Engineering Science Undergraduates

Engineering science combines deep technical knowledge with rich hands-on experience. Our graduates become the next generation of innovation leaders.

Undergraduate Awards

2025 USRA is now avaiable. Please apply by Feb 3, 2025.

As an Engineering Science undergraduate student at SFU, you may be eligible for the following two programs aimed at supporting undergraduate researchers.

USRA COUNTS AS CO-OP

Any USRA student holders can count their work as Co-op if they wish to do so. To count it as a work term, students need to prove that their work meets the following criteria:

Min. 420 hours/term, be paid, supervised, and in a capacity of technical or research work

Supervisor completes a check-in and an end-of-term evaluation

Student completes learning goals, check-in, work term report, and end-of-term evaluation

Any inquiries about counting USRA as Co-op, please contact your home Coordinator.

Contact

NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award (Research Assistant)

Our undergraduate students can apply for summer jobs working with Engineering Science faculty on real research. These positions are sponsored by NSERC, a Federal Government agency that supports university students in the pursuit of discovery research while fostering innovation.

Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) are aimed at stimulating your interest in research in engineering and the natural sciences. If you would like to gain research work experience that complements your studies in an academic setting, these awards can provide you with a funded position in SFU Engineering Science. These positions can also give you real advantages for future awards: 70% of past USRA students went on to win NSERC Graduate Awards that paid for their graduate education.

VPR Undergraduate Student Research Award (Research Assistant)

SFU's Vice-President Research has provided funding for an award program entitled “Vice-President, Research Undergraduate Student Research Awards” (VPR USRA) for students in the Faculties of Science and Applied Sciences. If students do not meet the eligibility criteria for an NSERC USRA, they may be eligible for a VPR USRA. (For example, international students, or students wishing to work with a faculty member whose research support is not from NSERC).

All rules for holding the award remain the same and eligibility criteria and application process can be found on the VPR website.

USRA Information for Students

Overview

Engineering Science will receive an unspecified number of NSERC USRA’s (Undergrad Student Research Awards). These awards are meant to stimulate interest in research and encourage undergraduate students to undertake graduate studies and pursue a research career. These awards are earmarked for Engineering Science students and are full time or part time 16-week positions.

This USRA award is derived from two sources; the 'award' portion and a Faculty supplement. The USRA program supports undergraduate students working in a graduate level research capacity with an academic supervisor.

Full-Time Duration: 16 weeks, 70 hours bi-weekly

The award portion is $6,000
The faculty supplement is valued at a minimum $4411.8 (11% statutory benefits included)*
2 weeks vacation for each full calendar year of service or 4% vacation payout from the supervisor if vacation is not taken

*Faculty supplement is subject to change when minimum wage and/or employer’s cost for the statutory benefits change.

USRA holder is appointed as "Research Assistant" which is an SFU employment. Other employment details can be found here. USRA in sciences cannot be held part-time. More information can be found on Graduate Studies website here.

The deadline to apply for these NSERC research positions is Monday, February 3, 2025.

Eligibility

BASC Engineering Science student at SFU
Canadian citizen or permanent resident. International Students may apply for VPR USRA but not the NSERC USRA.
Enrolled as a full-time student (i.e. minimum 9 credit hours or enrolled on a co-op) the semester prior to the research term, except for students in their final semester when they are only required to enroll part-time to complete their degree.
Completed at least two academic terms by the time he/she holds the award.
Obtained over the previous years of study, a cumulative average of at least 2.67 or a B- average.
Employed full time by NSERC in Summer (16 weeks x 35 hours per week) if applying for full time award.
Hold only one USRA per fiscal year (April 1 to March 31) and up to a maximum of three USRAs throughout his/her university career.

NOTE: NSERC stipulates that students must work full-time (70 hours biweekly) on their NSERC project, but will allow a maximum of one course concurrently with written permission from their supervisor. The email must outline the course, days/times of the class you wish to take, and the days/times when you will make up the hours.

Targeting of Awards to Women

NSERC closely monitors the participation of women in the USRA program and strongly suggests that universities use the USRA program as a tool to encourage more women to pursue careers in science and engineering. The Council expects that universities will endeavor to ensure a minimum 50% participation rate by female students.

Aboriginal Students

NSERC is continuing with its initiative to encourage Aboriginal students to pursue university studies in the natural sciences and engineering. Awards that departments make to qualified Aboriginal students will be IN ADDITION to their quota of awards. Hence, it is important that Aboriginal students identify themselves on their application as they are eligible for a separate competition in addition to the regular awards.

