Toulouse Scholar Exchange Program

Toulouse Scholar Exchange Program

This exchange program is in collaboration with the doctoral school NANOX in Toulouse and is open to all APP students. The program offers an opportunity for our students to use new research instrumentation and techniques not available at Rice, as well as opportunities for cultural engagement and collaboration with French students. French students are invited to spend six months in Houston.


APP students are invited to apply for two opportunities:
- one-week visit during the summer
- six-month visit in the fall

One-Week Summer Visit

Thanks to a grant from the French Embassy in the US, SCI will now cover expenses for up to 5 students to visit Toulouse and the NANOX host labs for a week prior to the start of the exchange program. The precise timing will depend on visa needs.

TO APPLY: students should submit a letter of interest, a resume, and a letter of support from the student's PI to sciapp@rice.edu by MARCH 31ST.

Full Six-Month Exchange Program

For the full exchange program, the NanoX doctoral program in Toulouse has funds available to cover Rice students' stipends at a level comparable to their local PhD students and is sufficient to cover living expenses, etc. If necessary, SCI-APP will provide further support, without the need of additional Rice PI funding.

Conducting research in Toulouse counts as one elective course (designated APPL 750) during the fall semester. An optional second elective course credit is given if the student chooses and completes one of the foreign graduate courses. This second course is registered for and graded in the spring semester (due to offset of the academic calendars) following the student’s return and will be recognized as APPL 751.

TO APPLY: students should submit a letter of interest, a resume, and a letter of support from the student's PI to sciapp@rice.edu by APRIL 30TH.

TIMELINE
- April 30 - Application due
- Before end of May - interview of candidates and evaluation of their fall class performance; establishing connection with potential host labs (either driven by student and their PI or coordinated through appropriate contacts at different institutions); proposal submission by student; final selection on both ends
- Summer - research at Rice in the lab of the student’s PI.
- On or before September 1 - Depart to France; conduct research and enroll in one class at foreign institution
- February 15 - Return to home institution; complete class requirements


Additional Toulouse Information
NanoX Director - Prof. Xavier Marie
https://nanox-toulouse.fr/

Toulouse Exchange Courses

Full Courses:

  • Energy storage and conversion (55h≈5h/w - 12w)
  • General Electrochemistry (Basic in electrochemistry, Corrosion, Analytical methods, 60h≈5h/w - 12w)
  • Solid-state chemistry (Inorganic solid-state chemistry, Basics in chemistry of polymers, 70h≈6h/w - 12w)

Dual Combination of Courses (each counts as one half course):

  • Physical Chemistry of Materials: bonds, defects, reactivity (30h≈3h/w - 12w)
  • Application of Surface Treatments to Energy Storage (35h≈3h/w - 12w)
  • Catalysis (30h≈3h/w - 12w)
  • Chemical alternatives for energy (30h≈3h/w - 12w)
  • Laser Technics, Quantum Optoelectronics (30h)
  • Nanobiotechnology (lectures+clean room : 40 h)
  • Microsystem (workshop) (lectures+clean room : 40 h)