ICIQ Summer Fellowship Programme offers up to 9 fellowships to national and international undergraduate students to give them the opportunity to learn, work and live in an exciting environment of cutting-edge research in chemistry. Students are welcome to spend up to a 3-month paid internship in one of ICIQ’s research groups between the months of June, July, August and September.

These fellowships will be financed by The Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ). The undergraduates, mentored and supervised by a PhD student or a postdoctoral researcher, will carry out research projects with scientists at the forefront of their fields in addition to receiving training. During their stay, students will have access to ICIQ seminars and conferences. By the end of their internship, Summer Fellows will be required to present a short report and presentation of the work and results obtained.

This is a great opportunity for undergraduates to have an insight on the Institute research activities and to conduct research in an international scientific environment. Moreover, Summer Fellows are in an optimal situation to carry out Master studies at ICIQ and then apply for a future PhD position in our institute.

The Summer Fellowship Programme 2026 will be supported by the ICIQ Severo Ochoa CEX2024-001469-S grant funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033.

Deadline for applications: March 22nd, 2026

Contact: summerfellowships@iciq.es

I. Requirements

• The ICIQ Summer Fellowships programme is addressed to undergraduate students with a background in Chemistry, Physics, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering or related disciplines or other related areas. Applicants with different studies from the above mentioned will not be considered.

• Interested candidates should be preferably in their 3rd and/or last year (or having accomplished 50% of the credits) of their undergraduate studies by the time of accepting the fellowship. Graduate students won’t be eligible for this call.

*Important note: Please take into account that depending on your nationality, you might be required to get a student visa. Therefore, if you are awarded with one of our summer fellowships, please make sure you will have your visa ready before the beginning of your stay.

II. Conditions

• The research stays at ICIQ will be from June 1st to September 14th, with a maximum stay of up to 3 months. ICIQ Summer Fellows will receive stipend of 30€ per day (maximum 900€ per month) for the period of their in-person stay at ICIQ. If they agree with their supervisor to complete part of their fellowship remotely, there will be no stipend for that time-period. In addition, if a fellow’s stay is less than 3 months, the student will receive an amount proportional to their time spent at ICIQ.

• For the beneficiaries of the scholarships who are considered non-residents, article 25 of the TRILNR establishes that the withholding to be practiced in general will be of 24%. However, it will be 19% in the case of taxpayer’s resident in a Member State of the European Union or the European Economic Area.

·         Fellows with nationalities outside the EU are required to obtain their own medical insurance for the duration of their stay at ICIQ.

·         EU nationals are required to obtain their European Health Insurance card before coming to ICIQ (which is free of charge but must be obtained in your country of origin). 

• SF 2026-01 NL Prof. Núria López: Machine Learning Models for Materials in Energy

• SF 2026-02 FM Prof. Feliu Maseras: Computational Homogeneous Catalysis

• SF 2026-03 KV Prof. Katherine Villa: Programmable Micromotors Powered and Guided by Light

• SF 2026-04 MH Prof. Mónica H. Pérez-Temprano: Novel Synthetic and Mechanistic Tactics Using Earth-Abundant Transition Metal Catalysts

• SF 2026-05 AE Prof. Antonio Echavarren: Gold(I) Cavitands for Catalytic Small-Molecule Activation

• SF 2026-06 EP Prof. Emilio Palomares: Materials for Energy

• SF 2026-07 BP Prof. Beatriz Prieto: Multi-functional sensors to monitor bacterial biofilm growth

• SF 2026-08 AK Prof. Arjan Kleij: Dual Co/photo Catalysis for New Reaction Discovery

• SF 2026-09 ALL Prof. Antoni Llobet: Molecular redox catalysts for the generation of solar fuels

Supervisor: Nuria Lopez

Project Title: Machine Learning for Materials in Energy

Project Description:

We will investigate Machine Learning techniques to analyze the properties of Materials that can be useful in the transformation of renewable energies into useful chemicals.

