Summer Studentships

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Lister Institute Summer Studentships

As part of our aim to nurture the future leaders in biomedical research the Lister Institute provides funding for summer students in biomedical fields.

The summer studentship scheme is open to all Fellows and Former Fellows of the Institute working in the UK and provides funding for a student to spend time working in a Fellow’s laboratory during the summer holiday period. This provides an opportunity for Lister Fellows (current and former) to receive additional support for their research. It also provides a great opportunity for an under-graduate student to experience working in a top laboratory and to undertake their own project. The students are also invited to attend the Lister Annual Fellows meeting and to present their research in a poster presentation. This is particularly valuable to those thinking about a career in research and a great networking opportunity. The award has proved to be an excellent stepping-stone in the careers of the students with the majority registering for PhDs and a number going on to publish in high profile journals.

The Lister Summer Studentships were first established in 2011 with 20 studentships awarded. Since that time over 500 have been funded.

The Scheme

The scheme is aimed at undergraduates, usually at the end of their second year and provides a total of £2,500 that is paid prior to the commencement of the studentship. To obtain the full amount of £2,500 the studentship must be held for a minimum of 6 weeks and a maximum of 10 weeks. Any excess funds may be used to offset laboratory costs. All funds will be paid directly to the Host Institution. Full Terms and Conditions can be found here.

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How to Apply

If you are a student interested in a Lister Institute-funded summer studentship, please make contact with a current or former Lister Fellow.

Towards the end of each year, the Lister Institute will write to all Fellows to ask if they would like to be considered for a studentship. Studentships will be allocated to Fellows on a first come, first served basis.

All Fellows who are allocated a studentship will be required to register online and fill in the necessary paperwork before the Institute can pay any monies. Payment is usually made in June and detailed report will be due after the project finishes, typically in September.

If you have any questions about the Lister Summer Studentships, please contact secretary@lister-institute.org.uk

Testimonials

Here’s what some of the previous staff and students who have benefited from the Lister summer studentship scheme say about the experience:

  • “I was a Lister summer student in Dr Alan Whitmarsh’s lab at the University of Manchester in 2011. The summer studentship gave me an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the lab and to find out if I would like to work in research. What I learned in that summer has become valuable for my current PhD. For example, I was able to set up a Western Blot experiment which had never been done before in the new lab that I have been carrying out my PhD project. I am very grateful for the opportunity that the Lister Institute offered me. I hope my comments would help attracting more students to apply and benefit from the studentships.”

  • “I hosted a Lister funded summer student in my lab and she thoroughly enjoyed the experience, so much so that she signed up for our Welcome Trust funded PhD programme in Manchester. The student was able to assess us and we were able to assess her, so this was an excellent route to ensuring a match between the student and the PhD programme, and clearly benefited the student. The student was also able to participate in our summer school and interact with other summer students and current PhD students so gained a much fuller understanding of what embarking on a research career entails.”

  • “It was such a pleasure to have flexible funding for summer students from The Lister Institute as the applicants are always outstanding and its great seeing how they adapt to real research in the lab. It definitely helps them decide if research is for them and I think they all find labs to be stimulating scientific environments but also more sociable than they imagined. We benefit enormously from them and vice versa, long may the scheme continue.”

  • “Experiencing working in a research laboratory has provided me with a good foundation to work upon during my third year research project as part of my degree. I will now be able to hit the ground running and spend more time optimising my assay instead of having to learn techniques from afresh.”

  • “My summer project gave me the skills to confidently execute my own research from the conception of a research question, through to the presentation of results.”

  • “The summer studentship from the Lister Institute was extremely rewarding. It was a great opportunity to learn from and interact directly with the PI. I was able to refine my skills and learn new techniques. This made me confident in carrying out experiments independently and strengthened my desire to pursue a PhD.”

  • “More and more undergraduate science and medical students want to gain experience in the real world of science during vacation. The Lister Summer Studentship scheme provides a great opportunity for students to facilitate this. The scheme has been enormously enjoyed both by PIs and students. It has even led to publications in high impact journals, which are highly cited. There is nothing better than fresh scientific discovery and seeing students see their name in print published for the first time!”

  • “The funding that the Lister Institute provides for students is of tremendous help to students looking to participate in studentships during their summers. Whether the student wants to use the funding to cover laboratory and bench fees or living costs during the duration of the studentship, the funding that is provided by the Institute, £2,000, is certainly a significant amount that alleviates either of these costs. This opportunity is truly one of a kind and I strongly encourage students to apply to these studentships and the funding provided by the Lister Institute.”

  • “I have had two summer studentships so far and they have been very successful for both the lab and the students, who are both going on to do PhDs.”