Where did you go and what did you do?

I completed my internship at the Leeds FBS Mass Spectrometry Facility, where I was primarily involved in a range of projects related to proteomics and intact mass spectrometry. My main responsibilities included sample preparation for proteomics analysis and overseeing the running and analysis of intact mass spectrometry samples as part of the facility’s service.

A key aspect of my role was method optimisation—I worked on refining protocols for a new column in the intact mass spectrometer, ensuring improved performance and reliability.

I was also involved in method development for a liquid handling robot, which aimed to automate sample preparation of proteomics samples, thereby increasing efficiency and consistency in laboratory workflows.

Outside of the lab, I was responsible for driving the application for our LEAF Bronze Award, which recognises laboratories implementing sustainable practices, and we were awarded the LEAF Bronze award recently. I also created a poster showcasing the facility’s capabilities and potential applications, which was presented at the Astbury Open Day 2024—and it was awarded first prize!

What made you want to do that particular PIPS?

Mass spectrometry is a powerful analytical tool with a wide range of applications. As I previously had only limited experience with running mass spec samples as part of my own PhD project, I was keen to learn more this technique, from sample preparation to data analysis, and gain some more hands-on experience.

Beyond the technical aspects, I was also interested in understanding how a research facility operates. This internship provided valuable insight into the day-to-day management, service provision, and method development processes that support a wide range of scientific projects in a variety of disciplines.

What skills have you gained from your PIPS?

From a technical standpoint, I gained hands-on experience in intact and proteomics mass spectrometry, whilst also improving my proficiency with commonly used analysis software, writing SOPs for other users to assist in their data analysis.

Furthermore, I gained experience in science communication through the design and presentation of a facility poster showcasing our capabilities and potential applications. Leading the application for the LEAF Bronze award also strengthened my project management skills.

Developing a method for the liquid handling robot required a lot of problem solving, and for both this, and many other aspects of my PIPs, I needed to be able to understand and apply a wide variety of information. This allowed me to build upon the skills developed during my PhD, but challenged me to employ these skills to digest a much broader range of material, on topics I was unfamiliar with.

What has been the impact (or likely future impact) of your PIPS?

Starting out in the mass spec facility was more challenging than I thought it would be, as I was moving from a lab where I was an ‘expert’ in my own project, to an environment where I had little to no technical expertise. This meant a steep learning curve! However, by being involved in running the facility and developing my technical skills dramatically improved my confidence, as I realised there were many transferrable skills that I had gained from my PhD which I could utilise during my placement in the facility.

I hope that my contributions, such as method optimisation, SOP development, and automation improvements, have streamlined workflows and will benefit future users. Leading the LEAF Bronze Award application also promoted sustainable lab practices with a lasting impact.

Most importantly, I’ve built lasting friendships with the amazing mass spec team, making this an incredibly rewarding experience both professionally and personally.

How would you sum up your PIPS experience?

Overall, my internship provided valuable hands-on experience in mass spectrometry, method development, sustainability initiatives, and scientific communication, allowing me to develop both my technical expertise and transferable skills.

What advice would you give to other PGRs about PIPS?

I would encourage other PGRs to choose a PIPS placement that challenges them and helps them develop new skills. It’s a great opportunity to gain hands-on experience in an area you’re interested in but may not have had formal training in.

Don’t be afraid to reach out to places that aren’t actively recruiting— many opportunities aren’t advertised, but asking around or just having chats in the corridor can lead to unexpected opportunities!

Where did you go and what did you do?

I completed my PIPS placement at the Open Innovation Team (OIT) who carry out policy work for different UK government policy departments. The primary focus of the team is to bring academic voices into the policymaking process and to provide policymakers with up-to-date research on an issue.

Whilst at the OIT I worked on several projects across a diverse range of policy areas. Initially, I was placed on a team who were looking into decarbonisation strategies for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). I was involved in interviewing academics and other stakeholders and was able to lead a few of these interviews towards the end. I also was involved in the report drafting stage and delivered the final presentation to DESNZ in their Whitehall offices.

