Vacation scholarships

AMSI funds and supports undergraduate students from around Australia to spend their summer holidays (December–February) working on supervised research projects. AMSI VRS is open to intending honours and masters students, and is a fantastic opportunity to broaden academic interests and experience.

AMSI Vacation Research Scholars undertake research, build a project, submit a blog, and present to their peers and supervisors at AMSIConnect, the exclusive student conference held in February.

Eligibility requirements:

• Currently enrolled at an AMSI Member university (Macquarie University is a member).
• Currently in your third undergraduate year majoring in the mathematical sciences or a cognate discipline (outstanding second-year students with the written support of their department will also be considered).
• Intend to go on to honours and/or postgraduate study in the mathematical sciences (includes students doing combined degrees that include mathematics and statistics).
• Have a strong academic record and have never participated in AMSI VRS before.

Scholarship inclusions:

• $2000 scholarship to complete a six-week research project.
• Registration and presentation slot at AMSIConnect, our exclusive national conference for AMSI Vacation Research Scholars.

For more details see: https://vrs.amsi.org.au/

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• Projects are offered from across the four SQA partner universities. Browse the available projects here.
• The SQA Undergraduate Research Scholarship is AU$3,333 for a six-week research project.
• The project period is for six weeks from January to February 2022 (exact dates will depend on project supervisor availability). You must be engaged in a project on a full-time basis (35 hours/week for six weeks during normal working hours unless advised otherwise by the supervisor).
• Eligible applicants will be awarded on academic merit, and suitability to the projects offered.

For more details, please go to: 2022 SQA Undergraduate Research Scholarships – Sydney Quantum Academy

EQUS Summer Research
Program 2021-2022

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EQUS' summer research program is a funded opportunity for undergraduate students to get a taste of scientific research and learn new skills.

Successful applicants will undertake a defined research project at one of our nodes and have the opportunity to participate in professional development activities.

The main objectives of this program are to:

• provide participants with direct scientific experience
• support the development of skills and knowledge necessary for a career in quantum science and technology
• facilitate engagement with the field through professional development opportunities
• foster diversity in STEM by helping to train and engage students with an interest in quantum early in the pipeline.

This 2021–22 program is open only to students from underrepresented groups within STEM or who have experienced uncommon hardship.

This is in line with our goal of broadening participation of such groups by creating pathways that ensure a more diverse supply of interested and prepared future HDR candidates, and promoting the sustainability of pathways through inclusive recruitment practices and collaborative, cross-institutional networking.

For more details see: Summer research program 2021–22 | ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems (equs.org).

If you have any questions, contact: mentoring@equs.org(link sends e-mail).

MQ Photonics Vacation scholarship

Apply by sending your short CV, academic transcript, name and email of your referee, your preferred topic, and a 100-word summary explaining why you want to do a vacation scholarship.

Your application should be emailed to mqphotonics@mq.edu.au by Monday 21 September 2021.

The scholoarship is $700 per week tax-free for five weeks – dates to be arranged with supervisor.

Topics offered are:

• Monte Carlo modelling of light in the water column for LIDAR and remote sensing applications. Profs Helen Pask and David Spence.
• Beating the capacity crunch – integrated photonics for space-division multiplexed fibre optic communication. Dr Simon Gross.
• Photonics for the detection of exo-planets – optical characterisation of integrated photonic components for nulling interferometry. Dr Simon Gross.
• Twisted light nanophotonics – steering light with optical metasurfaces. Dr Haoran Ren and Prof Judith Dawes.
• Hall-Effect diagnostic for UV-enhanced diamond field-effect transistors. Prof. Rich Mildren.
• Towards the motional quantum ground state: Feedback cooling of a levitated nanocrystal. Dr Cyril Laplane.

Astronomy Vacation scholarship

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Macquarie University through AAO-MQ and the MQAAAstro Research Centre provides opportunities for undergraduate students completing their 2nd or 3rd year in 2021 to participate in research projects in the areas of:

• astronomy research both in theory and observations
• technology research
• instrumentation control software
• data processing and analysis   software and algorithms
• instrumentation simulations and computing
• data services development.

The scholarship is A$700 per week.

Send your application as a single Word or PDF document to the Vacation Scholarship coordinator Professor Andrew Hopkins: andrew.hopkins@mq.edu.au. The application should include the following:

• Full name and contact address (it is essential to include an e-mail address).
• Full details of university studies, including a transcript of academic record.
• Names and e-mail addresses of TWO academic referees who have been asked to e-mail letters to Prof. Hopkins by the application deadline, outlining the applicant's suitability for this scholarship program. We do not chase up late referees, and missing references can hinder your chances of selection.
• A one page statement giving the applicant's reasons for applying and their interests in Astronomy/ Data Science/ Instrumentation. If you have prior research experience, computing skills, or other skills associated with astronomy or research, please emphasise these.
• A short resume (2-3 pages).

Please contact Professor Andrew Hopkins with any queries about the program or the application process.