Chicagoland Accelerator Science Traineeship Program

Northern Illinois University and the Illinois Institute of Technology have teamed up with Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory to create the Chicagoland Accelerator Science Traineeship (CAST) program. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the program provides up to two years of funding for graduate students at NIU and IIT to pursue studies in accelerator science, technology, and particle beam physics with active participation in research at these prominent national laboratories or with local industrial partners.

The competitive program offers accelerator and beam physics graduate students at NIU the opportunity to participate in relevant accelerator science at pioneering research institutions during their initial years of graduate study.

Students in the program are expected to complete the two years of studies culminating in a master's degree or admittance into a doctoral program in the accelerator field, and will participate in projects at the labs or with industrial partners. A written thesis at the master's level is expected of each participant. Possible research topics may include:

• Modeling and optimization of accelerator and beam designs
• Operation and system integration issues relevant to the development and upgrades of large-scale accelerator systems
• General beam instrumentation, measurements and diagnostics

Eligibility

To be eligible to participate in the DOE-sponsored traineeship program, graduate student candidates must:

• Be a U.S. citizen or a legal permanent resident
• Be at least 18 years of age
• Be enrolled full-time in the Ph.D. or master's (with thesis) degree program

How to Apply

Applications will be accepted through April 15 for the following fall semester and December 1 for the following spring semester. To apply, email xylu@niu.edu with the following information:

• A personal statement with specifics regarding research interest in Accelerator Science and the expected benefits the applicant will gain from joining the CAST program at NIU
• Two letters of reference sent to Prof. Xueying Lu at xylu@niu.edu (alternatively, recent letters on file in the MyNIU system can be used; refer to this option in the email, if applicable)
• A one-sentence statement of agreement to allow access to the student's academic records available on NyNIU by the CAST selection committee

For further information and status of the traineeship program, please email xylu@niu.edu.