Following this, I then worked on a project looking into the adoption of generative AI in schools which was commissioned by the Department for Education (DofE). I helped to organise a series of panel discussions by identifying academic experts who were invited to discuss several key questions areas on this topic.

As a cohort of placement students, we attended training sessions to get us up to speed on conducting interviews, drafting OIT reports/slide decks, and also to provide a more general understanding of the civil service structure.

What made you want to do that particular PIPS?

I was open to a number of PIPS options, though I was leaning towards a policy-based placement as this is an area where I had little experience. The diversity of topics that the OIT worked on was also attractive.

What skills have you gained from your PIPS?

Carrying out and conducting interviews was an area which I had little to no experience in before my PIPS placement. At the end of the first project, I was confident enough to lead several 1 hour + interviews which required prior research of the academic and the generation of a tailored set of questions.

The drafting process involved in producing OIT output for the client was very fast paced, dynamic, and different to what I had experienced before. Initially, this was a big learning curve, but I soon got to grips with the process.

Lastly, owing to working on a diversity of policy areas it was important to be able to orientate yourself with the general background research of that topic in a timely fashion.

What has been the impact (or likely future impact) of your PIPS?

I was able to contribute to several projects at the OIT, some of them still ongoing. Owing to the small team at the OIT, PhD placement students are necessary to facilitate the project work. In return the placement offers an experience whereby you are given a good deal of responsibility early on.

The impact the PIPS placement has had on me has been to continue my interest in working on research that has policy impact. It has also provided me with a greater understanding on the different ways that academics can achieve policy impact with their research.

How would you sum up your PIPS experience?

My PIPS experience was entirely positive. It provided me with a supportive and interesting environment to experience what it is like to work in policy.

What advice would you give to other PGRs about PIPS?

I would take time to think about what skills/experience you have and what areas you would like to gain experience in. It is very rare in your career path that you are going to be given the freedom for 3 months to try something completely different so don’t waste it.

Read more about the Open Innovation Team.

Where did you go and what did you do?

For my PIPS I did a UKRI Policy Internship Placement based at Defra. My main job was to take a systems thinking approach on Defra’s Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP).

Read moreEmily Magkourilou – Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Where did you go and what did you do?

I completed my PIPS placement at Exciting Instruments, an innovative start-up specialising in the development of high-throughput scientific instruments. My primary focus during the placement was performing Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS) and Fluorescence Cross-Correlation Spectroscopy (FCCS) experiments to support the development of their latest high-throughput instrument. This involved optimising experimental protocols, analysing data, and troubleshooting technical challenges.

Read moreSophie Fountain – Exciting Instruments

Where did you go and what did you do?

I went to the Diamond Light Source (DLS) in Didcot, Oxfordshire. I worked alongside crystallographers at the VMXi beam, and was supervised specifically by Dr. Halina Mikolajek. The VMXi beam at DLS specialise in in situ crystallisation, wherein X-ray crystallography data is collected from crystals at room temperature from inside the 96-well plates within which they initially grew. A benefit to collecting data in situ is that you can collect data from multiple microcrystals in time-resolved crystallography experiments.

Read moreAbby Walklett – Diamond Light Source

Where did you go and what did you do?

I went to the Julia Garnham Centre, which is a partnership between the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Children’s Hospital. The centre trains university students to carry out some of the large volumes of work that NHS genomics staff are tasked with.

Read moreCharlie Cranston – The Julia Garnham Centre

Where did you go and what did you do?

I did my PIPS with the charity Sense about Science, an organisation that was set up to promote the public interest in sound science and evidence. Through various projects Sense about Science advocates for transparency in all areas across Government, research, and industry. I was able to get involved in many of these projects, the biggest of which was Evidence Week.

Read moreIsaac Reynolds – Sense About Science

Where did you go and what did you do?

I attended Oxford Nanopore Technologies, a company that creates next generation sequencing technologies for long read sequencing of cDNA or direct RNA, enabling the detection of interesting features such as modifications and splicing.

