The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) has created the Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA) to provide undergraduate students with the opportunity to gain experience in research by working full-time for a term with a faculty member in their area of interest. This award would be of particular interest to students who are considering a career in research and who may wish to continue their studies at the graduate level.
Application deadline and award availability
The application deadline is January 15 of each year for the USRAs that are made available to the Department of Chemistry. Students who apply by this date will be considered for the spring, fall, and winter terms of the upcoming academic year. Applications will be accepted after the January 15 deadline if awards remain available after the initial round of applications are considered.
Additional awards sometimes become available to the university in the winter term, and the deadline to apply for these awards is October 31. Students who apply for additional awards in the winter term may not receive notification of the outcome of their application until close to the start of the term. Students whose supervisor cannot guarantee a position without the USRA may wish to continue to seek alternate options.
Application instructions
Please research faculty members to contact as potential supervisors in the Department of Chemistry. Once a student has confirmed a position with a supervisor, they must submit the Form 202 on the NSERC website, along with the supervisor, by the application date.
Students will be required to submit an unofficial transcript from Quest or their home institution for Part 1 of the Form 202 application, and will provide the reference number issued by NSERC to their supervisor who will complete Part 2 of the application. Students from other universities will be required to provide an official transcript from their home institution if nominated for the USRA.
Additional instructions for Spring term applications only: Students must provide by the deadline date a resume and a letter addressed to the NSERC USRA Committee describing their research interests and experience, career goals, and the reasons they would like to work with their chosen supervisor. Please email the letter and resume to the Undergraduate Coordinator for Chemistry, Julie Shikaze (jshikaze@uwaterloo.ca).
Eligibility
Students must be registered in a full-time undergraduate degree program at the time of application and must be a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident. The minimum average required for consideration for the award is 75 percent, but please note that there are a limited number of awards available each term and students are ranked for the award based on merit.
Additional details regarding the USRA and eligibility requirements can be found on the NSERC website.
Please email Julie Shikaze (jshikaze@uwaterloo.ca) if you have any questions about the NSERC USRA.
Co-op students: Please note that it is your responsibility to inform Co-operative Education by the required deadline about your intention to hold a USRA rather than seeking employment through Co-op.