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STEM Research Internships
Unit : Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Salary : £12.28 per hour Location : Various locations Please quote reference : STEM Internships Closing Date : 7 May, 2024 - 17:00
“EPSRC’s Vacation Internships scheme gives undergraduate students a taster of what it is like to do research. The students are given practical, first-hand experience of working on and carrying out research in a UK university.”
Source: Internships and placements – UKRI
Location: Milton Keynes/ Home Based - full requirements can be seen below
The Open University Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) currently holds an EPSRC DTP award covering the following subject areas:
- General Engineering
- IT, Systems Sciences and Software Engineering
- Mathematical Sciences
- Physics
Every Summer, we host up to 15 paid research internships within STEM. These internships will provide an opportunity for undergraduate students to get a taster of what it is like to do research in a UK university. Virtual and flexible working hours are available for most internships, please see the full job descriptions for details.
To be eligible for an EPSRC Vacation Internship you must:
- be an undergraduate or Masters student in a STEM subject area.
- not have completed your degree studies before the planned end of the internship. An internship should generally take place in the summer vacation before your final year of study.
- have a right to work in the UK and carry out the placement whilst resident in the UK. We are not able to sponsor visas for the internship.
How to apply
To apply for this role please email the following two documents to STEM-research-student-support@open.ac.uk by 5pm (BST) Tuesday 7th May 2024.
- CV
- Cover letter including evidence that you have the essential skills and explaining why you want to carry out this project
Please make sure your surname and the job reference (at the top of this page) are included in the file names.
Internships Available:
01. Development of AI-based fault detection system for HVAC systems
Location: Hybrid (mostly home working but some attendance to Milton Keynes campus may be required)
Terms: 10 weeks full-time, 37 hours per week. Can be open part-time if required, 20 weeks at 18.5 hours per week. Proposed start end of June/beginning of July.
The role:
Gain hands-on experience in the development of cutting-edge AI-based fault detection systems for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. You will have the opportunity to collaborate closely with industry-leading experts to analyse complex HVAC data, identify patterns, and develop innovative algorithms for early fault detection and predictive maintenance. This exciting role offers a unique chance to contribute to the advancement of predictive maintenance strategies in the HVAC industry while honing your skills in data analysis, algorithm development, and interdisciplinary collaboration. This internship is part of a bigger project aiming at revolutionising the future of HVAC technology and making a meaningful impact in the field of smart building systems.
The full summary of duties and person specification can be found within the Job Description
Location: Milton Keynes campus
Terms: 10 weeks full-time, 37 hours per week Monday to Friday. Proposed start dated 1 July 2024.
The role:
This project will explore a novel thermal waste treatment technology, applied smouldering. Applied smouldering has recently emerged as a sustainable means to treat challenging wastes, which are otherwise disposed of in hazardous landfills (e.g., contaminated soils). While engineers and scientists are making strides in developing this technology to solve environmental challenges, the gaseous emissions are poorly understood. Oftentimes, the emissions contain hazards that require treatment; however, beneficial compounds can be produced (e.g., H2). Ultimately, this project targets this knowledge gap to improve the efficiency and sustainability of smouldering waste treatment.
The full summary of duties and person specification can be found within the Job Description
03. Exploring The Architecture of Our Appearance Using AI
Location: Hybrid preferable (mixture of Milton Keynes campus and home working) but can be 100% home based if required.
Terms: 10 weeks full-time (37 hours per week) or pro-rata part-time. Proposed start end of June/beginning of July 2024.
The role:
In the GRACE project at the Open University we are passionate about increasing diversity in genomics and biomedical research. This internship will be an opportunity for you to learn about and contribute to how diverse populations are represented in large biomedical datasets.
You will be working as part of a research team to work with a dataset to investigate a specific aspect of the diversity of our appearance and its representation through AI models. It will be a useful experience for someone planning to do further study in applied statistics, AI and machine learning, or biomedical fields, to start their own journey in academic research and public engagement.
The full summary of duties and person specification can be found within the Job Description
04. Fatigue Testing of 3D Printed Metamaterials
Location: Milton Keynes campus
Terms: 10 weeks full-time, 37 hours/week. Start date around June/July 2024.
