Work with us

Can you capture the imagination of children and young people by sharing your passion for science? This is a varied and interesting freelance opportunity to do science outreach with children in schools all over the UK

We currently have vacancies for Wales, North London, East of England and North East of England/Newcastle

However if you are interested in other regions, please do get in touch

Click here for more details

Who can apply for a PhD internship placement?

These placements are for students who are enrolled on a research degree under the Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) programme funded by Research Councils including (but not exclusive to) BBSRC, EPSRC, AHRC, MRC and NERC.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) students, or students funded by the UKRI's research councils, need to obtain the grant holder’s written permission to undertake the placement, outlining any funding arrangements, before a position can be offered.

How long is a PhD internship?

These internships are full-time, for 3 months.

How is the PhD internship funded?

The internship is funded via a stipend from the DTP.

Is there a formal agreement between the Ri and UKRI?

There is no formal agreement in place between RI and UKRI, and each placement will be reviewed by the grant holder and approved at their discretion.

Hear from some of our past PhD interns

Meet our past interns and read about their experiences on our blog:

• In Autumn/Winter 2023/24 Hannah Cooke was our Demo Team intern, James Kavanagh was our Digital intern, and Maya Pidoux was our LYSC intern. See here for a Q&A about all of their PhDs and their experience at the Ri. 
• You can also hear more about Maya's experience interning at the LYSC here.
• Jessica Savage was our Science Engagement intern in the L'Oreal Young Scientist Centre (YSC) in 2023, helping to deliver hands on workshops in Physics, Biology and Chemistry. 
• Mia Berenson was our Digital Intern in autumn/winter 2022, working on social media and creating an animated video
• Kate Rogerson was our Programmes Assistant for the 2018 CHRISTMAS LECTURES series 'Who am I?'  with Alice Roberts
• Matt Greenwell was our Digital Intern in autumn 2018 where he produced social media, video and audio content, including this video on Black Fire that you can watch on YouTube.
• Sarah Madden was our Media Assistant for the 2017 CHRISTMAS LECTURES series 'The Language of Life' with neuroscientist Professor Sophie Scott

Get in touch

If you would like to talk to us about opportunities for undertaking your PhD internship with the Ri, please get in touch at recruitment@ri.ac.uk.

The Ri and the Philip Freer Trust are awarding three Ri Freer Prize Fellowship for doctoral candidates as writing-up awards for doctoral candidates researching the history of science; history of the Royal Institution; or heritage conservation science.

Find out more about the prize and how to apply.

What does an events volunteer do?

We hold a number of family events throughout the year and we sometimes also go to conferences and school events around the country, such as The Big Bang Fair and Cheltenham Science Festival.

As an events volunteer, your role would be to run activities and demonstrate experiments to young people and their families. This could be anything from extracting DNA from strawberries to making indoor rockets.

What do I get from being an events volunteer?

Our volunteers gain a brilliant opportunity to get experience in science communication, presenting, explaining and demonstrating science in an informal educational setting.

We provide all the training you need before each event, no formal science or teaching qualifications are required.

Please note

Most of our volunteering opportunities are based in London and you must be over 18 to participate.

Get in touch

If you have a good level of scientific knowledge and a great deal of enthusiasm, like the idea of communicating science to the public, and want to know more, get in touch by filling out our events volunteer recruitment form and sending it to ri@ri.ac.uk.

What is an Ri Masterclass?

Ri Masterclasses are a series of six weekly workshops where students can explore mathematics and computer science outside the confines of the classroom, through hands-on extra-curricular workshops.

Who can volunteer with Ri Masterclasses?

Our Ri Masterclass volunteers are enthusiastic about STEM enrichment and inspiring students to achieve their potential. Each Ri Masterclass workshop is overseen by a Masterclass Organiser and is led by a Masterclass Speaker, supported by Masterclass Helpers.

What do I get from volunteering with Ri Masterclasses?

Volunteering at the Masterclasses is an excellent opportunity to further your skills whilst sharing your passion for STEM.

How much time will I need to commit?

Time commitments vary with Masterclasses volunteers, from helpers and speakers coming in on occasional Saturdays to supervisors attending a whole series.

What Ri Masterclass volunteering opportunities do you currently have?

The Ri Masterclass team are often looking for Masterclass Helpers who's responsibilities include: distributing handouts, circulating around the students promoting discussion, and offering prompting questions to assist students with exercises given by the speaker.

Find out more

If you’re interested in volunteering as a Masterclass helper, please fill out the Masterclass helper form and send it to masterclasses@ri.ac.uk.

We offer an attractive range of benefits is to all our staff for both their work and personal life:

• Competitive basic salary for all roles with eligibility for pay review for permanent staff on passing probation. Commercial roles may also attract bonus schemes
• Annual pay reviews, in 2022 most permanent staff received at least 3.5%
• A group pension scheme based on a matched contribution of up to 7% of salary
• Annual leave entitlement of 25 days, plus all public holidays
• Potential for additional paid holiday for the period between Christmas and New Year
• Opportunity for hybrid working where business need allows
• Enhanced sickness, maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• Enhanced Shared Parental Leave
• Interest free season ticket loan available to all staff following probation
• Employee Assistance Programme including access to face to face counselling sessions, legal advice and coaching for managers
• Free attendance for staff and one guest at most Ri events
• Flexible working policies
• Annual learning needs assessments through the appraisal process and a commitment to developing our staff
• A spacious and well-equipped staff room and kitchen ('The Greenhouse') with large roof garden
• Regular free social activities throughout the year
• 10% discount in Ri Cafe 

Our mission is to encourage people everywhere to think more deeply about the science and its place in our lives. We are looking for staff who share and support our mission, whatever their professional background or role in the organisation.

We are committed to enhancing the diversity of our workforce and maintaining an environment where diversity is celebrated and everyone is treated fairly.

Equalities Monitoring

All stages of our recruitment process are monitored to ensure equality of opportunity, which is why we ask all candidates to complete an Equalities Monitoring form when applying for roles with us.

The information on our Equalities Monitoring form is only seen by our Human Resources team, and if candidates choose not to disclose some or all of the information this will not affect their application in any way.

We are willing to consider flexible working arrangements for any role. Please contact recruitment@ri.ac.uk if you have any questions about flexible working.

Reasonable adjustments

We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to allow full participation in the recruitment process as set out in the Equality Act of 2010.

Please let us know about any requirements you have regarding reasonable adjustments we can make when you complete the Equalities Monitoring form. We will also check again if you are shortlisted for interview.

Examples of reasonable adjustments

Examples of reasonable adjustments might include additional time for written tests, or providing equipment or assistance to facilitate your participation in the interview process.

Get in touch

If you have difficulty completing our application form due to a disability, please contact our Human Resources team on recruitment@ri.ac.uk or call 020 7670 2907 to discuss potential alternative arrangements.

We welcome applications from a wide range of candidates, including those with criminal records.

We select all candidates for interview based on their skills, qualifications and experience.

Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar you from working with us, although this will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances and background of your offences.

We ask candidates for all positions to complete a convictions declaration.

Where the role involves working directly with children and young people, or provides unrestricted access to their data, the position will usually be exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2013, and we will ask that all convictions which are not ‘protected’ are disclosed.

For all other positions, we request that only unspent convictions are disclosed.

If you fail to disclose a conviction at application stage, it will result in an automatic disqualification from the post applied for and all future positions with the Ri.