufacturing, quantum information science, and biotechnology.

In addition to hands-on laboratory research, the program delivers professional development and ethics training workshops covering science communication, entrepreneurship, and graduate school preparation. The REU Site builds institutional capacity through mentor training, cohort-building activities, a graduate school mini-expo, and a capstone research conference, while strengthening partnerships between UNC Chapel Hill and primarily undergraduate institutions nationwide. By leveraging the chemistry department's research breadth and collaborative interdisciplinary approach, the program develops undergraduate researchers with minimal prior laboratory experience into competent scientists capable of designing robust experiments, executing reproducible research, and effectively communicating scientific findings.