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An overview of awards

The awards described here are for students to work with Faculty of Science supervisors only. If you wish to work with a researcher located in the Max Rady College of Medicine or any other Faculty, please ask directly through their respective Faculty offices.

Your summer research position will be for 16 consecutive weeks beginning in May and ending the last week of August. You will be working daily hours equivalent to a full-time job and the hours you work will be determined by your supervisor. If you wish to take summer courses, please discuss this with your potential supervisor before applying for an award.

  • There are six different types of awards for which you may apply:

  • Kevin Frasier, a biological science graduate student on a research field work

Application process

Applications are now closed.

Please be sure to only apply for the awards that you are interested in (you may apply for multiple awards with one application). You can learn more about the awards in detail.

Please note you will be asked to upload your web transcript, so make sure to have it ready.

We acknowledge that some students may not have their final grades and if at all possible, we ask that students wait for their final grades from these classes before submitting their applications and uploading their web transcripts.

Steps to complete before the end of the term:

If you would like to apply for an Undergraduate Student Research Award, you should complete these steps before the end of the term.

  1. Review the list of eligibility requirements below to ensure that you can hold an award.

  2. Identify some potential supervisors, review their personal web pages, and email the researcher to arrange a meeting to discuss research opportunities in their lab.
  3. If the researcher agrees to support your application, be prepared to submit the USRA application form (see instructions below) in January, once the fall term's grades are available.
  • Instructions for completing the USRA application form

    • Fill in your name, contact information, and program information
    • Enter your Cumulative GPA
    • Upload your web transcript
    • Select the Department you would like to apply to
    • Type the name of the professor you wish to be supervised by
    • Check the award(s) being applied for (from the questionnaire)
    • Fill in the Proposed Area of Study (1 or 2 lines)
    • Describe why an undergraduate student research award is important to you in approximately 200 words
    • Check the box to declare that all information entered is accurate
    • Click Submit

Potential supervisors

Before applying for USRA, please explore the list of potential supervisors and their research interests listed in this section. Please note that you need to contact potential supervisors via email to discuss your research interests, potentially through a meeting. Supervisors must agree to support your application before the student applies for USRA.

Chemistry

Research interests of the potential supervisors in Chemistry (PDF)

Analytical chemistry

Sabine Kuss
Assistant Professor
Sabine.Kuss@umanitoba.ca

Gregg Tomy
Director, Centre for Oil and Gas Development, Professor
Gregg.Tomy@umanitoba.ca

Biochemistry

Ned Budisa
(Tier 1) Canada Research Chair in Synthetic Biology, Professor
Nediljko.Budisa@umanitoba.ca

Mazdak Khajehpour
Associate Professor
Mazdak.Khajehpour@umanitoba.ca

Ute Kothe
Department Head, Professor
Ute.Kothe@umanitoba.ca

Sean McKenna
Associate Dean (Programs), Professor
Sean.McKenna@umanitoba.ca

Hélène Perreault
Professor
Helene.Perreault@umanitoba.ca

Jörg Stetefeld
(Tier 1) Canada Research Chair in Structural Biology and Biophysics, Professor
Jorg.Stetefeld@umanitoba.ca

Zev Ripstein
Assistant Professor
Zev.Ripstein@umanitoba.ca

Inorganic and materials chemistry

Mario Bieringer
Associate Professor
Mario.Bieringer@umanitoba.ca

David Herbert
Faculty of Science Research Chair in Fundamental Sciences (Physical Sciences), Associate Professor
David.Herbert@umanitoba.ca

Scott Kroeker
Professor
Scott.Kroeker@umanitoba.ca

Christian Kuss
Assistant Professor
Christian.Kuss@umanitoba.ca

Organic chemistry

Rebecca Davis
Associate Professor
Rebecca.Davis@umanitoba.ca

Frank Schweizer
Professor
Frank.Schweizer@umanitoba.ca

John Sorensen
Associate Head Undergraduate (Courses and Programs), Professor
John.Sorensen@umanitoba.ca

Joshua C. Walsh
Assistant Professor
Joshua.Walsh@umanitoba.ca

Physical/computational chemistry

Kathleen Gough
Professor
Kathleen.Gough@umanitoba.ca

Georg Schreckenbach
Associate Head Graduate, Faculty of Science Research Chair in Fundamental Science - Physical Sciences, Professor
Georg.Schreckenbach@umanitoba.ca

Microbiology

Research interests of the potential supervisors in Microbiology (PDF)

Matthew Bakker
Assistant Professor
Matthew.Bakker@umanitoba.ca

A. Karen Brassinga
Associate Head (Student Experience & Outreach), Professor
Ann.Brassinga@umanitoba.ca

Sean Booth
Assistant Professor
Sean.Booth@umanitoba.ca

Silvia Cardona
Associate Head (Graduate Studies), Professor
Silvia.Cardona@umanitoba.ca

