The closing date for applications is 11 March 2020.

The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew have hosted several DTP students as interns within Kew’s Office of the Science Directorate over the past couple of years and have found that they made a huge contribution to the areas they were working in.  This year, Kew have opportunities associated with their State of the World’s Plants and Fungi symposium which takes place in September.  This high profile international science and policy symposium is a key event in Kew’s calendar, accompanying the publication of a major scientific report:

www.kew.org/science/state-of-the-worlds-plants-and-fungi.

Internship Role: State of the World’s Plants and Fungi Symposium Intern. Two placements, each lasting three-months, are available – the first running approximately mid-April to mid-July 2020 and the second from early July to end of September 2020.

Location: Kew Gardens (Richmond)

Directorate: Science

Department: Office of the Science Directorate

Supervisors: Mimi Tanimoto and Robyn Price

Kew is a global resource for plant and fungal knowledge. As a volunteer intern, you will join a vibrant team of scientists, support staff and volunteers, contributing to the achievement of one or more of Kew’s three strategic science priorities:

1. To document and conduct research into global plant and fungal diversity, and its uses for humanity
2. To curate and provide data-rich evidence from Kew’s unrivalled collections as a global asset for scientific research
3. To disseminate our scientific knowledge of plants and fungi, maximising its impact in science, education, conservation policy and management

These priorities enable us to curate, enhance, use, explore and share Kew’s global resources – providing robust data and a strong evidence base for our UK and international stakeholders.

Internship overview

Science internships provide valuable training and professional work experience. Interns work alongside Kew’s leading experts and have access to our world-renowned collections of plants and fungi, library and facilities.

You will support the planning and delivery of Kew’s State of the World’s Plants and Fungi Symposium, taking place in September 2020. This high profile international science and policy symposium is a key event in Kew’s annual calendar, accompanying the publication of a major scientific report: www.kew.org/science/state-of-the-worlds-plants-and-fungi

Working with our events, communications, operations and research staff, your responsibilities will include:

• liaising with speakers, chairs, delegates and other project stakeholders
• handling abstract submissions and responses
• marketing and communications
• procurement of symposium materials
• database management
• writing and editing
• project evaluation and reporting

• preparing briefings
• assembling delegate packs
• supporting venue operations
• general administration
• help running the two-day symposium

Training and professional development provided

• Event planning and operations
• Project management
• Administration
• Communication skills including writing, copy editing and brand awareness

About you

You will be:

• Over 18 years old
• A PhD student seeking experience in event management and science engagement

You will have:

• A degree in a biological science-related discipline that includes plant science, mycology or ecology components
• A demonstrated interest in biodiversity, its sustainable use and conservation
• An operating knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Outlook)
• Excellent attention to detail, performing work to a high standard and using initiative to solve problems and troubleshoot
• Good written and oral communications skills
• Evidence of the ability to work on your own initiative and as part of a team
• A flexible attitude to work as project activities change/evolve

What you can expect from us

• A full induction and appropriate training with ongoing support
• Well-rounded work experience within specific fields to develop knowledge, understanding and skills
• To be allocated clear roles and responsibilities
• To be treated fairly and with respect
• A friendly and dedicated team
• Access to Kew’s collections of living and preserved plants and fungi, as well as its economic botany and Library, Art & Archive collections
• An opportunity to participate in Kew’s internationally renowned science and conservation programmes

How to apply

Please send your CV and a covering letter detailing your reasons for applying for this internship and including details of an academic referee (e.g. your university tutor or supervisor).

Applications should be sent to kewscience@kew.org

Shortlisted applicants will have an opportunity for a Skype discussion of the project with the project manager.

The closing date for applications is 11 March 2020.

Contact

Any questions should be directed to Dr Patricia Giggs at science@kew.org.

Science Administrator (Education)

Phone: 020 8332 5625

Email: kewscience@kew.org

Who we are

Sense about Science is an independent campaigning charity that challenges the misrepresentation of science and evidence in public life. We advocate openness and honesty about research findings, and work to ensure the public interest in sound science and evidence is recognised in public discussion and policymaking.

Where

Sense about Science, 2 Stephen Street, LONDON W1T 1AN

(or ask if you are interested in opportunities in our Dublin office).

Project outline

1/ Voice of Young Science (VoYS)

Background

VoYS is our unique network of early career researchers across Europe committed to playing an active role in public discussions about science. As part of VoYS we hold workshops to encourage early career researchers to make their voices heard in public debates about science. During these full-day events, participants meet scientists who have engaged with the media and learn from respected science journalists about how the media works, how to respond and comment, and what journalists want and expect from scientists. We recently updated our workshops to adapt to the changing landscape of public and policy engagement in science as well as the increased appetite we’ve seen from past attendees for information on how to involve research in policymaking and the necessary steps to take when engaging with different audiences. To effect, we have added a policymaker panel which sees a range of speakers from MPs to researchers at the forefront of the policy-science interface talk about how evidence influences policy, what policymakers are looking for and how early career researchers can get involved. We have also added an interactive public engagement session based on our popular public engagement guide, which we produced with the National Institute of Health Research.

