Ludo Frevel Crystallography Scholarship Last Chance
Offered by International Centre for Diffraction Data (ICDD)
About This Scholarship
The International Centre for Diffraction Data has funded the Ludo Frevel Crystallography Scholarship since 1991, awarding 252 scholarships totaling more than $600,000 to graduate students in crystallography and materials characterization. The 2027 awards are $3,000 each and come with a one-year subscription to ICDD's PDF-5+ database, a genuinely useful perk for anyone doing diffraction work.
Eligibility centers on your research, not your resume: applicants must be graduate students enrolled during the 2027 calendar year whose work touches crystallography, crystal morphology, modulated structures, phase identification, or materials characterization. Students graduating before July 1, 2027 are not eligible, and each institution can receive only one award per year.
The application is compact — a two-page research proposal, a two-page CV, and a one-page recommendation letter from your research advisor, all submitted through ICDD's website by October 8, 2026. Proposals are judged on impact, innovation, originality, and their relationship to crystallography, which makes this a high-value, low-overhead application for students already writing about their research.
Eligibility
- Graduate student enrolled during the 2027 calendar year
- Research interests in crystallography, crystal morphology, modulated structures, phase identification, or materials characterization
- Students graduating before July 1, 2027 are not eligible
- One award maximum per educational institution
- Requires a one-page recommendation letter from your research advisor
How To Apply
- Prepare a proposed research description (maximum 2 pages, 12-point font, 3/4-inch margins) and a CV (maximum 2 pages)
- Ask your research advisor for a one-page recommendation letter
- Upload both PDFs through the ICDD website and ensure the recommendation letter arrives by October 8, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wins this scholarship?
Graduate students whose research proposals score well on impact, innovativeness, originality, efficacy of approach, and connection to crystallography. Since 1991, ICDD has awarded 252 of them.
What do winners receive besides the money?
Each $3,000 scholarship includes a one-year subscription to ICDD's PDF-5+ diffraction database.
Can two students from the same university win?
No. ICDD limits awards to one per educational institution each cycle.