Deborah Court
Head, Professor
Deborah.Court@umanitoba.ca

Aleeza Gerstein
Assistant Professor
Aleeza.Gerstein@umanitoba.ca

Georg Hausner
Professor
Georg.Hausner@umanitoba.ca

Ayush Kumar
Associate Dean (Strategic Initiatives), Professor
Ayush.Kumar@umanitoba.ca

Brian Mark
Dean (Faculty of Science), Professor
Brian.Mark@umanitoba.ca

Ivan Oresnik
Professor
Ivan.Oresnik@umanitoba.ca

Marike Palmer
Assistant Professor
Marike.Palmer@umanitoba.ca

Pelka Peter
Associate Professor
Peter.Pelka@umanitoba.ca

Gerd Prehna
Assistant Professor
Gerd.Prehna@umanitoba.ca

Richard Sparling
Associate Head (Undergraduate Affairs), Professor
Richard.Sparling@umanitoba.ca

Miguel Uyaguari
Assistant Professor, Indigenous Scholar
Miguel.uyaguari@umanitoba.ca

Hans-Joachim Wieden
Lead for BioSciences Entrepreneurship and Industry Partnerships
Hans-Joachim.Wieden@umanitoba.ca

Other research-focused faculty members may be available. Please see the Department of Microbiology website for further information.

Statistics

Elif Acar
Associate Professor
Elif.Acar@umanitoba.ca

Aleeza Gerstein
Assistant Professor
Aleeza.gerstein@umanitoba.ca

Alexandre Leblanc Professor, Associate Head UndergraduateAlex.Leblanc@umanitoba.ca

Saumen Mandal
Professor
Saumen.Mandal@UManitoba.CA

Po Yang
Associate Head (Graduate), Associate Professor
Po.Yang@umanitoba.ca

Eligibility

Only Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents of Canada are eligible for an NSERC or NSERC Indigenous. International students on a study permit are not eligible for NSERC or NSERC Indigenous awards but are eligible for the Faculty of Science USRA and the other awards on this page.

  • Students

    • NSERC applicants must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.
    • NSERC Indigenous applicants must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
    • Faculty of Science USRA applicants must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
    • Jack Prior Memorial USR Prize applicants must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.
    • H.D. Gesser USR Prize in Chemistry applicants must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.
    • When the student applies, they must have completed at least two full-time academic terms of a bachelor’s degree immediately prior to applying, totaling 24 credit hours. (Students in their first year would need to have been registered full-time in the Summer Term and full-time in the Fall Term in order to be eligible). 
      Academic terms:
      • Summer term – May to August
      • Fall term – September to December
      • Winter term – January to April
    • At the time of application, students must be registered full-time (80% course load), in any bachelor’s degree program in the Faculty of Science. Please note the Jack Prior Memorial USR Prize and the H.D Gesser USR Prize in Chemistry require students to be registered in a specific program in the Faculty of Science. Learn more about the awards details.
    • Students may undertake their research project through any department in the Faculty of Science and must be engaged on a full-time basis in research and development activities.
    • Students may hold only one university USRA per fiscal year (April 1 to March 31).
    • Students may hold a maximum of three USRA awards (NSERC, NSERC Indigenous and/or Faculty of Science) throughout their university career.
  • Additional considerations

    • Science Co-op students are eligible to apply for NSERC or NSERC Indigenous USRA and Faculty of Science USRA during their co-op work term. Co-op or other students who complete their degree requirements in December rather than April are eligible to hold a Faculty of Science award in the summer following their final term.
    • A student in their final year does not need to be fully enrolled to be eligible.
    • Students who intend to graduate in the Winter Term 2024 are not eligible.
    • Students from other universities who have supervisors holding an appointment in the Faculty of Science are only eligible for the NSERC or NSERC Indigenous awards.
    • Students who have applied or will be applying to the Faculty of Graduate Studies are eligible but must not have started their graduate program before the USRA work period has ended.
    • Students already in possession of a bachelor’s degree who are studying towards a second bachelor’s degree are eligible to hold NSERC, NSERC Indigenous or a Faculty of Science award, provided they do not hold a higher degree (MSc or PhD) in the natural sciences.
    • Students with a General Science degree are eligible for the FoS USRA.

Supervisors

  • *NEW* Supervisors of NSERC or NSERC Indigenous award recipients do not have to be NSERC holders themselves.

  • Supervisors for the Faculty of Science USRA, H.D. Gesser USR Prize in Chemistry, Jack Prior Memorial USR Prize, or Phil Hultin Pedagogy Fund must hold an appointment in the Faculty of Science.

Further details about the NSERC awards can be found on the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada website.

Award details

NSERC USRA and NSERC Indigenous USRA

Minimum Value of $8,570.

