The Energy Scholars program at the University of Houston provides undergraduate students the opportunity to work on a year-long, energy-related research project under the direction of a UH faculty mentor. Participants will receive a $6,000 scholarship to work on their project in the spring, summer, and fall. In the spring, students will begin their faculty-mentored project part-time with an expectation of 6-7 hours per week. During the summer, students will transition to a full-time research experience and participate in the SURF lecture series offered by OURMA. In the fall semester, research hours will return to part-time with an expectation of 6-7 hours per week. Faculty mentors will receive a $1,000 stipend for their participation. The program is open to students of all disciplines who are interested in working on a research project related to energy.
Participants in the Energy Scholars Program will contribute unique research that supports the Energy Transition Institute, which is focused on three core areas: hydrogen, carbon management and circular plastics, or investigate other energy-related topics within the scope of their discipline.
The 2025 Energy Scholars application is now closed.
Learn More About Energy Scholars
To be eligible for this program, the student must be working on a research topic related to energy. Students from all majors and disciplines are welcome to apply. Scholarships will be awarded to continuing UH undergraduates with a minimum GPA of 3.0. Students graduating in the spring or summer of the program year are not eligible.
Energy Scholars recipients are not allowed to participate in other full-time summer opportunities that run concurrently with Energy Scholars, including the Mellon Research Scholars and SURF programs.
Students must complete an online application which includes:
- Statement of research objectives and goals (not to exceed 500 words)
- Information on your prior academic and research experiences
- Proposed project timeline
- Name of the UH faculty member who will serve as your faculty mentor
Additionally, students are required to have their faculty mentor submit a letter of recommendation in support of their application. Letters of recommendation can be sent to Dr. Ben Rayder via email.
The statement of research should be:
- Composed in consultation with the applicant's faculty mentor
- Written in first person and in the applicant's own words
- The statement of research should not be written by the applicant's faculty mentor
- Specific in stating the tasks to be accomplished during the year
- Clear in defining the scope and goals of the proposed research, including the relative importance of the proposed research within its discipline
- Identify the connection of the research to the topic of energy
- Free of any errors in spelling, grammar, or syntax
The timeline for the proposed research project should:
- Be broken down by week
- Reflect full-time work in the summer and part-time work expectations in the spring and fall
The UH faculty mentor letter of recommendation should:
- Describe the student's qualifications
- Identify the area of research, creative, or scholarly activies in which the mentor will engage the student
- Describe the faculty member's role as a mentor to the student, including a description of how the proposed research relates to their ongoing research
It is the student's responsibility to inform their faculty mentor of the required letter of recommendation and due date. Faculty mentors should submit letters of recommendation to Dr. Ben Rayder via email by the specified deadline.
- Full-time participation for 10 weeks in the summer and part-time participation (6-7 hours per week) during the spring and fall semesters
- It is assumed that students will not take a summer course
- If a student must take a summer course for extenuating circumstances, petitions within this spirit may be accepted on a case-by-case basis by completing a petition form
- A student cannot earn course credit for the SURF program
- Attend weekly summer webinars from 12 p.m. - 1 p.m.
- Complete online pre- and post-program surveys
- Present a research poster at Undergraduate Research Day
- Energy Scholars recipients' and faculty mentors' names and photos will be included in the annual Undergraduate Research Day booklet and in other online and print promotional materials
Please contact the Dr. Ben Rayder if you have any questions or require additional information.