Undergraduate Summer Placements with Research Technical Professionals

Case Study – Débora de Almeida e Magalhães, hosted by the University of York

Read about how one of last year’s placements students found the experience, what she found most rewarding and how the placement has opened her eyes to potential future careers.

Key Dates

We would like to capture the outcomes of the project and so during the final weeks of the project we will ask for both feedback on the process and on how the project has progressed. This may be by written documentation, a short interview on Teams or capturing an interview on video. The feedback may be made publicly available to encourage participation in TSN and highlight RTP careers. We would expect the EPSRC grant to be acknowledged in any associated outputs.

Undergraduate Placements 2026

Click on each placement listed below to read more about the project and view the full job description.

Unlocking Kelp Chemistry: Environmental Signals in Coastal Marine Plants
University of Glasgow

This project explores what the chemistry of kelp can reveal about environmental change along our coastlines. Working in the Organic Geochemistry laboratories at the University of Glasgow, the student will learn how to extract and analyse lipid biomarkers from kelp samples using state‑of‑the‑art instrumentation. The placement offers hands‑on training in laboratory skills, data interpretation, and good scientific practice. This is ideal for students curious about environmental science, chemistry, or analytical research. Full training and supervision will be provided.

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Thermal Modulation of Silicon–Carbon Anodes for Improved Stability in Li-Ion Batteries
University College London

This placement offers an exciting opportunity to gain hands-on experience in materials science and energy research. The project focuses on fabricating silicon nanoparticles-carbon electrode materials for batteries using controlled high-temperature treatment techniques such as annealing and rapid thermal processing. The successful applicant will investigate how material composition and thermal processing conditions influence the structural evolution of the silicon electrodes and how these changes affect their electrochemical performance. Working within the Electrochemical Innovation Laboratory (EIL), the successful applicant will contribute to ongoing research in sustainable energy technologies while developing practical and analytical skills in materials fabrication and characterization for real-world applications. Furthermore, the project will also help build professional confidence, teamwork, and communication skills – key assets for pursuing postgraduate studies or technical careers in the physical sciences and engineering sectors.

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Optimising Flow Cytometry Methods for the Study of Extracellular Vesicles in Infection and Immunity
University of Edinburgh

This summer placement focuses on optimising high-sensitivity flow cytometry methods to analyse extracellular vesicles and other nanoscale biological particles. Based in the Institute for Regeneration and Repair Flow Cytometry Facility at the University of Edinburgh, the student will refine advanced cytometry workflows to ensure accurate and reliable detection at the limits of instrument sensitivity. The project supports cutting-edge infection and immunity research, where viral particles, microvesicles, and immune-derived extracellular vesicles play critical roles in disease processes. By improving detection sensitivity and reproducibility, the work will strengthen quantitative analysis, enabling deeper mechanistic insight and supporting biomarker discovery and therapeutic innovation. The placement combines hands-on laboratory research, quantitative data analysis, and method development, while providing experience of how a busy core facility underpins advanced biomedical science. This is an excellent opportunity for a student interested in cell biology, immunology, or biomedical technology to develop practical research and technical skills.

Click here for more information and to read the job description. 

High speed particle sizing using an imaging flow cytometer
University of Edinburgh

Flow Cytometry is a commonly used technique to identify and to isolate cells and particles based upon introduced fluorescent and intrinsic characteristics.  This technology measures signals and outputs numerical values.  Recent advances have allowed these signals to be mapped into 2D and 3D space producing fluorescent images of cells and particles at 10,000s events per second.  The FACSDiscover S8 platform at the SBS Flow Cytometry Facility does not take pictures of cells using traditional CCD sensors, but instead uses fast PMT detectors.  This means that the generated image is influenced by the particle refractive index, flow speed, and light wavelength.  This interaction is not well characterised.  The project attached to this placement aims to understand this interaction and to develop an analysis pipeline to confidently include size measurements into the analysis workflow.

