Location: 21 Albemarle Street, London
Contract Type: 3-month, full-time internships for PhD students - 35 hours per week. Payment by stipend from university, Doctoral Training Programme, Research Council. Please check funding with your DTP before applying.
Duration: Four placements: Sept- Dec 2025, Jan - Mar 2026, April - June 2026, or July - Sept 2026)
Young Scientist Centre
Since 2009, the Young Scientist Centre (YSC) at the Royal Institution (Ri) has been delivering a programme of inspiring science workshops to young people aged 7 to 18. Workshops range from investigating acids and alkalis while making bath bombs with primary aged children to using micropipettes, restriction enzymes and gel electrophoresis with secondary aged students to determine who may have committed a fictional crime.
As the successful intern, your main role will be to assist with the delivery of these workshops, interacting with the young people who attend. The internship will give you the opportunity to build your confidence in presenting in an educational environment, develop your skills in a lab technician role, receive regular feedback and training in science communication and design content for use at events and on Ri social media.
Who are we looking for?
This placement would be ideal for anyone interested in science education, education outreach, working with young people, and science communication. There is no need for prior experience in science communication or working with young people, but we are looking for applicants with great team skills who are enthusiastic, flexible, open-minded, and keen to learn new skills.
Interested?
To apply, please send your CV and a supporting statement, (of no more than 500 words) to recruitment@ri.ac.uk, explaining how you meet the requirements for the role.
The closing date for applications is: 9am Wednesday 30 July but we may be interviewing candidates as applications come in.
Please state your preferred start date.
Read a blog from one of our previous PhD interns here: What's it like to be an 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 will be available- (up to a maximum of London zones 1-6).
“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.