After the success of last year’s summer research studentships, the Joseph Rufino Cordeiro Foundation is looking for up to 5 talented students to support with a fully funded research place in sustainable chemistry over July and August 2024.
The Joseph Rufino Cordeiro Foundation (“the Foundation”) was incorporated in January 2022 to honour the memory and legacy of the late Joseph Rufino Cordeiro who was of Goan origin and educated in India. The Foundation’s objectives include the advancement of science by providing funding for scientific research projects as well as improving scientific research capabilities among early-stage academic researchers.
Given the origins of the founding Trustees, the Foundation is particularly keen to encourage and nurture Goan or Indian students. With these goals in mind, the Trustees inaugurated the Foundation’s work in 2023 with the establishment of the Joseph Rufino Cordeiro Summer Research Studentships in Sustainable Chemistry (“JRCF Studentships”) in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Oxford. For the second year, the Foundation will support 8-week research placements in the Department of Chemistry. The programme is designed to provide students in the UK and Europe (particularly any group that is currently under-represented in chemistry research environments) with the opportunity to pursue Sustainable Chemistry research at the University of Oxford.
Applicants for the grants are instructed to review the list of academic staff working in Sustainable Chemistry and identify those with whom their research interests best align. They are also asked to submit a completed application form, a CV/resume, a cover letter which explains their interest in sustainable chemistry and specific area of research as well as their grade transcript from the last year by the first deadline of 12pm on Friday 19th April 2024.
The applications are to be assessed in a rigorous and well-established selection process which will be led by a panel of senior admissions experts and leaders in sustainable chemistry research in the Chemistry Department. Candidates will be informed if they have been shortlisted or not and if their application will progress to the next stage during the week commencing Monday 6th May 2024.
Shortlisted candidates will be assigned a Principal Investigator (PI) and a mentor (an accomplished post-graduate working in the identified research group and reporting directly to the PI). The mentor will support the candidate in honing their research project proposal, ensuring that the project is feasible, has the potential to advance research, and is structured well. These finalised applications are to be submitted by 12pm on Friday 24th May 2024. Applicants will be assessed on merit and the suitability of the project and will be informed of the final outcome during the week commencing Monday 3rd June 2024.
The Foundation intends to offer up to 5 JRCF Studentships in 2024. The studentships will provide successful candidates with £16.60/hour for up to 35 hours/week (that is, up to £4,648, subject to any statutory deductions) for a defined period of 8 weeks in July and August. Paid-for accommodation in Worcester College, Oxford, during this time will also be included.
The link below takes you to the website of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Oxford, where you can find further information about the 2024 JRCF Studentships:
https://tinyurl.com/sbr7vmnn
The panel assessing applications to the 2024 JRCF Studentships are world-renowned scientists including experts in Sustainable Chemistry: