Job Title: Demonstrations PhD Intern
Dates: x1 placement Oct 2025 - Jan 2026
Location: 21 Albemarle Street, London (based onsite at The Royal Institution)
Contract type: Three-month internship for PhD students, 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday, with occasional evening and weekend work. Payment by stipend from university, Doctoral Training Programme or Research Council. Please check funding with your DTP before applying.
About the project and the role
This placement will involve joining the Ri at its busiest and most exciting time of year; the planning, filming and broadcast of the CHRISTMAS LECTURES.
Started by Michael Faraday in 1825, and broadcast on national television every year, the CHRISTMAS LECTURES are the UK's flagship science series. The three-part series is filmed in front of a live audience in the Ri’s famous lecture theatre and watched by millions on the BBC over the festive period and on BBC iPlayer and the Ri YouTube channel afterwards.
This year’s Lectures will be presented by Dr Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock, renowned space scientist, broadcaster, and passionate science educator. In this 200 year anniversary series, Dame Maggie will take audiences on a journey through space and time, exploring humanity’s evolving understanding of the universe – from ancient astronomy to the cutting-edge discoveries of today.
Drawing on her expertise, including work on the James Webb Space Telescope and satellite-based Earth observation, Dame Maggie will bring the wonders of space exploration to life. With help from other experts and demonstrations (including historic recreations from the Ri archives), she will examine how our relationship with the cosmos has transformed over the past two centuries – and where it’s heading next.
As Demonstrations Team intern you will be a key part of the creative team of the touring versions of the lectures. You will assist with preparations for the creation, development and implementation of the touring CHRISTMAS LECTURES and associated activities.
Working with the Demo Team you will collect and collate information about the demonstrations and ideas being used in the CHRISTMAS LECTURES, and modify them to fit the parameters of a touring show. Working from the original scripts, as written by the Production Team, and with the support of the experienced Demonstration Team, you will condense over three hours of content into a thirty-minute and a one hour version of the Lecture, with an emphasis on demonstrations and international transportability.
Interested?
To apply, please send your CV and a supporting statement, no longer than 500 words, to recruitment@ri.ac.uk, explaining why you are interested in this internship and how you meet the criteria set out in the job description.
The closing date for applications is: 9am Wednesday 30 July
Interviews week commencing 4/11 August but we may also interview as applications come in
Read a blog from one of our previous PhD interns here: Being a Digital Media Intern at the Ri | Royal Institution (rigb.org)
Eligibility
This opportunity is only open to PhD students who are eligible to undertake an internship as part of their studentship and receive a stipend from their Doctoral Training Programme (DTP). Please check with your university/DTP to ensure funding is available before applying for this internship.
Participating Research Councils include (but may not be exclusive to): BBSRC, NERC, MRC, AHRC, EPSRC.
Please note 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.
You will need to obtain the grant holder’s written permission to undertake the placement, outlining any funding arrangements, before a position can be offered.
Please note, the Ri is unable to assist with accommodation costs; applicants need to be able to arrange accommodation in London or the South East for the duration of the 3 months. Assistance with travel costs in London zone 1-6 may be available.
Safeguarding is of paramount importance to the Ri; we expect all those who work with us to share our commitment to safeguarding children and adults at risk, prioritising their welfare and protecting them from harm. Interns will be given appropriate safeguarding training and may be required to undergo DBS checks upon appointment, depending on their role.