Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) programme offers undergraduate students the chance to work on research projects in collaboration with academic supervisors, during the summer holidays.

Research

XJTLU is unique among universities in China in giving undergraduate students the chance to do such in-depth research, an opportunity usually given to postgraduate-level students. Funding for the SURF programme is administered by the University's Academic Service Office.

Completing a SURF project allows you to gain practical research skills, build confidence, develop expertise and come up with ideas for your final year projects or further studies. Projects are typically up to 10 weeks in duration and start at the end of June each year.

Projects can cover a wide variety of topics across all disciplines. In the past students have completed research on:

  • The unique characteristics of the Chinese stock market (Yipe Yu and Jiale Zhou, Department of Mathematics)
  • The challenges of selling Fair Trade products in China (Zhiwei Cheng and Keqin Cheng, International Business School Suzhou)
  • The impact that speaking Mandarin has on the integration of rural migrant communities in south Suzhou (Yiyu Fu, Yuting Fei and Jingyi Shen, English, Culture and Communication, and Wentao Shen, Urban Planning and Design).

SURF is open to current XJTLU undergraduate students as well as a small number of outstanding international undergraduate students from top universities.

The international fellowship for non-XJTLU students includes local pick-up and accommodation. Participating students are responsible for return travel between their home country and China.

How to apply

Current XJTLU students

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships are open to undergraduate students in Years One, Two and Three at XJTLU. Eligible students will receive the Announcement of SURF Project list via emails. If you are interested in any of this year’s SURF projects, please contact the supervisors directly.

Non-XJTLU students

Please download the list of available projects in order to help you select which project you want to apply for. To apply, please contact the supervisors directly.

The closing date for 2019 SURF student applications is Sunday, 12 May 2019.


I could never have imagined that it could be such fun. It was a really special summer and the project has made my time at XJTLU more meaningful.

Yihe Yu Department of Mathematical Sciences

Poster day

Once you have completed your research project, you have the opportunity to present your work at the annual Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships poster day, where you can win awards voted for by XJTLU academics and fellow students. This event is a great opportunity to showcase your work and gain vital practice in presenting.