NSERC provides $6,000 and the remainder (at least $2,570*) will be provided by the Faculty of Science Dean’s office and the supervisor.

($570 [FoS] + $2,000 [researcher] + $6,000 [NSERC])

  • Researchers can increase their contribution beyond the minimum, especially when supporting senior, experienced trainees.
  • The supervisor’s portion can be from an NSERC grant or any of their other research grants.
  • Indigenous students must have self-declared on the University of Manitoba Indigenous Self-Declaration Form.

Faculty of Science USRA

Minimum Value of $8,570.

The Faculty of Science Dean’s office provides $6,070 and the remainder (at least $2,500*) will be provided by the Department and the supervisor.

($6,070 [FoS] + $2,000 [researcher] + $500 [department])

  • Researchers can increase their contribution beyond the minimum, especially when supporting senior, experienced trainees.

The Jack Prior Memorial Undergraduate Summer Research Prize

Minimum value of $8,570.

The donor funds $6,570 and the supervisor $2,000.

($6,570 [donor] + $2,000 [researcher])

  • Must have a minimum degree grade point average of 3.5.
  • Must have been enrolled with an 80% course load (minimum of 24 credit hours) in the previous academic year and be enrolled with an 80% course load (minimum of 24 credit hours) in the current academic year.
  • Must be enrolled in a Faculty of Science Major or Honours program.
  • This award is based largely on community involvement and/or leadership experience. On the application form, you will fill out a section where you describe your involvement in the community and/or leadership experience.

H.D. Gesser Undergraduate Summer Research Prize in Chemistry

Minimum value of $8,570.

The donor funds $6,070, the supervisor funds $2,000, and the Department funds $500.

($6,070 [donor] + $2,000 [researcher] + $500 [department])

  • Must have a minimum degree grade point average of 3.5.
  • Must have been enrolled with an 80% course load (minimum of 24 credit hours) in the previous academic year and be enrolled with an 80% course load (minimum of 24 credit hours) in the current academic year.
  • Must be registered in a Faculty of Science Chemistry or Biochemistry Major or Honours program.

Philip Hultin Pedagogy Fund

Minimum value of $8,570.

The Faculty of Science Dean’s office provides $6,070

($6,070 [FoS] + $2,000 [researcher] + $500 [department])

This is not a research award. This fund is focused on the development of pedagogy tools and curriculum development. If you are applying for this prize, there should already be an understanding in place with your supervisor of choice as to what the project will entail. If you have selected this award, the proposed supervisor will be required to fill out their portion of this application explaining the pedagogy project. If you have not had this discussion with your supervisor of choice, please do not select this award.

This fund will be used to support multiple Faculty of Science students to assist Faculty of Science members in developing any aspect of science pedagogy and curriculum development including but not limited to:

  • New laboratory and lecture content.
  • Teaching media including digital media and textbooks.
  • Student performance evaluation tools.
  • Self-learning and self-testing tools for students.
  • Web sites and tools for student communication.
  • Tools such as software that advances student learning in the Faculty of Science.
  • In support of our Wawatay program and Indigenous Initiative in Science, we are also supporting curriculum development for incorporating the ‘two-eyed’ seeing approach in Science (i.e. incorporating both Indigenous ways of knowing and Western knowledge).

The funds are meant to encourage curriculum development and assist Faculty members but also should help enhance and broaden student interest in science education and develop their skills in this endeavor.

Duration of support

The duration of the NSERC, NSERC Indigenous, Faculty of Science USRA, H.D. Gesser USR Prize in Chemistry, Jack Prior Memorial USR Prize, and Philip Hultin Fund is 16 consecutive weeks. If a supervisor wishes to extend this period, the difference will have to be provided by the supervisor’s grant(s).

Location of tenure

Students undertake their research projects through any department in the Faculty of Science.

Selection of students

Ranking will be based on Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) for NSERC and NSERC Indigenous. Faculty of Science USRA and the H.D. Gesser USR Prize in Chemistry will be ranked by the department. The Jack Prior Memorial USR Prize is selected by the Prior family and The Philip Hultin Fund is selected by the selection committee.

Professional workshop and poster competition

All award recipients are expected to participate in the Faculty of Science lunch hour professional workshops (a minimum of 4 over the summer term) which can work in conjunction with the SURE program. Students will have the opportunity to compete in an end-of-summer term poster competition.

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Undergraduate Research Awards (URAs)

For Faculty of Science recipients, the Office of the Vice-President, Research and International provides $5,000 and the remainder ($3,570) will be provided by the Faculty of Science Dean’s office and the supervisor. ($1,570 [FoS] + $2,000 [researcher] + $5,000 [VPRI]). Researchers can increase their contribution beyond the minimum, especially when supporting senior, experienced trainees.

Contact us

Nicole Walsh
Confidential Assistant to the Associate Deans
Nicole.Walsh1@umanitoba.ca
204-474-7973