Undergraduate Research Opportunities
We have hosted undergraduates for summer research projects every year since the lab opened and mentoring our summer students is one of the highlights of our year. Our students have come from universities around the world and have gone on to be very successful in master's programmes, PhD programmes, and other career pathways after their time with us.
What you can expect from a an undergraduate summer studentship with us
Summer studentships last approximately 8 weeks over the summer months and you will be an important member of our team of computational scientists. Our summer projects cover a wide array of topics from AI to mathematical modelling and our students have used these methodologies at the cutting edge of cancer and malaria therapeutics. Your day-to-day will consist of writing code and analysing data in our computational lab space, participating in team meetings and journal clubs, interacting with collaborators around the world, and enjoying all that Cambridge has to offer in the summer months.
Mentorship and career development
During your studentship, you will have a mentor who will teach you computational skills and help you with your project in a supportive and friendly research environment. In addition to training in programming, data analysis, and high-performance computing, we provide our summer students with extensive career mentorship. Students will be offered a career development meeting with the PI where we discuss your career goals and interests in order to chart a roadmap towards achieving these goals. We also provide mentorship on CV writing, application writing, and scientific communication.
Meet some of our current and former summer students
What our undergraduates have built
seeBreaks
DNA replication is an important therapeutic target in cancers. seeBreaks is an algorithm engineered by our undergraduates that enables us to determine how often DNA breaks at replication forks. seeBreaks is open-source and is currently being used by labs around the world.
meIODy
An important marker of DNA replication stress is how often replication origins fire. If a cell fires too many origins, or too few, that can be indicative of stress. meIODy (pronounced "melody") works by measuring this frequency from our existing datasets. It was a particularly exciting project for us, as we initially didn't think this would be possible, and the algorithm works in a very counterintuitive way.
How and when to apply
Applicants are encouraged to register their interest early in the academic year. To ensure that we respect applicants’ time and consider all applications fairly, students who are interested in doing a summer project with us should register their interest using this form. After reviewing all submissions, we will invite selected candidates for a meeting to discuss their interests, research experience, and suitability for potential projects. Following these conversations, a subset of candidates will be put forward to the relevant summer studentship funding schemes. We will provide extensive mentorship and support in helping these candidates prepare their final application to the funding body.
For candidates who wish to be considered for the Amgen Scholars Programme, you should register your interest via the above form by 31 December. For candidates interested in all other pathways, you should register your interest via the above form by 31 January.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need prior experience in mathematics, computation, or programming?
No! We view summer studentships as the perfect opportunity to build an interdisciplinary skillset. For many of our students, this will be their first experience writing code.
Do I need prior research experience?
No! Doing a summer studentship with us is the ideal time to get your first bit of research experience.
Is there flexibility on start and end dates?
Yes, quite a bit. Summer studentships will typically last approximately 8 weeks which is considerably shorter than the summer period. There is therefore considerable flexibility to adjust start/end dates as needed.
Are international candidates eligible to apply?
Yes, and many of our former summer students have joined us from universities abroad. A UK visa will be required.
If I am not selected, are there other pathways forward?
Potentially. It may transpire that, while we are unable to support you for a summer studentship this year, you would be a good fit in future years, or indeed for a graduate degree with us in the future. For that reason, we would always encourage anyone who is interested to put themselves forward and register their interest.
Will any support be available after my summer studentship is over?
Absolutely. Many of our summer students return to us for support with their graduate applications, and we're always pleased to help. We can provide guidance on selecting suitable graduate programmes, preparing application materials, and practising for interviews.