»NSF IRES: Stockholm Research Experience in Heterogeneous Catalysis

The NSF IRES: Stockholm Research Experience in Heterogeneous Catalysis is a 10-week summer research experience in Stockholm, Sweden. Each student scholar selected will work with one of four PIs on research focused on green catalytic tar reforming in biomass gasification, with experiments ranging from model-systems to the real-world catalytic reactors.

Juliana Jordan '27

Physics and Philosophy double major

"I felt before that I could not do research. I thought that in order to do this complicated physics research, you had to have prior experience. But to be able to participate in this program and see it in action increased my confidence going into graduate programs. I hadn’t really thought about what I want my career to look like, and having been able to work in a foreign country, I now know I want to live and work abroad in the future."

Read about NSF-IRES 2025

Application Deadline: Friday, December 12, 2025, by 5 p.m.

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Benefits

Scholars will receive a $6,500 stipend.
Scholars will have meaningful and hands-on research experience in partnership with their Swedish Research Mentor.
Travel and housing will be provided.
Scholars will experience Swedish culture.
Scholars will receive advanced instrumentation training in state-of-the-art research facilities at AlbaNova University Center.

Requirements and Expectations

If selected, a commitment to work in research mentor's laboratory for 40 hours a week over the summer.
Scholars are expected to conduct independent research suitable for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
Attendance and the presentation of research at AlbaNova University Center in Stockholm, Sweden during the last week of the program.
Scholars are expected to demonstrate exemplary scientific and academic ethics and a deep sense of duty as a leader in their local and global community.

To be eligible to apply, all applicants must:

Be sophomore standing or higher at time of application.
Be a student the spring semester prior to the research trip.
Have completed 90+ hours of research prior to the start of summer.

If selected, scholars must attend a 1-hour weekly seminar for 10 weeks in Spring for trip planning, research training, and Swedish cultural background.

Application Deadline: Friday, December 12, 2025, by 5 p.m.
Scholar Selection: January 2026
Decision Notification: February 2026

Dr. Henrik Öström

Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in the Department of Physics at Stockholm University

Research Description: Experimental research on the fundamental understanding of molecule-surface interactions in the context of heterogeneous catalysis.

Dr. Mats Göthelid

Professor of Material Physics at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology

Research Description: Experimental studies of surface physics and surface chemistry, with the aim to connect surface structure and composition with reactivity and surface properties.

Dr. Klas Engvall

Professor of Chemical Engineering at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology

Research Description: Experimental research on developing an understanding of the effects of gas phase impurities, such as K and S, on the kinetics of catalytic conversion of hydrocarbons on Ni catalyst surfaces.

Dr. Dan J. Harding

Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology

Research Description: Experimental research on the fundamental understanding of the mechanisms of reactions occurring at gas-surface interfaces and the underlying physics that controls the reactivity.