The role:
Advances in 3D printing technology make it possible to create objects with complex internal cellular structures, to modify their behaviour from naturally occurring materials. These metamaterials offer significant benefits when used in engineering design, including improved energy absorption, heat transfer and weight-to-strength ratio.
At the Open University, we have been investigating metamaterials based on honeycombs, a type of cellular structure defined according to two-dimensional patterns. Our research is exploring the relationship between the geometry of the patterns and the resulting mechanical behaviour. This project will extend this research, with a focus on durability, as determined by fatigue testing a range of 3D printed honeycomb samples.
The full summary of duties and person specification can be found within the Job Description
05. Frieze Patterns and Farey Complexes
Location: Hybrid. The supervisors will be available at Milton Keynes campus to meet regularly. Home based students are also invited to apply – meetings can be online if needed.
Terms: 10 weeks full-time, 37 hours per week or pro-rata for part-time. Work hours to suit the applicant. Meetings will take place during Monday to Friday 10 to 4. Suggested start, end of June/beginning of July.
The role:
In this project you will explore how combinatorics, geometry, and number theory come together in the study of frieze patterns. These patterns were first introduced in the 1970s by Donald Coxeter, and they have attracted significant interest recently, in part because of connections with the subject of cluster algebras.
You will learn how the theory of frieze patterns can be understood using combinatorial objects known as Farey complexes. These complexes are fascinating objects, some of which carry a geometric structure associated to hyperbolic geometry.
Your research project will be to understand the connections between frieze patterns and the geometry of the associated complexes and to create visualisations to illustrate these connections.
The full summary of duties and person specification can be found within the Job Description
06. General Position in Networks
Location: Hybrid (mainly home working, but some travel to Milton Keynes campus required, the number of trips depends on the distance the selected candidate lives from the OU)
Terms: Full-time preferred (10 weeks, 37 hours per week) but part-time also available (20 weeks, 18.5 hours per week). The project will feature daily meetings, with time for collaborative and independent research. Suggested start date 1 July 2024.
The role:
"The successful candidate will perform research in the general position problem for graphs. This problem involves finding sets of vertices in a network such that no shortest path contains three of them. This is a rapidly growing field in combinatorics that has an extensive literature and has applications including robotic transport and communication. This project will explore variations on the problem. The student will be able to experience the realities of mathematical research, including writing papers, presenting research and getting stuck! They will also have the opportunity to collaborate with other researchers from the UK, Slovenia, Italy, Spain and Indonesia and present their findings."
The full summary of duties and person specification can be found within the Job Description.
07 Re-membering and Re-presenting Numbers, Symbols and Algebraic Objects
Location: The internship can be home-based, Milton Keynes campus-based or hybrid. We have a preference for some in-person meetings to discuss evolving work but that is not essential.
Terms: 10 weeks full-time, proposed start date 15 July 2024. Pro-rata part-time can be considered with minimum 3 days a week.
The role:
The number and algebra systems we use today arrived in Europe thanks to Arab mathematicians. The word ‘algorithm’ derives from Al-Khwarizmi, author of both the original algorithm for representing numbers in decimal form and the defining 9th century text on algebra.
The successful candidate, with knowledge of mathematics and Arabic, will study contemporary and ancient sources to clarify how our number and algebra systems have been and can be developed. Crucially, this includes how the movement between symbolic print-based representations and embodied and dynamic shape-based representations can illuminate and shape doing mathematics in our increasingly digital and virtual world.
For this project, we are looking for a bi-lingual individual, fluent in both English and Arabic (written and spoken).
The full summary of duties and person specification can be found within the Job Description
08. Single Cell Network Analysis Using the Galaxy Interface
Location: Home based
Terms: 10 weeks full-time or 20 weeks part-time. 37 hours/week full-time; or 18.5 hrs /week part-time. Hours are flexible, but with regular meetings with the supervisor and the potential to deliver training at a virtual event. Suggested start date 8 July 2024.
The role:
The intern will review the literature on gene network analysis using single cell datasets, develop workflows using currently available single cell outputs and network / data exploration tools within the research group’s user interface, test this on data of interest to the research group and with users within the research group, and create a tutorial to ensure reproducibility by future researchers. They will develop programming skills, FAIR data management skills, and ensure high quality data analysis by future scientists.
