Undergraduate Research

During the Special Terms (summer vacation), undergraduates have the opportunity to do research under the supervision of a faculty member. These research experiences are valuable for students who intend to pursue advanced post-graduate studies in chemistry, or intend to work in chemistry-related Research and Development (R&D) jobs after graduation.

Chemistry and Biological Chemistry

Students in the Chemistry and Biological Chemistry programmes may take the following research modules:

  • CM5071 — Pass/Fail module intended for students who have not done summer research before.
  • CM5072 — Graded module for students who have taken CM5071.
  • CM5073 — Graded module for students who have taken CM5072.

Eligibility

Students doing summer research are not allowed to take other Special Term modules.

The CCEB summer research programme is separate from the URECA (Undergraduate Research Experience on Campus) programme. Students enrolled in URECA may not participate in the CCEB summer research programme in the same period.

Students participating in internships or exchange programmes may be restricted from participating in the Summer Research programme, to prevent schedule conflicts. Those in the Professional Internship programme during Semester 1 may not do Summer Research during Special Term II immediately beforehand. Students in the Professional Internship programme or Global Programmes in Semester 2 may not do Summer Research in the subsequent Special Term I. Students in Enhanced Industrial Attachment or International Research Attachment programmes in Semester 2 may not do Summer Research in both subsequent Special Terms.

Application

Before the start of the summer research application period, you should contact various professors and discuss whether they are willing to be your supervisor. You should also discuss the scope of the project, and how much time they would expect you to put into the project each week.

Applications are entered using the Final Year Project System (via Student Intranet → Academic Matters → Survey/Subject Option/FYP → Final Year Project Selection). Note that project assignments are NOT done on a first-come-first-served basis.

Please make your choices carefully. Do not select multiple projects from a single professor; you should select several different professors. Once the system closes, project assignments are irreversible.

Please print and retain the page showing your project selections, in case the system has a technical fault.