Opportunities

IDEALS provides several important opportunities for students and postdocs:

Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowships (in preparation)

The City College Presidential Postdoctoral Program recognizes highly-qualified postdoctoral trainees who will become leaders in their fields. The program supports individuals who wish to pursue careers in research and creative inquiry, and provides professional development and networking opportunities.

This program includes salary support and full benefits, including health insurance. Awardees also receive funds from the CREST Center IDEALS to support research, creative expression, and professional development-related expenses.

  • Details of the program will be forthcoming shortly

IDEALS Graduate Fellowships

IDEALS Graduate Fellowships are for students admitted to the CUNY Ph.D. program in Chemistry, Physics, or Engineering who are working with faculty mentors from IDEALS. Download the brochure.

  • Each student is mentored by at least two collaborating faculty members from different disciplines that are associated with the center.
  • Research and education are integrated to provide students with a cutting-edge research experience and training in materials discovery and design, with opportunities to develop leadership and entrepreneurial skills, build professional networks and collaborations, and cultivate intellectual property generation and commercialization competences.
  • The Fellowship provides an annual stipend of $38,000 for 2 years. Students receive support through other research grants for the remainder of their studies, for up to a total of 5 years. A full tuition waiver and a comprehensive health insurance is also provided over a 5-year period.

How to Apply


Potential applicants and their primary mentors should discuss their interest in the program with at least one of the members of the IDEALS Leadership Team, prior to applying.

To apply submit a 1-2 page research proposal describing how the research fits within the IDEALS program and identify your two IDEALS mentors. The proposal must be approved by your primary mentor.

Also, submit a CV and a letter of recommendation from your primary mentor. All materials should be sent to: [email protected] with copy to [email protected].

Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)

Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)- style program in collaboration with our External Outreach Partners provides hands on experience in state-of-the-art facilities, with faculty members associated with the Center as mentors. Download Brochure.

  • Additionally, the program includes a series of extracurricular activities aimed at enhancing the students' experience beyond the core laboratory experience. Students present their results at the end of the summer in a College-wide Poster Presentation. We share some of our REU activities with the Columbia University-CCNY PAS3MRSEC REU and the CUNY-REU programs.
  • The students receive a $6,000 stipend during the summer and are eligible for on campus housing if required.
  • How to Apply
  • Information regarding the 2024 program can be found here

Undergraduate Academic Year Research

Undergraduate Academic Year Research: IDEALS also supports undergraduate academic year research in partnership with the LSAMP program, and other programs already in operation at CCNY.

All students supported through IDEALS must be US citizens or Permanent Residents.