The full summary of duties and person specification can be found within the Job Description
09. Stochastic Simulation of Phytoplankton Bloom in a Cold Environment
Location: Home based
Terms: 10 weeks full-time or 20 weeks part-time. 37 hours per week full-time; or 18.5 hours per week part-time. Working hours can suit candidate’s schedule. Suggested start date 1 July 2024.
The role:
Applications are invited for a vacation internship in the School of Mathematics and Statistics at the Open University. The selected candidate will work with Dr. Ivan Sudakow on the international and interdisciplinary project titled 'Statistical Mechanics Modeling of Critical Phenomena in Phytoplankton Living in a Cold Environment.'
In this project, the candidate will assist in running and parameterizing the stochastic model of phytoplankton growth in the Arctic Ocean, using available observational data. The model aims to enhance our understanding of the role of phytoplankton in the Arctic climate system and reveal its potential as a climate tipping point.
The full summary of duties and person specification can be found within the Job Description
10. Trial Development of a Pressure Pad to Prevent Bed Sores
Location: Hybrid (home working with some travel to Milton Keynes campus required)
Terms: 10 weeks full-time, 37 hours/week full-time. Suggested start date 1st July 2024.
The role:
Bed sores (also called pressure sores or pressure ulcers) typically occur in hospital when a patient is – for whatever reason – unable to move position and needs assistance in moving. If left in the same position for too long, a pressure ulcer develops, which can take a long time to heal. They are the single most costly chronic wound in the NHS, costing around £3.8 million per day.
At the Open University and Milton Keynes University Hospital we are developing a new low-cost mat for placing under a hospital mattress to detect the lack of movement to notify nurses and prevent bed sores occurring in the first place. If you have an interest in making things, coding things, or health-related things, please come and help us out.
The full summary of duties and person specification can be found within the Job Description
11. Understanding Soft Skills in Software Engineering
Location: Home based
Terms: 10 weeks full-time or 20 weeks part-time. 37 hours/week full-time; or 18.5 hrs /week part-time. If part time, a suggested pattern is Monday and Tuesday 9 to 5, with a half-day on Wednesday. Suggested start date 24 June 2023.
The role:
Software development and engineering is a human-centered activity where communication is both a necessity and imperative. The aim of this project is to uncover research that has been carried out into the domain of soft skills within software engineering with a view to uncovering new research directions. The role will involve working closely with a senior member of the OU School of Computing and Communications to carry out a detailed and systematic literature review of the area, potentially as a precursor to further research.
The full summary of duties and person specification can be found within the Job Description
If you would like further details about the role before making an application, then please email stem-research-student-support@open.ac.uk quoting the reference number and job title.
Please note: If you have not heard from us within 2 weeks of the application closing date, please assume that on this occasion you have not been selected for interview, however we thank you for your interest in The Open University and encourage you to apply for future positions.
Previous Intern Comments
“Go for it. It is a fantastic experience, put everything in and you will get double returned back to you. A brilliant experience but be ready to learn!”
“I can even say that the internship exceeded my expectations! ….The organisation, project management, time efficiency and the topic itself were amazing and altogether accounted for a great experience.”
“I learned a lot about research, academic writing and about working in academia in general, I also expanded my knowledge drastically on the subject area.”
People and Contact information
Dr Paul Piwek (OU Lead, Award holder)
Becky Loake (Research and Enterprise Manager)
Please contact stem-research-student-support@open.ac.uk if you have any queries.
The Open University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion which is reflected in our mission to be open to people, places, methods and ideas. We aim to foster a diverse and inclusive environment so that all in our OU community can reach their potential. We recognise that different people bring different perspectives, ideas, knowledge, and culture, and that this difference brings great strength. We strive to recruit, retain and develop the careers of a diverse pool of students and staff, and particularly encourage applications from all underrepresented groups. We also aspire to make The Open University a supportive workplace for all through our policies, services and staff networks.
Job related information :
Posting Date : 5 April, 2024 - 13:45
Contact us
If you have any queries or questions about the recruitment process, or regarding your application, please contact: Resourcing-Hub@open.ac.uk.
If you have any non-urgent feedback regarding the recruitment process, please contact: Resourcing-Hub-Feedback@open.ac.uk
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