About The Course

What is Nanoscience?

A nanometre is one billionth of a metre. At this scale, the properties of materials can change dramatically, and sometimes unexpectedly, compared with the same materials at larger scales. These changes can arise from quantum mechanical effects, from the interactions between individual atoms and molecules, and from the increasing importance of surfaces at very small dimensions.

Nanoscience seeks to understand these effects and, importantly, to harness them. It draws on chemistry and physics, as well as areas such as materials science, electronics and biology, and underpins technologies ranging from advanced semiconductor devices to new materials and nanoscale technologies.

Is this the right course for you?

Nanoscience may be the right course for you if you enjoy both chemistry and physics and are interested in understanding how the behaviour of atoms, molecules and materials can be used to create new technologies.

The course combines fundamental science with its practical application and will particularly appeal to students interested in advanced materials and technologies that are shaping the 21st century.

What is the course content?

The Nanoscience moderatorship (degree) is offered jointly by the School of Chemistry and the School of Physics.

You can enter Nanoscience through either TR061 Chemical Sciences or TR063 Physical Sciences. Both routes can lead to the same Nanoscience degree. If your interests lean more towards chemistry, you may prefer to enter through Chemical Sciences; if they lean more towards physics, you may prefer Physical Sciences. The two routes also give you access to other chemistry- or physics-based degree pathways, depending on the module choices you make.

During your first two years, you will study equal amounts of chemistry, physics and mathematics, giving you the broad scientific foundation needed to study Nanoscience in your third and fourth years. For more information see our course structure page.

Your final-year research project

In your final year, you will undertake a nine-week Capstone Research Project, becoming part of an active research group at Trinity or at one of our partner institutions abroad.

The Capstone gives you the opportunity to move beyond taught laboratory classes and experience cutting-edge research first-hand. Working closely with an academic supervisor and other members of their research group, you will tackle an individual research problem and apply the knowledge and skills you have developed throughout the Nanoscience degree.

Projects span research across nanoscience, advanced materials, chemistry and physics, and may involve experimental, computational or theoretical approaches. You will have the opportunity to work alongside researchers who are experts in their fields and to use the specialist techniques and state-of-the-art facilities that underpin contemporary nanoscience research.

At the end of the project, you will present your work as part of a research poster session, developing the skills needed to communicate your results and discuss their significance with a scientific audience.

For some students, the Capstone also provides an opportunity to undertake research abroad, joining a research group at one of Trinity's international partner institutions and experiencing a different scientific and research environment.