Summer Internships 

Applications are now open. Deadline 4 April 2025.

The Leverhulme Centre for Life in the Universe is committed to widening participation in postgraduate students at the University of Cambridge. Research within the Centre aims to develop a deeper understanding of life, its emergence, and its distribution in the Universe by addressing four questions:

• What are the chemical pathways which led to the origins of life that are compatible with benign conditions for life in different planetary environments?
• How do we characterise the environments on Earth and other planets that could act as the cradle of prebiotic chemistry and life?
• What observational facilities and methods will allow investigation of bodies beyond the Solar System, the remote sensing of their atmospheres and the search for signatures of geological and biological evolution?
• How can philosophical and mathematical concepts refine our understanding of what we mean by life, leading to new interdisciplinary collaborations and modes of scientific enquiry?
  

What we offer

We are offering 8-week paid research internships to undergraduates currently studying science from underrepresented groups, who wish to consider a research career within the field of Life in the Universe.

We particularly welcome applications from:

• Undergraduates who are Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME)
• Undergraduates who are in the first generation of their family to go to university
• Undergraduates who have been in care or who have been a young carer
• Undergraduates from a low-income background

The programme in 2025 will run from Monday 14 July until Friday 5 September 2025.

Interns are invited to take part in additional events including training on how to apply for postgraduate courses and scientific lectures and seminars.

Interns are paid the Real Living Wage for an 8-week internship, working 35 hours per week, which for 2025 is £441 per week.  Accommodation will be provided free of charge in Kings College. Intern’s research lab is allocated £500 to contribute to laboratory expenses.

Successful LCLU summer interns will be automatically entitled to a LCLU PhD studentship interview for entry in 2026. 

What our interns said about the programme

"Meeting the other interns. Having a big cohort of interns who were researching within the same field as me was awesome. I made a lot of friends and learned a lot about the areas within Astrophysics. I also gained a lot of insight and advice from them about my coming master's years." Summer intern 2023

"This internship reignited my passion for my degree and my subject. It has reminded me what my hard work is for. I'm so grateful that these weeks in Cambridge have reopened the thought of doing a PhD in my mind. The change in myself and my academic aspirations are the highlights of this internship for me. I couldn't be more grateful for that feeling of falling in love with my field again." Summer intern 2023

"I’d like to say thank you to the Leverhulme Centre for Life in the Universe for the amazing opportunity to get involved in research over the summer. My supervisor was very supportive in guiding me through a new field, but also gave me the space to work independently and really enjoy the process. The social events were a great too, especially the painting activity and dessert, which was such a fun way to explore Cambridge and meet other students. Thanks again for such a rewarding experience, I really loved being a part of this." Summer intern 2024

What was a highlight of this internship ? 

"I've really enjoyed working with everyone and I'm so grateful for the entire project. I would never have had such an opportunity this summer if any at all. I've learned so many wonderful things that I'll take into my academic career and my life. It was so daunting at first but, I felt very welcomed by everyone. Please continue to give other students this opportunity!" Summer intern 2023

"Gaining valuable experience in a research environment, which has provided me with skills and knowledge that will be beneficial to me in the future. I can now confidently say that I want to pursue a career in research and academia." Summer intern 2023

"Getting to work closely with active researchers in my field and using state-of-the-art equipment." Summer intern 2024

"Becoming familiar with a new research topic to me while strengthening existing skills and practising preparing research away from my home institution." Summer intern 2024

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for LCLU summer internship programme, you must meet the following criteria:                

• Have, or expect to have, and be able to prove your right to live and work full time in the UK for the duration of the programme. Right to Work checks will be carried out for successful applicants.
• Have completed or be in the penultimate or final year of undergraduate study.
• Have achieved, or be on track to achieve, a final undergraduate degree grade of a strong 2:1 or 1st in a subject that falls under the LCLU remit. If your transcript shows year-on-year grade progression towards the upper range of a 2:1 or above, we encourage you to apply.
• Have an interest in undertaking a postgraduate research degree (MPhil or PhD) in a LCLU subject.
• Not have already completed, or be currently studying, a postgraduate research degree (e.g. MPhil, DPhil, PhD, etc.) or have an offer to start a postgraduate research degree.

Please see document with full list of criteria.

This programme is not open to applicants who have are at or have  previously studied at the University of Cambridge.

Application

In order to be considered for an internship, please apply to admin@lclu.cam.ac.uk by 4 April 2025.

In your email please provide your:

• (a) Full Name, (b) email, (c) home address, (d) nationality including confirmation of right to work in UK, (e) current academic course and expected graduation date, (f) academic transcript, grades, (g) project(s) for which you wish to apply (please see list of proposals below); if more than one is indicated please list these in order of priority.
• CV (no more than 2 pages). CV should include a list of grades for all University courses taken.
• A personal statement: (i) giving your reasons for applying for this internship; and (ii) explaining how you would benefit from this research experience (maximum words 300).
• One academic reference (no more than one page) emailed to admin@lclu.cam.ac.ukno later than the closing date, 4 April 2025.
• Completed online EDI form (this form is a mandatory part of the application process, but contains ‘prefer not to say’ options for all questions asked). The form will be viewed by LCLU management only and will not be forwarded to supervisors.

Proposals

Uncertainty qualification of reaction networks of ozone on Mars
Supervisor: Alex Archibald, Department of Chemistry

The origin and evolution of archaeal lipids
Supervisor: Claudia Bonfio, Department of Biochemistry

Interferometric calibration of extreme-precision radial-velocity spectrographs
Supervisor: David Buscher, Department of Physics

Factors controlling evolutionary rates: determining the impact of interactions and the environment using evolutionary simulation experiments
Supervisor: Emily Mitchell, Department of Zoology

How do planets become solid?
Supervisor: Oliver Shorttle, Institute of Astronomy

The importance of impactors in delivering prebiotic feedstock molecules to the early Earth
Supervisor: Richard Anslow

Please contact admin@lclu.cam.ac.uk for any enquiries.