Read moreEilidh Ward – Oxford Nanopore Technologies

Where did you go and what did you do?

I recently completed my placement with the Royal Microscopical Society (RMS), a prestigious non-profit academic society.

Read moreMalika Zahedi – Royal Microscopical Society

Where did you go and what did you do?

I decided to do my PIPS with an organisation involved in policy-making and public engagement. I was able to connect with Yorkshire Cancer Research, which is a charity that aims to save lives in Yorkshire and beyond.

Read moreFoteini Bifsa – Yorkshire Cancer Research

Where did you go and what did you do?

I undertook a teaching placement at York St John University on the Biomedical Science program. During my time on placement, I was put in charge of organizing the biochemistry lecture series on metabolism.

Read moreJack Stenning – Biomedical Science Teaching Program

Where did you go and what did you do?

I undertook my PIPs at the Protein Production Technology Facility at the University of York, under the supervision of Dr Jared Cartwright. During my time there, I worked on the expression and purification of large complexes from a range of eukaryotic host organisms.

Read moreJames Barrett – Protein Production Technology Facility

Where did you go and what did you do?

I went to York St John university to assist in teaching the undergraduate Biomedical Sciences course.

Read moreKatie Buttriss – York St John University

For her PIPs, Katie worked for Farm Carbon Toolkit. Read more about her experience here!

Read moreKatie Shaw: Farm Carbon Toolkit (FCT)

Where did you go and what did you do?

I worked with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), specifically the MSF South Asia team. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, my PIPS was completed by working from home. I reported to the Medical Innovation Lead for MSF South Asia and was tasked with looking into antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and infection, prevention, control (IPC) in Bangladesh and creating dossiers on each topic. Initially, I performed a search of all available literature into the two subjects in Bangladesh and then filtered them appropriately for relevance, date, language etc. I then reviewed each source comprehensively, extracting the relevant data which aligned with the MSF dossier structure (including current burden and management protocols, major challenges and MSF’s response). These reviews were then summarised into the dossier structure and infographics of relevant data were made. The dossiers were further summarised into short PowerPoints which I then presented to the MSF Bangladesh team.

Read moreCharlie Stevenson – Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

For his PIPs, Derek went to Deep Branch in Geleen, Netherlands to help improve production of microbial protein sources by aquafermentation – read all about it here!

Read moreDerek Bell – Deep Branch in Geleen, Netherlands

Where did you go and what did you do?

I went to the Whitby Lobster Hatchery. The hatchery looks after juvenile lobsters while they are at their most vulnerable and aims to release 100,000 lobsters back into the ocean each year. My job involved looking after the lobsters and getting them ready to go back into the sea.

Read moreNathan Innard – Whitby Lobster Hatchery

Where did you go and what did you do?

I stayed at the University of Sheffield, however, I did not do any research. Instead I undertook a purely teaching placement with Dr Liz Alvey, deputy director of education at the School of Bioscience. This placement was an amazing opportunity to develop my teaching skills. I fostered a foundational year tutor group providing them with pastoral support and marking their end of semester project. I led large practical classes where I had to engage with the technical staff and GTAs to make sure the practical sessions ran smoothly. I delivered pathogenicity lectures to foundation year students where I developed a pandemic game to bring interactivity to the lecture theatre. I taught mathematics to level 1 bioscientists which involved a blended teaching approach of online resources and a face-to-face small-scale workshop. Lastly, I engaged in my own pedagogical research on digital accessibility in practical classes and have been invited to give a flash talk at the Microbiology society annual conference this year to discuss the results I found.

Read moreRebbekah Menday – Uni of Sheffield

I did my PIPS at Random42. Random42 specialises in creating scientifically accurate animations to communicate mechanism of disease and mechanism of action for the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry.

Read moreTessa Chan – Random 42

Aiden spent 3 months at Domainex, a contract research company in the Cambridge area. This is a growing company of around 100 people across both chemistry and biology sites, largely conducting early-stage drug discovery for their clients. 

Read moreAidan Johnson