The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), in collaboration with the E4 Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) hosted by The University of Edinburgh, is pleased to announce four paid Research Experience Placements (REPs) for summer 2025.
The programme is aimed at undergraduate students aspiring to pursue postgraduate research in environmental science.
These placements offer an exceptional opportunity to gain hands-on research experience, work alongside leading scientists, and explore the possibility of a future PhD.
Each placement lasts eight weeks and provides valuable insight into the research environment at a university or research institute.
Important Application Details:
- Number of Placements: 4 paid REPs
- Duration: 8 weeks during summer 2025
Eligibility:
- Must be undertaking your first undergraduate degree or integrated Masters (students in their final year who have already graduated are not eligible).
- Must be studying within natural and applied sciences, geographical and environmental sciences, computer sciences, mathematics, or statistics.
- Applicants from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds listed below are especially encouraged to apply to promote diversity:
- Asian Bangladeshi or Asian British Bangladeshi
- Asian Pakistani or Asian British Pakistani
- Asian Indian or Asian British Indian
- Black African or Black British African
- Black Caribbean or Black British Caribbean
- Other Black or Black British backgrounds
- Mixed or multiple ethnic backgrounds including these groups
- Right to Work: Applicants must have the right to work in the UK. International students should verify their visa status with their university’s student visa office prior to applying.
Placement Benefits:
- Supervision by one or two experienced scientists and support from a dedicated researcher-mentor
- Hands-on research experience and insight into the life of a PhD researcher
- Opportunity to produce a poster, presentation, or report to showcase your work, enhancing your CV and PhD applications
- Payment of no less than the national minimum wage, based on a maximum of 35-37 hours per week, including time for presentation/poster/report preparation
- Up to £500 contribution towards research and training expenses, in agreement with the project supervisor
- Contribution towards accommodation costs for placements not based at your undergraduate university
- Attendance at a future research conference or symposium to present your work, with travel and accommodation expenses covered
Application Process and Project Details:
- Projects are competitive; not all applicants will be offered placements.
- When applicants are equally qualified, priority will be given to those from underrepresented ethnic groups listed above.
- Please review the individual project descriptions and requirements carefully via the links provided, noting the location of each project.
Important:
Applicants must have the right to work in the UK. If you are an international student, please confirm with your university’s visa office that you are permitted to undertake this placement.
British Antarctic Survey (BAS)
- Analysing the particulate carbon flux from Fjords to Open Ocean: How do melting glaciers influence the biological carbon pump?
- Changes in the relationship between the Southern Annular Mode and Antarctic temperatures: the role of internal climate variability
- How Well Do Climate Models Represent the Upper Atmosphere? A Comparison with Observations from the Arctic
- Quantifying drivers of variability in copepod respiration and influence on carbon export
University of Bath
University of Bristol
- Explosive evolution after a mass extinction
- Tracking the biogeochemical response to agricultural peatland restoration
- Use of Mixed Valent Iron Minerals to Trap Phosphate
- Using analytical chemistry to investigate archaeological pottery and study past food usage
University of Exeter
- Burning Questions: How Conifer Traits Shape Fire Risk in a Changing Climate
- Environmental sustainability and the solar cold chain innovation ecosystem in East Africa: understanding barriers and enabling systems
- Learning flights and foraging activity in bees
- Leveraging AI to Monitor Insect Biodiversity
- The evolution of sexually dimorphic behaviour in the Trinidadian Guppies (Poecilia reticulata)
Natural History Museum (NHM)
- Isolation and Identification of microbial species associated with bioleaching
- Nanopore amplicon sequencing for in-field DNA barcoding of freshwater microinvertebrates
Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML)
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH)
Personal statement
Please note the application requires a personal statement in which you will need to tell us about your research ambitions, why you wish to apply for your chosen project, how your skills are a good fit to the project work and how you meet any candidate requirements.
The maximum length is 2,000 characters and we strongly recommend that you spend some time carefully writing this statement first before you fill in the application form.
In writing your personal statement, you must tell us:
- Why you are interested in the projects you applied for.
- Why your skills are suited to the project requirements.
- How doing the project will help with decisions about your career.
In addition, you may also consider the following questions to answer in your personal statement to add further interest. You do not have to answer all of these questions:
- How have you explored new ideas, tools, methods and knowledge?
- Where have you shown creativity and inventive thinking?
- How have you developed and supported others or collaborated with others?
- How have you contributed to a wider community around you or talked to others about your scientific interests (e.g. at school, university)?
- You may also tell us about any challenges you have experienced that have shaped your educational and scientific journey or your development as a person. How have you approached these challenges?
Contact
If you have any general questions about these placements, please email us on gw4plus-dtp@bristol.ac.uk. If you have any questions about the project itself, please contact the main supervisor using the email address listed under ‘Project Enquiries’.
How to apply
When you have chosen your preferred project and are sure that you meet the eligibility requirements above, please click on this link to apply
The deadline for applications is 23.59 on Friday 9 May, 2025.
Take this chance to gain invaluable research experience, develop your skills, and take an important step towards a career in environmental science!
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