NSF-funded International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) Program
NSF IRES program in China Mainland and Taiwan overview
This IRES program aims to recruit four U.S. undergraduate students in STEM (UT Permian Basin STEM majors based), including from under-represented groups, for an 8-week summer research experience at the Shandong University of Science and Technology (SDUST) in China Mainland (2024 summer) and National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan (2026 summer). The selected students will conduct research on the topic of design and preparations of high efficiency materials for energy storage and conversion. The IRES will select from among upper-level undergraduate students, who will have already completed domestic research experiences such as REU’s or in their campuses and provide them the opportunity to envision themselves as international researchers. This IRES experience will equip them with the research and cultural skills they need to transition and thrive in graduate school.
The main objective of this IRES program is to develop a long-term international collaboration that will provide students with advanced skills in science and engineering and an opportunity to develop research and communication skills in a highly mentored, culturally, and linguistically diverse setting.
This IRES ongoing project is being implemented from 2024 to 2027.
NSF IRES research projects
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- Greenhouse gas (CH4 and CO2) reforming under microwave plasma discharge
- Design and Stability of anode materials for high performance lithium-ion batteries
- Solar materials for light harvesting
- 2D Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD) design, preparation and applications
Duration of NSF-IRES program (2024-2027)
- Beginning of June through July
Application opens Nov 10, 2025 and closes December 1, 2025.
Required Materials
- 2 pages CV or resume
- 2 pages personal statement (your research experience, skills, and achievements, cultural interest et.al.)
- Unofficial transcript
- Two recommendation letters upon request (make sure you fill in the recommender’s (research mentors) email address/phone number). You should ask recommender to send the letter directly to Dr. Chao Dong before the deadline.
Complete the Application
Please click here to complete the application. Applicants must submit all required application materials by the deadline, December 1, 2025.
Apply NowPrincipal Investigators (PIs) of the NSF-IRES program
Dr. Chao DongAssistant Professor
Department of Chemistry and Physics
The University of Texas Permian Basin, Odessa, TX 79765
E-mail: dong_c@utpb.edu
Research Area: Biomedicine; computational calculations to investigate the structure-properties relationship in the various system such as protein-ligand, polymer complex, molecular catalyst.
Dr. Milka Montes
Associate Professor
Department of Chemistry and Physics
The University of Texas Permian Basin, Odessa, TX 79765
E-mail: montes_m@utpb.edu
Research area: Nanomaterials synthesis and applications
Dr. Joon Heo
Associate Professor
Department of Geosciences
The University of Texas Permian Basin, Odessa, TX 79765
E-mail: heo_j@utpb.edu
Research area: Water quality; CO2 sequestration
Institutional Partners
Associate Professor Li, Longzhi
College of Mechanical and Electric Engineering
Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao city, Shandong province, China
Associate Professor Chen, Yuan
College of Mechanical and Electric Engineering
Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao city, Shandong province, China
Professor Yu-Lun Chueh
Department of Materials Science and EngineeringNational Tsing Hua University, Taiwan
Nanoscience & Nanodevices Lab