In the summer of 2026, a new research exchange between Chalmers University of Technology and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore will be launched. The initiative offers master’s students the opportunity to conduct summer research at NTU, while also providing research leaders at Chalmers with the opportunity to host a NTU student during the summer. The initiative is led by the Chalmers Area of Advance Materials Science.
“A little over a year ago, the Area of Advance Materials Science initiated a collaboration with Nanyang Technological University, NTU. We held a workshop on site in Singapore together with researchers in the field. It was highly inspiring. Now we are building on that foundation and taking the next step: a student exchange that will also broaden to include more subject areas,” says Leif Asp, Director of Chalmers Area of Advance Materials Science and Professor of Material and Computational Mechanics.
How can Chalmers researchers become involved in the new exchange?
“NTU is an exceptionally strong university. In the QS rankings, it ranks very highly overall, and in the field of Materials Science it is placed second in the world. It is generally valuable for researchers at Chalmers to be aware that the Area of Advance has established this collaboration. We can help facilitate contact pathways for researchers here. Students coming from NTU are also expected to identify Chalmers researchers whose fields align with their academic interests. Once the selection has been made, we then work to match them with suitable research leaders at Chalmers,” says Leif Asp.
Rickard Frost is Advisor for Chalmers Area of Advance in Materials Science. He works with collaboration support at Chalmers and is the primary contact person for students regarding the research exchange. “I would especially like to highlight that the selection is made among highly qualified students with a clear interest in academic research. This may eventually lead to them conducting their master’s thesis work here – and potentially even continuing as doctoral students,” says Rickard Frost.
How does the matching process between NTU students and Chalmers research groups work in practice?
“Students applying to the programme must identify the Chalmers research groups they would like to work with. Chalmers and NTU then conduct a joint selection process in which the strongest candidates are chosen, after which they are matched with relevant research groups,” says Rickard Frost.
The exchange is led by the Area of Advance Materials Science but spans several Areas of Advance.
What does this mean for disciplinary breadth and opportunities?
“The student exchange is carried out together with NTU’s College of Engineering, which consists of five engineering schools. To meet this disciplinary breadth, we need to extend beyond the Area of Advance Materials Science – therefore the Areas of Advance Nano, Production and ICT are also included in this research exchange, and students from around twenty master’s programmes may be eligible to participate,” says Leif Asp.
Chalmers already has an exchange with the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). How does the NTU initiative differ from the UCSB collaboration?
“The NTU initiative is broader in terms of subjects and reflects the structure of their Schools of Engineering. Another difference is that the programme involves a larger number of students. We are planning for up to six students to travel in each direction,” says Rickard Frost.
Related information
Research Exchange with Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Chalmers announces available positions in a research exchange at the College of Engineering (CoE) at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
The exchange offers master’s students the opportunity to gain hands-on research experience in world-class engineering environments and is particularly suited to students interested in a future academic career.
The research exchange has been communicated to the relevant students through the programme directors of the participating master’s programmes at Chalmers.
The application deadline is 15 January 2026.
Contact: Rickard Frost, rickard.frost@chalmers.se
Further information is also available via NTU College of Engineering:
- Full Professor, Material and Computational Mechanics, Industrial and Materials Science
- Advisor, Research, Innovation and Collaboration Support, Chalmers Operations Support
