Gurdon/The Company of Biologists Summer Studentships

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Aims

The Gurdon/The Company of Biologists Summer Studentship scheme provides financial support to allow highly motivated undergraduate students an opportunity to engage in a summer vacation research project of their choosing.

We have expanded the remit of these studentships to include a variety of project types:

• Practical projects – these will require access to research laboratory infrastructure.
• Hybrid projects – a combination of wet lab work and remote work
• Remote projects – research projects that can be carried out remotely and don’t require laboratory infrastructure
• Science communication projects – projects that aim to communicate any aspect of developmental biology research to a general audience

We are also happy to consider research projects that incorporate some aspect of outreach activities.

We look for students with a strong academic record appropriate to the specific project type and clear career vision, who have taken the initiative to establish contacts with

appropriate supervisors in the area of Developmental Biology. We expect this experience to enrich and complement their portfolio of expertise and to inspire them to pursue a career in research.

In previous years, 10-15 successful applicants have spent 8 weeks in the research laboratories of their choices, and the feedback we received was outstanding. This year’s competition aims to extend the scope of these studentships to include new ways of working away from the lab. The duration of support requested should therefore reflect the needs of the specific project (up to a maximum of 8 weeks).

Application Details:

1. Please, download the application form.
2. Applications must be submitted by March 31^st.
3. The student must be an EU/UK resident.
4. The student must be an undergraduate at the time of applying.
5. No more than one application is allowed per host lab.
6. Awards comprise a student stipend of £200 per week for 8 weeks.  Consumable costs are not provided.
7. Applications must be made by the undergraduate student and contain the information and support letters specified in the application form. The project proposal and application form should be written by the undergraduate student, with guidance from the host supervisor.
8. The project must be on a topic in the broad area of Developmental Biology. Note, that projects will be assessed according to their aims, achievability and opportunity to the student.
9. The successful applicant will be required to submit a short project report of ≤1000 words by 31^st of October. It must adhere to the report guidelines, should include images and may be selected for publication on The Node and/or in the BSDB Newsletter.
10. Completed applications should be sent to the email address provided on the application form. You will receive an e-mail to confirm that your application has been received. Please contact us if you have not received a confirmation within 7 days.

Selection process:

1. Applications will be reviewed by a panel of members from the BSDB committee, using the student’s CV, the quality of the project and the expected training opportunities as criteria.
2. Applicants will be informed of the outcome within one month of the application deadline. Feedback on unsuccessful applications will not be provided.
3. Successful candidates must accept the award within two weeks of notification. Note that Gurdon Studentship cannot be held alongside another summer studentship award from another funding body.  If awardees choose to accept an offer from another funding body, they are expected to notify the BSDB and forgo the Gurdon award.

Hear more from the experience of Courtney Lancaster, a Gurdon/CoB summer student of 2018!