Job Title: Family Programme PhD Intern
Location: 21 Albemarle Street, London
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 before applying.
x1 placement mid June to mid Sept 2026
About the role
The Family Programme at the Royal Institution (Ri) forms a core part of how we engage the general public with science. Based mostly in our building in central London, this programme consists of theatre talks, interactive workshops and hands-on open days. We work in collaboration with scientists and research groups from around the country to make these events happen, showcasing the amazing science being done in the UK and beyond.
As the successful intern, your main role will be to assist in the delivery of this programme together with the Family Programmes Manager. This role will give you experience of a wide variety of different types of science engagement, from helping deliver workshops, to designing interactive science activities.
The role will include:
- Helping deliver workshops to a family audience
- Designing hands-on activities for science activity days
- Creating self-guided tours of our building
- Working with our Demo Team to create content for science lectures
- Working with other teams to support the promotion of the Ri and the Family events.
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 role profile by 9am on Wednesday 30 July.
We plan to interview during 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. Some assistance with travel costsin London will 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.