Expectations

Organising a training workshop (including booking and briefing panel speakers who will be journalists, researchers, and policymakers), arranging logistics and liaising with hosts, content management of the website, support of social media engagement before and during with external stakeholders, facilitating sessions on the day including group discussions. Depending on placement timing there is an opportunity to be involved in the development of the programme with external partners, follow up work including collating and analysing evaluation data and reporting to internal stakeholders on successes and challenges – this is especially crucial to monitor and analyse our new panels.

2/ Evidence Week

Background

For one week in the summer, we hold Evidence Week in Parliament, our flagship policy event where we bring together MPs, policy advisers and community speakers discuss the case that evidence matters to people. The week involves events and briefings, as well as evidence stands that parliamentarians can come and visit. This is an amazing opportunity for anyone interested in evidence-based policymaking as you will have the inside track into the organisation of Evidence Week and be at the heart of Parliament. You will have opportunities to engage directly with MPs and policy advisers. In 2020, we are looking to develop the Evidence Week programme with a series of special events in the Scottish Parliament.

Expectations

Working with the project manager to secure funding for the event, liaising with potential partners and coordinating discussions with partners about themes and content. Working with the senior comms officer to plan a social media calendar for the event and to reach key contacts to inform them about plans for the event and how they can get involved. Working with the research manager to develop content for our own stand, and working with the senior partnerships coordinator to mobilise our networks to participate in the event. Working with the team during the event to speak to MPs and reporting on MP engagement afterwards.

3/ John Maddox Prize

Background

The John Maddox Prize is our internationally-recognised award that celebrates the work of individuals who promote sound science and evidence in a matter of public interest, facing difficulty or hostility in doing so. The prize is a joint initiative of Nature and Sense about Science. Read the profiles of previous winners: 2016 winner Elizabeth Loftus, 2017 winner Dr Riko Muranaka and the issues for which she was awarded the prize, 2018 winners Professor Terry Hughes and Britt Hermes and 2019 winners Professor Bambang Hero Saharjo and Olivier Bernard. The 2020 prize will be launched in March. Judging for the 2020 award will involve our panel of high-profile and respected academics, journalists and science communicators including Lord Martin Rees, Sir Colin Blakemore and Natasha Loder.

Expectations

Working with our communications manager to create and shape the communications and press launch strategy, implementing the strategy including liaising heavily with journalists from major and minor press, opportunity to attend the high profile event allowing opportunities for networking.

4/ General office

It’s a busy, lively office where we all muck in and no two days are the same. You will be working with the senior partnerships coordinator, the policy manager and the senior communications officer, but there are many opportunities to support other areas of the team’s work. You will also have scope to lead areas of work. Crucially, our interns and what they want to get out of an internship are important to us so we will tailor their time here to meet their interests.

Essential skills required

• Ability to identify and use initiative to solve problems
• Ability to organise and prioritise your work
• A flair for clear, engaging writing
• Friendly manner
• Candidates should be familiar with and share the Sense about Science ethos regarding the public interest in sound science and evidence

Skills developed

The internship will provide skills and experience in:

• Project management
• Event management and delivery
• Stakeholder management across different funding sectors
• Website development and the production of promotional materials
• Communicating complex information to a lay audience via verbal and written approaches
• Develop a greater understanding of debates about evidence and areas that are difficult for scientists and for society
• Opportunity to significantly grow your network

Number of placements offered

We have the capacity to have 1-2 interns in the London office at any given time throughout the year, i.e. a maximum of 8 in a year. For exceptional candidates we may be able to run internships concurrently especially if there is a significant project at time of application. There may also be opportunities to work at our Dublin office.

Possible timeframe

April 2020 onwards on a rolling 3-month basis i.e. you also can start in May, June, July etc.

How to apply

To apply, send your CV and a cover letter to Dr Hamid Khan (details below).

Deadline for applications

If you wish to start in April 2020, the deadline for applications is Sunday 1st March 2020 (23:59 hrs).

If you wish to start at any time from May onwards during 2020, the deadline for applications is Sunday 29th March 2020 (23:59 hrs).

Contact

Dr Hamid Khan, Senior Partnerships Co-ordinator

Email: hamid@senseaboutscience.org

Tel: 020 7490 9590

Website: https://senseaboutscience.org/

The Royal Institution is world-renowned as the home of science and we are now looking for 3 PhD students to take on an internship with us as Digital Media interns. They would come and join our creative team of media producers and digital communication professionals for a 3-month placement to  gain experience of digital media and science communication. There will be 3 different start dates to cover the period from April 2020 to December/January and there may be flexibility for the right candidate.