Tasks to be performed by the Summer Fellow:

• Literature search

• Data generation

• Data analysis

• Summarizing results

Supervisor: Feliu Maseras

Project Title: Computational homogeneous catalysis

Project Description: Computational homogeneous catalysis has been a major topic of research in the group for many years. We are currently working on applications involving photochemical activation and single electron transfer. The fellow will work on one of these projects, with access to results by experimental collaborators.

Tasks to be performed by the Summer Fellow:

• DFT calculations with Gaussian16

• Microkinetic modelling studies with Copasi

• Preparation of oral and written reports

Supervisor: Prof. Katherine Villa

Project Title: Programmable Micromotors Powered and Guided by Light

Project Description: Light-driven micromotors are microscopic particles capable of converting light energy into autonomous motion. These systems represent an emerging class of active materials with great potential for applications in water purification, environmental remediation, and microscale transport. This project focuses on the design of photoactive micromotors whose motion and collective behavior can be programmed using light intensity, wavelength, and spatial patterns. By combining materials chemistry, photocatalysis, and active matter, the project aims to understand how light can be used not only as an energy source but also as a control signal to guide motion, self-assembly, and function at the microscale.

Tasks to be performed by the Summer Fellow:

• Synthesis and characterization of photoactive micromotors based on semiconductor materials and metal complexes.

• Optical microscopy experiments to observe light-driven motion and collective behaviors.

• Analysis of micromotor trajectories and speed under different illumination conditions

• Exploration of light-patterned fields to guide and confine micromotor motion

• Data analysis, discussion of results, and brief reporting.

Supervisor: Mónica H. Pérez-Temprano

Project Title: Novel Synthetic and Mechanistic Tactics Using Earth-Abundant Transition Metal Catalysts

Project Description: The Pérez-Temprano group focuses on the development of innovative and sustainable catalytic transformations based on earth-abundant first-row transition metals. By using mechanistic insight as a central tool for reaction design, we seek to discover new reaction modes and unlock innovative ways of activating and forming chemical bonds. In the context of this Summer Fellowship, the project will center on the design and study of novel C–H functionalization reactions.

Tasks to be performed by the Summer Fellow:

The fellow will perform experimental work, including reaction optimization, purification, and structural characterization of products using techniques like NMR spectroscopy.

Supervisor: Antonio Echavarren

Project Title: Gold(I) Cavitands for Catalytic Small-Molecule Activation

Project Description: Synthesis of new gold(I) complexes with large cavitand-type ligands for the catalytic activation of small molecules.

Tasks to be performed by the Summer Fellow:

Synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of gold(I) complexes and study of their catalytic reactivity.

Supervisor: Emilio Palomares

Project Title: Materials for Energy

Project Description: Explore the application of functional materials in the preparation of optoelectronic devices

Tasks to be performed by the Summer Fellow:

• Structural and optical characterization of functional materials

• Preparation of devices by solution processing and/or chemical vapor deposition

• Characterization of the optoelectronic and electrochemical properties of the prepared devices

• Writing technical reports and prepare an oral presentation

Supervisor: Beatriz Prieto Simón

Project Title: Multi-functional sensors to monitor bacterial biofilm growth

Project Description: Added to the economical and societal impact biofilms have on various industries (e.g., water distribution, food processing, navel), their growth on medical devices and their role in antimicrobial resistance emergence are of huge concern. In vitro biofilm models can be developed to support the quick identification of bacterial resistance in biofilm-associated infections and the quantification of the dynamics of biofilm response to antibiotics. The acquired information is paramount to underpin therapeutic guidance and thus improve patient outcomes.

Our research aims to deliver a sensing system able to monitor in real time changes in biofilm physicochemical properties and key bacterial biomarkers, consisting of a core bioelectronic device acting both as scaffold for biofilm growth and multi-functional sensor.

Based on our pioneering work on carbon-stabilized porous silicon (CpSi)-based electrochemical sensing, we recently reported a CpSi-based sensor used as a biofilm scaffold that allows non-destructive electrochemical interrogation informing of morphological changes linked to biofilm evolution at fixed time points. This versatile sensing platform is selected to design a live bacterial cell sensing tool for in situ monitoring of biofilm growth and antibiotics susceptibility testing in real time via electrochemical means.

