School of Physics & Astronomy
Vacation Placements and Internships
Many students will find it useful to gain some useful summer vacation employment or internships. On the careers notice board in the main concourse we have a list of some organisations that you may wish to try for such placements. There is also a wiki on the Careers Centre website aimed at physicists and astronomers.
2011 - the University has a new scheme for placements within the admin sections of the University.
We are also able to host some research-based projects within the School; we are happy to see some of our students become members of the local research teams for part of the summer. Should you be interested in this sort of possibility, please talk with academic staff who may be able to provide a placement in a topic area of interest to you. You will need to convince them that you could be a useful temporary addition to their research team. It is possible that it will be available places in the School that will be the limiting factor, not sources of funding. If the staff member is willing to take you on, then they can sometimes help find funding to provide some support for your internship. In some cases a research proposal will be needed, and this will normally be worked up with major input from the potential supervisor.
Undergraduate Research placements in the School may be funded in various ways.
The School's Student-Staff Council has an annual budget from the School that can be used to provide some support for our students working in the School or elsewhere. Dr Natalia Korolkova is curently the staff member on the Vacation Awards committee, working with the student representatives.
| 3 Major Awards (Closing date:5 Feb 2013) click for details | |
| Fermilab (Chicago) | £1000 |
| High Field Lab (Grenoble) | £500 |
| Astronomy Observatory | £500 |
- Major
Awards application form |
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| Smaller Awards also available (Closing date: 22 Feb 2013) | |
| see document for details of smaller awards | |
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- Smaller
Awards application form |
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The Physics Trust is an organisation based within the School that uses proceeds from a conference from many years ago to provide some financial support to students working in the School over the summer. The potential supervisor applies to the treasurer, currently Dr Tom Edwards, for funding. The School plans to put additional funds into internships that will be considered in a similar way to Physics Trust funding.
Research Grants held by individual researchers in the School may be able to support a summer studentship in some cases. Your potential supervisor will know her or his own grants.
University Research Internship Programme (URIP) provies up to £180 per week for up to ten weeks. Interested people apply with support from their supervisor. The closing date is likely to be March 2013. The link below also covers the EPSRC scheme that is run under similar rules, but with a slightly larger weekly payment.
University Internship Programme
Wellcome Trust funded bursaries - you may wish to remind your potential supervisor that the University has a number of these to award, competitively across the University. The application deadline to the Dean may be April.
The Cormack Bequest adminstered by the Royal Society of Edinburgh provides funding each year for astronomy-based vacation placements across Scotland.
Cormack Bequest Scholarships from RSE
The Nuffield Foundation has provided a number of Undergraduate Research Bursaries, but these are now part of the Institute of Physics scheme.
The Carnegie Trust awards a number of prestigious vacation scholarships to selected students with a Scottish background. These would be applied for via the Dean of Science.
Carnegie Trust Vacation Scholarships
Institute of Physics Work Placement Scheme
New in 2012 is a scheme from the IOP where penultimate year students who are members of the IOP are able to apply for some funding for summer work placements in industry. Closing date 26 April 2013.
IOP work placement bursaries
Institute of Physics Undergraduate Research Bursaries
The Institute of Physics in partnership with the Nuffield Foundation have a number of bursaries available for internships in universities. Closing date 18 February 2013.
IOP Undergraduate Research Bursaries
There are various opportunities for work and research placements elsewhere. Amongst others, people may wish to be aware of
- Links to wide variety of internships via Prospects.ac.uk
- University Careers Centre pages on work experience
- Gradcracker site advertising internships and careers for science, engineering, technology students
- Third sector internships Scotland
- DAAD scholarships to work with PhD students in Germany for 8-12 weeks. One of our students who did this in 2011 is willing to talk with interested students - please email bjw28
- Anglo Australian Observatory Student Fellowship Program (February closing date expected)
- Space Telescope Science Institute (February closing date expected)
- CERN - particle physics and associated science support
- Institute Laue Langevin - neutrons for science
- National Physical Laboratory - measurement science
- Met Office
- EDF Energy
- Caltech Internships
- Standard Life
Updated BDS 4.2.13