The interns will focus on creating, shaping and developing our science engagement and heritage content, helping to manage our digital channels and working as part of the Ri’s new website project team.  Download the flyer for more information:

2020 Royal Instituion – Digital Media flyer

Please note, the Ri offers placements for students who are enrolled on a research degree under the Doctoral Training Partnership programme funded by Research Councils including the BBSRC, EPSRC, ESRC, AHRC and NERC.  These opportunities are only open to PhD students who are eligible for a stipend via their DTP/University/research council in order to undertake a 12 week professional internship. Students should check with their university that they are able to secure funding before applying. They will need to obtain the grant holder’s written permission to undertake the placement, outlining any funding arrangements, before a position can be offered.

NOTE FROM THE WHITE ROSE BBSRC DTP CO-ORDINATOR – Contact me for the relevant permission and funding authorisation.  Catherine Liddle (c.m.liddle@leeds.ac.uk).

The role is based in Central London so students will be expected to base themselves within or near to London for the period of the placement.

How to apply

For more information about our internship programme and details on individual placements, timeframes and how to apply, please direct students to our website via this link: https://www.rigb.org/about/work-with-us/programme-placements/phd-internships

The closing date for receipt of applications is Monday 16 March 2020 (midnight).

Contact

If you have any queries or need any further information about the Ri or these opportunities before advertising them, please contact me (noting my part-time working hours).

Becky Poyntz

Human Resources Advisor

Office days – Tuesday to Thursday

Royal Institution, 21 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4BS

e: bpoyntz@ri.ac.uk

t: 020 7670 2959

www.rigb.org

 

 

Professional Internship within the Evidence and Evaluation Function

Within the Evidence and Evaluation Function at UKRI-BBSRC, there is an exciting opportunity for a Professional Internship for PhD Students (PIPS) placement to work on exploring new ways of portfolio analysis using a range of novel analytics tools. This interesting and challenging internship will provide insights into BBSRC’s portfolio and innovative ways of analysing and visualising data, which enrich the evidence base for decision making and strategic planning. As a PIPS intern, you will be closely involved in work that interfaces with many areas of the office, spanning the remit of BBSRC science.

Background

UKRI-BBSRC provides a strategic capability aimed at ensuring that the UK retains its world leading position in many areas of the biological sciences, and that the UK has the knowledge and skills base to remain internationally competitive in biology-based industries.

Within the Evidence and Evaluation Function, we seek to further develop our analytical capabilities, exploiting advances in text analytics, data visualisation and auto-classification in order to enrich the evidence base to inform UKRI-BBSRC strategic planning. With data at the centre of our work, we are enabling rapid, data-driven insights into our portfolio of research investments, outputs and outcomes. Within the team, we use a range of analytics tools, including Power BI, Tableau, Sci2, Gephi and Alteryx. We are currently in the process of exploring new data visualisation workflows, taking advantage of more advanced features of Sci2 and Gephi for network analysis. Moreover, we use text mining and clustering capabilities of the next generation clustering engine Lingo4G, which groups documents into related topics and provides simple and intuitive visualisations. This is particularly helpful in analysing multi-disciplinary areas of our portfolio, classifying those areas of research that span across remits of other research councils and funders, e.g. within multi-funder partnerships, and defining emerging fields of research. This innovative approach will enable new, meaningful and rapid insights into our portfolio and provide an opportunity for further collaborative work across UK Research and Innovation on mutual areas of interest.

Role of the PIPS intern

There is an opportunity for a PIPS intern to assist in portfolio analyses spanning the entire breath of BBSRC research, looking at emerging areas of science using topic burst analysis. Some of the analyses might focus specifically on defined areas of the portfolio, such as particular research areas, international collaboration and interactions with key stakeholders. The project will allow the PIPS intern to develop skills in text mining and clustering approaches, as well as data analysis and presentation. The PIPS intern will support UKRI-BBSRC staff in the above analyses and will have a chance to get involved in developing new data visualisations. At the end of the project, the PIPS intern will be expected to produce a report summarising findings of the analyses performed and visualisations developed, details of which will be presented to the team. The role will be located within the Policy, Strategy and Evidence Domain and provide a unique opportunity to learn about how our analyses inform the strategic planning and decision making. The PIPS intern should have enthusiasm for science and data analysis, as well as good organisational, communication and interpersonal skills. This placement will also be an excellent opportunity to learn about other activities within UKRI-BBSRC and UK Research and Innovation as a whole.

When

You should be available to start your placement in May 2020, however the start date is negotiable.

How to apply

If you would like to apply for this PIPS placement, please complete the attached application form and return it to pips@bbsrc.ukri.org and Joanna.Jacklin@BBSRC.ukri.org

Download the application form here:

2020 BBSRC Evidence and Evaluation applic form

Deadline for applications: Monday 2nd March 2020

Contact

Questions on this placement can be directed to Dr Joanna Jacklin (Joanna.Jacklin@BBSRC.ukri.org).