Program Dates for Summer 2026 - May 26 - August 7, 2026

Application Link Apply through the Purdue SURF application system and search for projects labelled CISTAR.

To complete the application process, you'll need to submit a resume/CV, your unofficial university transcript, and a letter of recommendation.

Details about this competitive fellowship:

• It is a paid, 10-week, immersive summer research guided by the faculty and graduate student mentors.
• The stipend is $6,500.
• In addition to research activities, students will participate in weekly professional development workshops and tours/information sessions with CISTAR member companies. 
• Participants will join two STEM outreach events for middle school students.
• The program culminates with a student research symposium, where all fellows present a technical poster, an oral talk, and a final report.
• Housing and travel to campus are provided.
• Travel grants are available for REU participants to present their work at a professional conference (for example, AIChE or ACS) during the following academic year.

Research projects:

• Synthesis of zeolite catalysts with tailored diffusion and reaction properties
• Design of stable zeolite catalysts for fuel and chemical production
• Examining how residual H2O (from CO2 conversion chemistry) influences methanol upgrading processes in zeolite catalysts
• Gaining insights into polymer upcycling reactions using through model gas alkane hydrogenolysis
• Modeling diffusion-limited reactions in zeolite crystals to advance crystallite development
• Privacy-Preserving Machine Learning for Predicting Compressor Failures in Energy-Intensive Chemical Processes
• Deep Operator Networks for Secure and Efficient Chemical Engineering Application