REM APPLICATION
NewFoS Research Experience and Mentoring Program Application Page
Thank you for your interest in the Research Experiences and Mentoring (REM) program, a year-long NSF-funded opportunity for undergraduate students across NewFoS partner institutions to engage in research and mentoring in topological acoustics.
2026-2027 Applications OPEN
About REM
REM is a 12-month program that begins with a summer research placement in a NewFoS lab and continues through the academic year with mentoring and professional development activities. Students are guided by faculty, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers, and present their work through posters and project showcases. The program helps participants explore pathways to graduate school and careers in STEM.
2026–2027 Undergraduate Research Experience and Mentoring (REM) Program
The REM program is a 12-month commitment that includes summer research, mentoring, and a research presentation at a national conference.
Application Deadline
Applications Due: January 25, 2026
APPLY NOW!
Questions?
Contact Grant Batchelder
gbatchelder@arizona.edu
City University of New York (CUNY)— Andrea Alù, PhD (2 spots)
Research Areas:
Acoustic metamaterials and engineered wave systems, including topological behaviors in acoustics.
Possible REM Projects:
Students may assist with work focused on acoustic metamaterials and topological acoustics, supporting tasks such as preparing or organizing experimental setups, running or observing acoustic measurements, or helping interpret how sound waves behave in engineered structures. The specific responsibilities will depend on the TA-related projects active in the group during the summer.
City University of New York (CUNY) — Alexander Khanikaev, PhD (2 spots)
Research Areas:
Topological photonics & acoustics, metamaterials, wave-engineering.
Possible REM Project:
Students may engage with work in the design or experimental investigation of topological acoustic or metamaterial systems, supporting tasks such as sample preparation, setting up acoustic wave experiments, running preliminary measurements or assisting with simulation/modeling of wave propagation in engineered lattices. Depending on summer needs, work might involve exploring robust edge/corner states, wave guidance through defect-tolerant paths, or fabrication of acoustic metamaterial prototypes.
University of Arizona — Pierre Lucas, PhD (2 spots)
Research Areas:
Amorphous/optical materials, solution-processed thin films, phase-change materials.
Possible REM Projects:
Students may support the solution synthesis of phase-change material films, participating in solution preparation, thin-film deposition, and basic materials characterization. Additional activities may include thermal or optical measurements, data documentation, and assisting graduate researchers with routine lab tasks involving these films.
University of Arizona — Zafer Mutlu, PhD (2 spots)
Research Areas:
Acoustics and phononics, micro/nano fabricated acoustic devices, phononic crystals, topological materials, experimental wave characterization.
Possible REM Projects:
Students may assist with research on acoustic or phononic devices, supporting tasks that align with Dr. Mutlu’s ongoing experiments with NewFoS. Work may involve device preparation, characterization of wave propagation, or computational analysis of phononic structures. Specific assignments will depend on active projects during the summer and may include assisting graduate researchers with test setups, measurements, or data interpretation.
University of Vermont — Mike Leamy, PhD (2 spots)
Research Areas:
Nonlinear dynamics, mechanical topological systems, acoustics, multiscale modeling, mechanical realizations of SSH-type lattices.
Possible REM Projects:
Students may contribute to the continuation of the macroscale SSH system, helping build, refine, or test large-scale mechanical analogues of the Su–Schrieffer–Heeger model. Work may include assembling components, running measurement sessions, logging experimental data, and helping analyze topological features such as edge modes and wave localization.
Wayne State University — Arif Hasan, PhD (2 spots)
Research Areas:
Topological Acoustics, Quantum-Classical Analogies, Mechanical Metamaterials, Nonlinear Dynamics
Possible REM Project:
Students will work on implementing nonlinear phi-bits in classical systems of coupled particles or granular media to emulate quantum-inspired topological concepts. This work involves exploring precise control over the accumulation of geometric phases, including Berry phases, through the evolution of a system’s states, in ways that are analogous to their role in quantum mechanics. Because geometric phase encodes topological properties and supports fault-tolerant operations in topological quantum computing, achieving controlled phase accumulation in a classical platform points toward robust, decoherence-free, and massively parallel topological analogue computation using classical hardware. This research direction focuses on developing a classical phi-bit platform for quantum-inspired topological computing.
Wayne State University — Mohammad A. Bukhari, PhD (2 spots)
Research Areas:
Linear and nonlinear vibration, metamaterials, energy harvesting.
Possible REM Projects:
Students may assist with research involving linear and nonlinear metamaterials, contributing to experiments and analyses that examine how waves propagate, scatter, and localize within engineered acoustic lattices. Work may include designing experimental specimens, conducting driven-wave experiments, postprocessing collected data, and supporting computational or analytical modeling of wave behavior. Specific tasks will align with active investigations into targeted energy transfer, mechanical computing, and tunable metamaterials within Bukhari’s acoustic systems group.
