The participant application and host registration for the 2026 SZNet US & Chile Exchange Program is coming soon. Learn more about becoming a host by clicking the link below!
SZNet Chile & US Exchange Program
A research opportunity to build international collaboration
USA and Chile
The participant application for the 2026 iteration of this program will open in the summer 2025.
OBJECTIVES
To foster international collaboration and provide critical research opportunities for students and early career scientists
Description
DATES: Up to 31 days, between January and December 2026
WHAT: A month-long independent research opportunity for U.S. and Chilean based students or early career scientists (within 3 years of receiving last degree) with labs, observatories, field sites, or other scientific institutions with similar research interests goals in the partner country. This exchange will provide funds for these scientists to visit the host institution in partner countries for up to 31 days.
FUNDING: Participant support for travel, food, and lodging is available through SZNet which is supported by funding from the National Science Foundation AccelNet program under award 2301732. Funding is limited to 5 participants.
Regardless of whether an applicant is selected to receive funding, SZNet believes that meaningful collaborations between interested hosts and participants are still possible. After decisions are sent out we recommend that hosts and applicants discuss potential other funding options or collaboration oportunities.
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GOALS: To develop and nurture an international and diverse network of early career scientists that is equipped to make the necessary breakthroughs in the study of subduction and foster international collaboration.
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ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Open to undergraduate and graduate students, as well as early career scientists (within 3 years of receiving your last degree) based or currently enrolled in U.S. and Chilean institutions at the time of application and are interested in subduction zone science. Successful applicants remain eligible even if their institutional affiliation changes between the time of application and the start of the exchange. U.S. based applicants are invited to apply to Chilean institutions, and reciprocally, Chilean based applicants to apply to U.S. institutions
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HOST AND PROJECT SELECTION:
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Please review the timeline below for information about the application process.
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Scientists and institutions interested in hosting participants as part of this exchange can register and will be highlighted below.
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Applicants have two options for selecting a host:
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Applicants without existing research contacts or relationships in the partner country can use the list of registered host below to find a potential collaborator who aligns with their research interests. Participants should reach out to this prospective host to define a project.
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Applicants with an existing with a scientist or institution in the partner country are welcome to apply to work with that scientists/institution, regardless of whether that scientists has registered as a prospective host. Applicants should work with their host to define a project and fill out the participant application as normal.
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Each applicant must submit a letter of collaboration from their chosen host indicating that they have discussed potential projects together. Past experience shows that applicants who discuss projects with their host prior to completing the application fare better in the review process.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS: Applications will in June and will be accessible through the SZ4D website. The application portal will prompt applicants to discuss their proposed project, scientific interests, and their career trajectory and goals. The form will also require applicants to upload a CV (in a .pdf format) and a letter of collaboration from their chosen host institution.
Applicants can review the application questions and rubric prior to the application period here.
2025 - 2026 Timeline
April 1 - June 1
Host Registration Period
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Hosts without an identified participant can register to be highlighted on the website prior to the start of the participant application period. Participants should peruse this list periodically and reach out to hosts they would like to work with.
June 1 - Oct 1
Participant Application Period
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Participants can apply to work a host they have identified from the list below, or can apply to work with a host they already know.
October
Review Period
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Participant applications are reviewed by the Exchange Program Subcommittee. Hosts and participant pairs will be notified of the outcome of their application.
2026
Exchange Period
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SZNet will provide funding for lodging, food, and travel for to 28 days anytime in 2026. SZNet will also provide logistical and administrative support.
Host Institutions
Host registration for the 2026 Exchange is open from April to June 2025. Registered hosts will be added to this page on a rolling basis. Learn more about the process on our host information page.
Click on each host to see more information about their research interests and current projects. Applicants are strongly encouraged to reach out to registered hosts to discuss potential projects.
Keyword | Host | Institution Name | Institution Country |
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Leoncio Cabrera | Universidad de Chile​
Leoncio is a Chilean seismologist working on the study of fault mechanics, volcanic processes and glacier dynamics. He earned his PhD at the Institut des Sciences de la Terre (ISTerre) in France, and, after graduating in 2023, he joined as a researcher at the Department of Geophysics of the Universidad de Chile. In my free time, he enjoys mountaineering and climbing.
