2024

Materials Microscopy Student Research Summer Fellowship

Carl Zeiss Microscopy

What is the Materials Microscopy Student Research Summer Fellowship?

This program from Carl Zeiss Microcopy is intended to address these questions by supporting student research in the physical sciences with cutting-edge microscopy methods. All applicants to the program will:

learn about the latest advances in microscope technology
consider how these technologies connect to their research field
formulate their research interests into a competitive proposal utilizing microscopy as an enabling technology

Through a competitive evaluation process, student(s) submitting the selected proposal(s) will be invited to experience a paid 6-week summer fellowship program at the ZEISS Microscopy Customer Center (ZMCC) in California. The time during the fellowship will be split between working side by side with ZEISS microscopy staff to support exciting R&D projects, plus performing the actual microscopy work outlined in the student’s selected research proposal. The student(s) will also be publicly recognized for their participation in and their excellent contribution to the program.

The Summer Fellowship Experience

During the Summer Fellowship, the student(s) will be based on-site at the ZEISS Innovation Center in Dublin, California. This brand new facility, housing portions of the ZEISS Microscopy USA, X-ray Microscopy, Medical Technology, and Semiconductor Manufacturing business groups is located in the East Bay Area and a short distance from numerous desirable California attractions.

Over the course of 6 weeks, the student(s) will spend a portion of their time (approximately 75%) working closely with members of the microscopy R&D and/or Applications teams on a ZEISS-assigned project, structured to align as best as possible with the individual’s own scientific and technology interests. The remainder of the student’s time (approximately 25%) will be devoted to working with their own samples directly on or near the various microscopes in the lab, to acquire and analyze data as outlined in their proposal submission. ZEISS staff will be available to help guide and support the student(s) throughout, ensuring they maximize their time and make strong progress on their project.

Carl Zeiss Microscopy is proud to be wholly owned by the Carl Zeiss Foundation, the mission of which is to promote science and teaching in the fields of mathematics, computer science, the natural sciences and technology.

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Student Eligibility

Submission to the program is open to individuals who meet the following criteria:

As of Summer 2024, must be a full-time student in the USA or Canada pursuing a degree in the physical sciences such as engineering, materials science, chemistry, physics, geology, or a related field
Undergraduate or graduate students are welcome to participate
Must be eligible for short-term (6-week) temporary employment in California
Student(s) of selected proposal(s) are expected to be on-site in Dublin, CA for the duration of the summer program. ZEISS will cover the cost of airfare to/from California, but student(s) are expected to arrange their own accommodations during the program.

Key Dates

Please refer to the timeline below for key milestone dates


January 15 – 25, 2024	Mandatory Informational Webinars	Interested participants must select and attend one of the informational webinar sessions
February 16, 2024	Initial Round 1 Proposals Due	See PDF below for proposal guidelines and evaluation criteria, “Materials Microscopy Fellowship – Program Summary and Guidelines”
February 20, 2024	Finalist Proposals Announced	Several top proposals will be identified, provided feedback, and invited for re-submittal in Round 2
March 1, 2024	Submission of Finalist Round 2 Proposals
March 5-12, 2024	Finalists Present Proposals	Finalist proposals will join a web call to make a short presentation and discussion of their proposal to a ZEISS panel
March 15, 2024	Selected Proposal(s) Announced and Notified
June 17 – August 2, 2024	Summer Fellowship Program	Selected student(s) will join the Summer Program on-site in Dublin, CA

Mandatory Informational Webinars

Complete the form below to select and register for one of the informational webinars in January. During each of these sessions, technical experts from ZEISS will describe the microscopes and technology that will be accessible to the winner(s) during their summer at the ZEISS Innovation Center. The intention is to provide students with the knowledge of how the different microscopes can be used to address problems related to their research, so that they may then formulate that knowledge into strong proposals of how they would use these instruments if selected for the program. To ensure reasonable scope of proposed projects, participation in one of the webinar sessions is mandatory to be eligible for proposal submission. (All webinar sessions will have the same information; participants need only attend one).