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​Enzymatic assays for the monitoring of soil health- writing up of standard operating procedure
University of Bristol

The goal of this summer placement is to establish an analytical methodology to assess soil health via soil enzyme assays in our laboratories. This methodology will be used by our undergraduate students and postgraduate researchers, to gather further information about the soils’ microbial functional diversity and will expand the repertoire already offered by our laboratory. We will follow protocols described in existing publications (in particular, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations- Standard Operating procedure for soil enzyme activities).

Conductive Composites in Action: Exploring the mechanical properties of 3D printed structures under electrical bias
Manchester Metropolitan University

This project explores how conductive polymer composites behave when 3D printed and tested under electrical bias. Working within a leading research lab in additive manufacturing and electrochemistry, the student will produce composite materials, fabricate test specimens, and measure their mechanical performance under different conditions. The placement offers hands‑on experience at the interface of materials science, engineering, and emerging electronic applications.

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Micrometeorites and ‘meteor-wrongs’: the hunt for microscopic extra-terrestrial objects
University of Nottingham

Micrometeorites fall to the ground every single day, yet we never notice that they have. The placement will provide a student with hands on experience using light microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) for sample characterisation and chemical analysis through the focus of a research project, as well as helping with the day-to-day management of working in a microscopy lab and its associated equipment. The research project will focus on the collection, preparation, identification and analysis of micrometeorites collected from the local area.

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Automation of library preparations for the development of a high-throughput sequencing pipeline
University of Cambridge

This placement offers an exciting opportunity for a student to gain hands-on experience in genomics, laboratory automation and high-throughput workflow development. The goal of the project is to adapt an existing sequencing library preparation protocol into a scalable, automated method that can support a major clinical research study. The student will contribute by helping to translate the manual protocol into a plate-based format, optimising liquid handler steps and supporting validation experiments. Throughout the placement, they will learn how modern sequencing pipelines operate and how engineering, biology and automation can come together to support large-scale research.

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Distilling the truth – using NMR spectroscopy to assess the quality of signature gins
University of Bath

Gin is a drink that has seen increasing popularity in recent years. The aim of this project is to determine whether NMR spectroscopy can be used to assess gin composition. We have teamed up with a local gin distillery and will explore whether NMR can be used to identify specific botanicals in single distillate gins, and hence be used as a fingerprint to provide quality control for “signature” blends. You will get extensive hands-on experience of modern NMR methods with a real-world application, work with a team of enthusiastic technical specialists in a busy analytical lab, and gain experience of designing and conducting a research project in a leading university.

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Exploring How Humidity Shapes the Mechanical and Structural Behaviour of Hair Fibres Using Dynamic Mechanical Analyser (DMA) and Small Angle X-Ray Scattering (SAXS)
University of Bath

This project investigates how varying humidity levels influence the mechanical response and internal structure of human hair fibres by combining two complementary analytical techniques. Hair is highly hygroscopic, and its structural and mechanical properties are influenced by water content. While prior research has examined hair structure using SAXS and its mechanical properties using DMA, few studies have investigated the combined structural and mechanical changes under controlled humidity. This project aims to fill this gap by analysing hair fibres under varying humidity conditions using the two techniques, SAXS and DMA. Small Angle X-Ray Scattering (SAXS) will be used to monitor structural changes, while Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) will assess mechanical responses, such as flexibility and viscoelastic behaviour.

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AI-Assisted Automated Speckle Pattern Application & Quality Control Tool
University of Surrey

This project will design and test an AI-assisted tool that improves the quality and consistency of speckle patterns used in Digital Image Correlation (DIC) strain measurement. The student will gain hands-on engineering experience across mechanical design, prototyping, imaging, automation, and experimental testing within a live Mechanical Testing Laboratory environment.

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Experimental Characterisation of Concrete, Timber, and Steel Using Laboratory Testing and Digital Measurement Techniques
University of Surrey

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Integrating sustainable methodologies within the Chemistry Analytical Facility at the University of York
University of York

The aim of this project is for the student to develop a solid understanding of High‑Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and single‑crystal X‑ray Diffraction (scXRD) instrumentation, while contributing to efforts that reduce the environmental impact of these techniques. Working across both the X‑ray Diffraction Facility and the Chromatography Facility, the role holder will receive training in operating advanced analytical instruments and will support sustainability initiatives and projects within the laboratories.

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