VPR USRA

The Vice-President, Research (VPR), often supports VPR USRAs for many of the applicants who are only eligible for a VPR USRA or B-listed for an NSERC USRA. If students do not meet the eligibility criteria for an NSERC USRA, they may be eligible for a VPR USRA. (For example, international students, or students wishing to work with a faculty member whose research support is not from NSERC). All rules for holding the award remain the same and eligibility criteria and application process can be found on the VPR website. Note that non-SFU students are not eligible to apply.

How to Apply

STEP 1 - APPLY

Students submit an email application(s) to professor(s) by February 3, 2025 with a resume/cover letter/unofficial transcript. To prepare for the next part you should also fill in and send scan of a completed NSERC Form 202 Part I (see below) and Reference Number. no later than February 20, 2025.

STEP 2 - INTERVIEW

Professors will contact students directly and set up interviews, select the best candidate, and rank the candidates by February 13, 2025.

STEP 3 - STUDENT RANKING

Students must provide rankings for their preferred projects within one day after the interview(s) by February 14, 2025. Please submit these rankings to: enscugra@sfu.ca and glennc@sfu.ca.

STEP 4 - RANKING/MATCHING

The ENSC USRA committee will rank the projects. The overall project ranking will be a combination of the student and faculty ranking. Professors will notify his/her candidate(s) if their application was successful and matched with their project pending receipt of funding. Professors must also notify the candidate that they must now order an official transcript. Professors notify student(s) not matched.

The professor must complete Form 202 Part II and submit it online. The professor must submit the form online before the student is able to submit Form 202 Part I. The professor will notify the selected applicant that Part II has been submitted, and that the student must proceed with their online Part I application.

STEP 5 - SUBMISSION

ENSC will submit paper application forms Part I and II and a ranking to the Dean of Grad Studies office by February 28, 2025. Award Offer Letters and Award Acceptance Forms will be sent via email starting mid-late February.

Top ranked ‘B’ listed applicants will be considered for VPR USRA Science awards and offers will be sent via email.

All the deadlines are available here.

USRA Positions Available

Select the faculty name below to view upcoming opportunities
(The list is continuously updated)

USRA Information for Faculty

STEP 1

Only SFU Engineering Science undergraduate students are eligible. Students submit their electronic document applications (resume/cover letter/unofficial transcript) directly to you by February 3, 2025. You should interview them before February 13. They will also need to send you a scan of their NSERC Form 202 Part I and Reference Number directly to you by February 20. (You will need the Reference Number from Part I if matched with a student.) Make certain students you are going to rank have done that. Note visa students do not need to submit the NSERC form as they can only apply for the VPR awards.

STEP 2

Please read carefully the student criteria under the Student Instructions on this web page. Contact suitable students directly to make arrangements to interview. DO NOT make formal job offers to students at this time.

STEP 3

Funding is limited. By February 13, 2025, 9pm, please submit rankings for a maximum of 2 projects. Email enscugra@sfu.ca and glennc@sfu.ca your project(s) and students by rank order of preference (#1, #2). UCC will rank the projects based on a combination of the student and faculty rankings.

Students will be sending their ranking of faculty projects they interviewed for by February 14, 2025.

On February 19, 2025, professors will be notified by email of their matches. Professors will notify his/her candidate(s) if their application was successful and matched with a project pending receipt of funding. Professors must also notify the candidate that they must now order an official transcript. Professors notify student(s) not matched.

STEP 4

Professors matched with a student must complete Form 202 Part II and submit it online. (Note, the professor must submit Part II form online before the student is able to submit Part I online.) Once Part II is submitted, the professor must notify the selected student to proceed with their application. Failure to submit a complete online application will result in the loss of the position.

To complete Form Part II online, you will need:

1. The applicant’s Reference Number.

2. Your NSERC Operating Grant number which is available via FAST on the web.

3. The Eligible Research Subject Codes for USRA projects from NSERC’s web site. Identify the research subject code that best describes the proposed area of research and not the supervisor’s research subject code; it may be significantly different from the codes on the appended list.

Complete Form 202 Part II Available online in electronic format in a PDF version by clicking on System Login or Register as a First-Time User. Ensure that the PIN (Personal Identification Number) of the proposed supervisor and the AID (Application Identification Number) of your NSERC grant are reflected on Part II. (No signatures are required).

STEP 5

ENSC will submit paper application forms Part I and II and a ranking to the Dean of Grad Studies office by February 28, 2025. DGS will review the eligibility of all ‘A’ listed applicants and start offering NSERC USRA awards according to department rankings. Award Offer Letters and Award Acceptance Forms will be sent via email early March.

Top ranked ‘B’ listed applicants will be considered for VPR USRA Science awards. Offers will be sent via email starting the middle of March.

Note B list positions offers may also be for fall 2025 or even spring 2026

Faculty of Applied Sciences