Tasks to be performed by the Summer Fellow:

1. Design, fabricate and modify layered structures of CpSi with tunable pore size and depth, and engineered surface chemistry; Morphological (SEM) and electrochemical characterization (Weeks 1 – 4)

2. Bacterial biofilm growth on CpSi and characterization (biomass quantification via crystal violet staining; live/dead stain combined with confocal laser scanning microscopy to visualize biofilm architecture and thickness, and quantify cell viability); Study the effect of CpSi physicochemical properties on cell adhesion and biofilm growth (Weeks 4 – 8)

3. Electrochemical characterization of the live bacterial cell platform to evaluate its sensing capabilities to monitor biofilm physicochemical changes when exposed to antimicrobials (Weeks 8 – 11)

4. Written report (Weeks 1-12) and oral presentation (Week 12)

Supervisor: Prof. Arjan W. Kleij

Project Title:

Project Description: In this project, new types of functionalized bicyclic carbamates will be subjected to low-valent Co-activation using photo-assisted redox chemistry. The overall objective is to map new reactivity patterns guided by decarboxylative processes providing access to unexplored chemical and catalysis space, including the formation of (4+n) bicycles.

Tasks to be performed by the Summer Fellow:

Synthesis of the starting bicyclic substrates, performing catalytic trials, identification of the main products, optimization of the process conditions, synthetic use of the isolated compounds.

Supervisor:  Antoni Llobet

Project Title: Molecular redox catalysts for the generation of solar fuels

Project Description: preparation of new transition metal catalyst capable of carrying out catalytic reactions critical for the generation of solar fuels.

Tasks to be performed by the Summer Fellow:

The tasks to be carried out will involve synthesis, purification and spectroscopic and electrochemical characterization of transition metal complex.

Detailed programme of the traineeship:

1. Synthesis, isolation and purification of a family of ligands and their molecular transition metals complexes.

2. Analytic, structural (XRD and NMR) and spectroscopic (IR, UV-vis, MS) characterization of the complexes obtained in A1.

3. Electrochemical characterization (Cyclic Voltammetry, Differential Pulse Voltammetry, Coulometry etc) and anchoring into light absorbing materials.

4. Reactivity tests of the molecular hybrid material with regard to their capacity to carry out light induced redox reactions.

Supervisor: J.R Galan-Mascaros/Bahareh Khezri

Project Title: Electrolyte-driven wetting, flooding, and salt deposition in commercial gas diffusion layers for CO₂ electrolysis

Project Description: Commercial GDLs (e.g., Toray TGP‑H series and Sigracet 39BB/28BC) are widely used as supports for CO₂ gas diffusion electrodes. However, their interaction with different electrolytes can strongly influence electrolyte intrusion, flooding, carbonate precipitation, and therefore the observed selectivity and stability of CO₂ electrolysis. This project will quantify how electrolyte composition and concentration affect wetting/flooding behavior and salt deposition on a small set of standard commercial GDLs, using a fixed benchmark catalyst layer (e.g., Ag for CO production or Sn for formate) so that changes can be attributed to the GDL/electrolyte interaction.

Tasks to be performed by the Summer Fellow:

1. Literature review and experimental design (Week 1).

   During the first week, the Summer Fellow will conduct a focused review of the literature on electrolyte–GDL interactions in gas-fed CO₂ electrolysis, with particular emphasis on wetting, flooding, and salt precipitation phenomena. Based on this survey and the group’s experimental constraints, the Fellow will develop a concise (1–2 page) experimental design matrix defining the set of commercial gas diffusion layers (e.g., Toray TGP‑H‑060 without MPL, Toray with MPL, Sigracet 39BB, Sigracet 28BC, and additional relevant variants) and the electrolyte conditions to be examined. The electrolyte set will include a near-neutral bicarbonate system (0.5–1.0 M KHCO₃), an alkaline electrolyte (1.0–2.0 M KOH), and a non-carbonate potassium salt control (K₂SO₄) to decouple carbonate chemistry from cation identity. The output of this task will be a structured plan specifying the experimental variables, fixed operating conditions, and a prioritized sequence of measurements.

