Overview
What is Nanoscience?
Nanoscience is the study of materials and devices at the nanoscale (<100 nm), a scale at which many exotic properties and behaviours come to the fore, leading to applications including advanced catalysis, biomedical imaging, batteries, and solar cells among many others. Nanoscience thus encompasses the design, synthesis, characterisation, testing, and use of such materials and devices, and lies at the interface of Chemistry and Physics.
Nanoscience: The course for you?
Nanoscience brings together aspects of chemistry and physics directed towards the study, design, production and use of materials and devices at the cutting edge of technologies in areas such as energy conversion and storage, photonics, medical diagnostics, ultra-fast electronics, and industries such as electronics, telecommunications, healthcare and aerospace. If you enjoy laboratory work and have the desire to apply your scientific skills to the latest technologies that shape our world, then this is the course for you.
Nanoscience at Trinity
The Nanoscience degree is a specialised programme run by the Schools of Chemistry and Physics, entered either through Chemical Sciences (TR061) or Physical Sciences (TR063) entry pathways. This degree is strongly linked to our CRANN nanoscience institute, where Trinity is the major centre of nanoscience research in Ireland.
All our lecturers run research laboratories studying for example: nanomaterials, two-dimensional materials, nanoparticle synthesis, nanomagnetism, novel materials, fundamental and computational nanoscience, batteries and energy materials. Our research training combines the physics and chemistry appropriate to nanoscience culminating in the individual Capstone research project each student carries out in the final year in nanoscience with world-class research groups.
Graduate skills and career opportunities
As a Nanoscience graduate you will have wide-ranging scientific and analytical skills, giving you the qualifications to work in any Chemistry or Physics career. Many of our graduates
use their advanced skills to pursue research careers in Trinity or in other prestigious universities worldwide, while this expertise can also lead to employment in high-tech industries, financial services, information technology, or as a data scientist.
Your degree and what you’ll study
In the first two years of the Science programme, undergraduates will study common subjects in chemistry, biology, and physics.
Third year
In third year you will study the physics of quantum systems and electromagnetism, the chemistry and physics of solid state materials and condensed matter, as well as analytical and computational methods in chemistry. You may further specialise in areas such as semiconductor physics or polymer chemistry. You will also conduct a range of bespoke nanoscience experiments designed to develop your abilities in the synthesis and characterisation of nanomaterials and your understanding of their properties and functions, in tandem with developing your science communication skills.
Fourth year
In fourth year you will take advanced courses in materials chemistry and nanoscience, as well as further developing your problem-solving skills through small group tutorials. You will have the opportunity to specialise further with in-depth courses in areas such as magnetism and superconductivity, modern optics, energy science, or computational chemistry.
The highlight for many will be the Capstone research project, carried out for one semester in fourth year. Here you will have the opportunity to integrate into an active nanoscience research group based in the School of Chemistry, School of Physics, CRANN, or at one of our many partner universities around the world. During this project work you will gain real- world experience of research at the cutting edge of nanoscience.
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Study abroad and internship opportunities
You may undertake your fourth year project at a research institute or university in the EU or further afield, provided you attain a sufficient standard in the third year examinations. Recent examples of laboratories where projects have taken place include the IMEC micro- and nano-electronics research centre in Leuven, Belgium; The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California; the University of Alberta, Canada, the University of Wollongong, Australia, and the University of Potsdam in Germany.
Further information on the year abroad programme for second or third year students, and a list of partner universities, can be found at: www.tcd.ie/study/study-abroad/outbound
Additionally, many of our students undertake research internships either in Trinity or other universities during the summer. Capstone projects may also be carried out at a number of partner universities in the UK, Europe, US and China.
