We are now accepting applications for NERC Research Experience Placements (REPs) for the summer of 2025!
Paid 6 to 7 week Summer Projects for Undergraduate/Integrated Masters students
We are pleased to announce that the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) have awarded the YES•DTN Doctoral Landscape award 3 Research Experience Placements (REPs) at the University of Leeds to be completed over the summer period of 2025.
The NERC REPs scheme aims to encourage students to consider a career in environmental sciences through funding to support paid summer placements for undergraduate and Masters students, by giving them a taster of what it’s like to be a postgraduate researcher.
The scheme provides 3 paid research placements over the Summer (June/July/August).
You will be made an employee of the hosting organisation and receive a salary at Grade 3 level (above national living wage) for the duration of the placement.
Application Information
Applications open early May; Application deadline: 10:00 19 May 2025
We particularly encourage students from underrepresented groups to apply (ethnic minorities, those with a disability or from low-socio-economic backgrounds).
Applications are open to students from all universities, and all subject disciplines – however, your application is more likely to be successful if your current studies are related to the research area applied for. You can apply to more than one NERC REP project – just submit one application form for each project.
Placement Details, Funding and Reporting
- We have 3 REPs open to all students available for the Summer 2025.
- Placement duration is 6 to 7 weeks full time during the summer vacation period (June/July/August). The time can be a continuous block, or split to accommodate prior commitments.
- Placements are paid at University of Leeds Grade 3 level (Spine Point 11).
- There is £500 available per REP for research costs.
- There is no additional funding available for relocation or accommodation.
- REPs do not meet the requirements for a visa request, and therefore, are only open to UK citizens or those who already have a right to work or study in the UK or are Home-fees status.
- Both the student and the project supervisor at the host organisation will be required to complete a brief online report on the outcome of the placement, at the end of the placement.
Applicant Eligibility
Applicants must:
- Be undertaking their first undergraduate degree studies (or integrated Masters).
- Note: students in their final year who have graduated and no longer have student status at the time the placement starts are not eligible. If you still have student status at the beginning of the placement, we will consider the eligibility criteria to be met, even if you graduate during the course of the placement.
- Be eligible for subsequent NERC PhD funding (Details of eligibility for PhD studentships can be found here. Please note this guidance should be read in conjunction with the UKRI Training Grant Terms and Conditions and guidance documents available here).
- Have a right to work or study in the UK or have home-fees status. REP’s do not meet the requirements for a visa request.
How to Apply
- Select the projects of most interest to you
- Complete the online REP application form – please complete one for each project of interest,
- Email a copy of your CV to yes-dtn@leeds.ac.uk (only once is needed).
- Complete the EDI Form (only one is needed). Although this is optional, if places are over-subscribed, preference will be given to under-represented groups, as defined above.
Research Projects
REP student projects will:
- have a clearly defined objective
- be within the science remit of NERC
- be feasible for completion within the 7 weeks
- include more than purely a computer or modelling component. That is, some element of fieldwork, data collection, activity to give an understanding of the wider context including participation in lab or team meetings, networking and training and so on
- give scope for thought and initiative
- be based at the University of Leeds
Available projects:
Monitoring glacial lake water level changes with SWOT satellite data to inform cryosphere and natural hazards research
Supervisor: Scott Watson
Department: School of Geography
Do glacier surfaces exhibit features that could indicate a future collapse event?
Supervisor: Liam Taylor
Department: School of Geography
Assessing the potential for irrigation to improve food security in Kenya through policy analysis and crop-climate modelling
Supervisor: Andrew Challinor
Department: School of Earth and Environment
How many coral colonies are there in high-latitude reefs?
Supervisor: Maria Beger
Department: School of Biology
Physical Modelling to Predict Abrupt Atlantic Ocean Circulation Changes
Supervisor: Marie Sicard
Department: School of Earth and Environment
Analysing earth system model simulations to investigate climate feedbacks during the last deglaciation
Supervisor: Brooke Snoll
Department: School of Earth and Environment
Understanding biological invasions in freshwaters
Supervisor: Josie South
Department: School of Biology
Tiny Dust, Big Impact: Understanding Ice Nucleation in Polar Clouds
Supervisor: Thomas Whale
Department: School of Earth and Environment
Is climate change affecting the risk of human Salmonella infections?
Supervisor: Maria Karypidou
Department: School of Earth and Environment