2. Ex situ characterization of GDL wetting and transport properties (Weeks 2–4).

   In Weeks 2–4, the Fellow will quantify key wetting and liquid-transport descriptors for each selected GDL in order to establish baseline structure–property relationships prior to electrolysis. Static contact-angle measurements will be performed using both deionized water and representative electrolyte droplets to assess surface wettability and electrolyte-dependent wetting behavior. Electrolyte uptake and wicking kinetics will be evaluated through time-resolved mass gain measurements to compare capillary infiltration and liquid retention among GDL architectures. In addition, water-entry pressure (or breakthrough pressure) will be measured using a simple capillary or bubble-point type setup to determine the resistance of each substrate/MPL to liquid intrusion. Where available, optical microscopy and/or SEM imaging will be conducted before and after testing to document MPL morphology (including crack density/texture) and to track any electrolyte-induced or operation-induced changes.

3. Fabrication of benchmark gas diffusion electrodes with controlled catalyst layers (Weeks 3–5).

   To ensure that observed performance differences can be attributed to the GDL/electrolyte interaction rather than catalyst-layer variability, the Fellow will fabricate a set of benchmark GDEs using a single standardized catalyst ink formulation and deposition protocol applied identically to each GDL type. Catalyst loading, geometric area, drying conditions, and any post-treatment steps will be kept constant across samples. The Fellow will quantify catalyst loading by gravimetric analysis (mass difference before and after deposition) and will document fabrication reproducibility using replicate preparations. This task will deliver a consistent electrode set suitable for comparative electrolysis testing across the full electrolyte–GDL matrix.

4. CO₂ electrolysis performance evaluation under controlled operating conditions (Weeks 5–10).

   From Weeks 5–10, the Fellow will carry out systematic CO₂ electrolysis experiments under fixed operating conditions, including constant CO₂ flow, controlled pressure balance, and standardized current-density protocols. For each electrolyte–GDL combination, the Fellow will first perform short polarization experiments (e.g., stepwise operation at 50 → 100 → 200 mA cm⁻²) to quantify activity and selectivity trends with operating point, followed by a 1–3 h stability experiment at a representative current density to assess durability and time-dependent degradation. Throughout these measurements, the Fellow will record cell voltage and any available pressure signals to identify signatures of flooding, transport limitation, or instability. Product selectivity will be quantified by determining Faradaic efficiencies to CO/H₂ (or formate/H₂, depending on the benchmark catalyst) using the group’s standard analytical workflow, with appropriate calibration and quality control.

5. Post-mortem assessment of salt deposition and wetting-state evolution (Weeks 8–11).

   In Weeks 8–11, the Fellow will evaluate tested electrodes and substrates to diagnose degradation pathways associated with electrolyte exposure and operation. This will include systematic visual inspection and quantification of mass change after drying to capture electrolyte retention and salt accumulation. A controlled rinse-recovery procedure (e.g., rinsing with water followed by standardized drying) will be used to assess whether performance losses are reversible (consistent with removable salt deposition) or irreversible (consistent with structural wetting shifts or persistent pore blockage). When available, SEM/EDS and/or XRD will be used to identify and spatially localize carbonate/bicarbonate deposits and to compare deposit morphology across electrolytes and GDL types. These post-mortem results will be linked directly to electrolysis performance trends to build a mechanistic picture of electrolyte-driven flooding and deactivation.

6. Data integration, operating-map construction, and reporting (Weeks 10–12).

   During Weeks 10–12, the Fellow will consolidate ex situ wetting metrics, electrolysis performance data, and post-mortem observations into an integrated analysis framework. The primary output will be an “operating map” indicating (i) which GDL architectures are most susceptible to flooding under each electrolyte condition and (ii) how quantitative wetting descriptors (contact angle, uptake/wicking rates, and water-entry pressure) correlate with Faradaic efficiency, stability, and voltage behavior. The Fellow will prepare a final presentation and a detailed written report documenting methods, results, and recommendations for selecting GDL/electrolyte combinations that maximize stable CO₂RR operation. In addition, the Fellow will assemble publication-quality figures, a curated dataset, and a manuscript outline (or draft) suitable for submission, contingent on data completeness and reproducibility.