Research Experience Placements: Eligibility and how to apply
About Research Experience Placements (REPs)
Research Experience Placements (REPs) are paid Summer internships for Home/EU undergraduates from any university studying Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Engineering, Computing, or other quantitative disciplines, who wish to gain experience of research in the Environmental Sciences.
Successful undergraduate applicants are paid a stipend of £200 per week for a placement of 8-10 weeks during the Universities' summer recess. Up to £500 funding is also available to supervisors to use for expenses incurred by the research project. Successful candidates will later be encouraged to apply for a NERC-funded PhD in the Environmental Sciences.
The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) has provided the EnvEast NERC DTP with funding for up to four REPs. This opens up the exciting opportunity for undergraduates to not only switch departments for their placement, but also potentially to work at another institute within the EnvEast DTP.
The REPs scheme recognises that there is a shortage of individuals with quantitative skills coming into environmental science. REPs are aimed at addressing this shortage by offering funding for summer placements, which focus on encouraging undergraduate students who are studying quantitative disciplines to consider a career in environmental research.
Eligibility criteria
To be considered for this scheme, students must meet all of the following criteria:
- Be studying for a degree in a quantitative discipline (e.g. mathematics, statistics, computing, engineering, or physics, but NOT environmental sciences);
- Be applying for a placement in a different department to their undergraduate degree (i.e. you cannot undertake a placement in the same school/department as that in which you are registered for your undergraduate degree. But you could switch school/department at the university where you are currently studying);
- Be in the middle of their first degree studies (including integrated Masters);
- Be expected to obtain a first or upper second class UK honours degree or equivalent;
- Be eligible for subsequent NERC PhD funding (In most cases, students paying Home/EU tuition fees will be eligible)
For clarity, these placements are open to all students from any university, who meet the above criteria.
How to apply
Applications are open for our 2017 Research Experience Placements. To apply, first check your eligibility (see above), then choose up to two projects to apply for. Apply for your chosen projects by sending a CV (to include an academic referee) and covering letter (maximum 200 words) to env.east@uea.ac.uk, by the end of 12 May 2017. Separate covering letters should be sent for each project applied for.