Nate Klema | Fort Lewis College
Nate Klema grew up in southwest Colorado where he developed an early interest in landscapes and their formation. He has an undergraduate degree in physics from Fort Lewis College and worked full time for 13 years as a guide on rafting trips through Grand Canyon National Park where he first realized how physics can be used to understand natural landscapes. He went on to pursue a PhD from University of Oregon studying volcanic landscape evolution with Dr Leif Karlstrom, which he completed in 2023. He has now returned to Fort Lewis College where he is an Assistant Professor of Physics in the Department of Physics and Engineering.
Stephanie McNamara | University of Colorado at Boulder
Stephanie McNamara is a rising second-year geophysics graduate student working with Dr. Nathalie Vriend at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She is passionate about the intersection of natural environments and human infrastructure and her thesis work will be on dune migration. In addition to (geo)physics, Stephanie loves art, animals, and the great outdoors.
Javier Ojeda | Universidad de Chile
Javier Ojeda is a Geophysicist with a BSc and MSc degree, currently pursuing a PhD in Earth Sciences at the Universidad de Chile and the Institute de Physique du Globe de Paris. Their recent research focuses on understanding fault slip dynamics, leveraging seismological and geodetic observations. In his spare time, he loves playing basketball, going to the sea, and volunteering with the NGO Fundación Geonautas. More info can be found at his research site.
Flavia Rojas Guzmán | Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Flavia Rojas Guzmán is a Geotechnical Civil Engineer who recently finished her Master's in Geosciences, where she worked researching the processes that trigger changes in eruptive styles in one of the many active volcanoes in the Andes: Nevados de Chillán. Now she is still working on this volcano, as a research assistant for a FONDECYT project that addresses the nature of fault intersections and their role in magma migration within the shallow crust during the different stages of the subduction seismic cycle. One of the ways they are studying this is through numerical modelling, which she came to learn on my exchange at The Ohio State University, working with Ashley Griffith. She is very happy and grateful for the opportunity. She strongly believes that international collaboration is key in scientific research, as it allows scientists to produce better results and move forward more creatively in answering our scientific questions.
Alexandra Daniels | Boise State University
​Micaela Villarroel is an Ecuadorian geologist who graduated from Yachay Tech University in Ecuador. She is currently a PhD candidate in Geological Sciences at the Universidad de Chile . Her research focuses on understanding a hydrothermal system hosted within a caldera and how nearby active volcanic edifices are related to its activity. To achieve this, she employs various techniques, including mineralogical, geochemical, and remote sensing analyses. Her main research interests include volcanism, hydrothermal - geothermal systems and fluid geochemistry.
Camila Monge | Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Camila is a geophysicist and PhD student at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, with a strong passion for space geodesy and understanding the deformation processes that shape our planet. Her research focuses on the use of InSAR and GNSS observations to understand how subduction zone dynamics, including the seismic cycle, volcanic activity, and human-driven processes, drive crustal deformation over time. Outside of research, Camila enjoys books, photography, climbing, and exploring the outdoors—always seeking new landscapes to discover.
Zulay Micaela Villarroel Barreno | Universidad de Chile
​Micaela Villarroel is an Ecuadorian geologist who graduated from Yachay Tech University in Ecuador. She is currently a PhD candidate in Geological Sciences at the Universidad de Chile . Her research focuses on understanding a hydrothermal system hosted within a caldera and how nearby active volcanic edifices are related to its activity. To achieve this, she employs various techniques, including mineralogical, geochemical, and remote sensing analyses. Her main research interests include volcanism, hydrothermal - geothermal systems and fluid geochemistry.
Lucas Crisosto | Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Karissa Vermillion | University of Houston
Karissa Vermillion is a third year Ph.D. geology candidate working with Dr. Peter Copeland at the University of Houston. She has previously obtained her BS from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and a MS from New Mexico State University. For her doctoral dissertation, she has returned home to the San Gabriel Mountains in southern California to investigate tectonic processes spanning the Proterozoic to the Cenozoic utilizing a variety of geochronology techniques. She is passionate about integrating geochemistry, geochronology, and other geologic disciplines to better understand large-scale tectonics. In her free time, she enjoys relaxing with her cats, scuba diving, and learning Spanish.
Map of registered host institutions for the 2025 Exchange year.