School of Physics & Astronomy
The summer research placement scheme was launched in 2007 and has grown every year. In 2011 we hosted 37 student research placements over the summer, funded through the School, the University’s Research & Leadership Scholarship, the Nuffield Foundation, the Royal Astronomical Society, and EPSRC. Projects last eight weeks, paying £180 per week and provide an opportunity for our students (all 2nd years and MPhys 3rd years) to work on real research alongside the School’s academics. Please check this page for updates. All students are welcome to attend a project fair being held on Wednesday 7th December 2011, 4-5pm in the Staff Common Room (8.70), to discuss the 2012 research placements on offer, directly with the academics, and to get a clearer idea of what to expect from a placement.
Any student in the middle years of their degree (all 2nd years and any 3rd year MPhys students) may apply.
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TIMETABLE |
DATE/ deadlines |
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2011 project titles list published list online for the students LIST NOW AVAILABLE: CLICK HERE |
Friday 3rd December 2010.
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Project fair, where undergraduates can meet with academics to discuss the projects |
4-5pm Wednesday 8th December Staff Common Room |
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Deadline for students to apply through the School website to work on the project. ONLINE APPLICATION FORM: CLICK HERE
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Sunday January 2nd 2011 |
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Some students will then be contacted by Jodie Morrison to be put forward for a Nuffield Foundation Undergraduate bursary or Royal Astronomical Society undergraduate research bursary. The supervisor and student will have to complete the application by Friday 4th February for Rosie to co-ordinate the applications for their closing date of early February
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Friday 4th February 2011 |
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Nuffield will announce bursary winners to supervisors (who will inform the students)
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early May 2011 |
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School funded studentships will be announced once Nuffield & the RAS have announced their bursary winners
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early May 2011 |
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EPSRC applications will be made once the application process is opened. EPSRC award the University a number of bursaries to be administered as the University sees fit. Last year's application deadline was 9th March.
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TBC |
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Students and supervisors agree a start date for the 8 week placement (which can include unpaid time off for holidays). Placements can start any time after the student has finished their exams, but must be completed by the 16th September 2011 at the latest |
16th September 2011 at the latest |
Check back in December 2010 for a list of projects for the summer of 2011.
Below are some statements from the studentship winners, on what they did and how they benefited from the opportunity to join a research group.
2010
George Harrington- 3rd Year Placement Student sponsored by the School in the Molecular & Nanoscale Physics Group
I carried out an eight week summer project in the Molecular and Nanoscale Physics group working on growing crystals on curved surfaces. The summer projects are a great way to get some experience in experimental physics, especially if it is something you are interested in and possibly want to pursue a career in research. Not only is it paid and flexible around any plans you have for the summer, it also is a great addition to your CV.
During the project I was allowed to manage my own time and to pursue the investigation in the way I felt was appropriate. It was very hands on throughout and I have gained many skills that I am sure will be beneficial to me in the future, both in my final year at university and once I have graduated.
The summer project is great practice for the research project that each student has to carry out in the last year of their degree. The skills and knowledge of the department that I have developed have given me a great advantage when it comes to carrying out scientific research.
Richard Rowan-Robinson- 2nd Year Placement Student sponsored by The Nuffield Foundation in the Condensed Matter Group
My research placement was in the Condensed Matter group. It is an experimental group which meant my placement was very hands on but I also personally find the theory associated with that particular branch of physics fascinating which meant all round it was a very rewarding experience.
I was working on a project investigating the potential for Spintronics in Carbon Nanotubes- using the spin of the electrons to transfer information rather than the charge. This has plenty of applications in the electronics industry, particularly for memory storage.
Nanotubes can conserve the spin of the electron over large distances before scattering occurs which is why they were perfect for this field of research.
I found the placement really developed my interest in physics and have found myself extremely motivated going into my third year to truly develop my skills and hopefully go on to do a PhD.
Craig Hall- 3rd Year Placement Student sponsored by The Nuffield Foundation in the Polymers & Complex Fluids Group
After doing a summer placement in Polymer and Complex Fluids group in 2009 which was theory based, I chose to do another summer placement in the same group which was based on an experiment, in order to gain experience of both kinds of research and in the hope that it would give me a clearer idea of which area I would prefer to work in.
Over the course of the placement I think I have gained many skills such as the ability to analyse my data critically and compare my results with published work as well a getting a feel for how to make adjustments to improve the experiment when the results seemed unreliable. I also had the opportunity to learn about the equipment from some of the postgraduates who were also using it and benefited from their experience.
In order to understand the meaning and context of my results I had to do a great deal of researching of the underlying theory. I think this has improved the way in which I search for published works and extract information from them.
In all I enjoyed doing the placement and getting the opportunity to learn a lot about a current a research topic in an area of physics which I found practically interesting.
Sophie Morley- 3rd Year Placement Student sponsored by The Nuffield Foundation in the Condensed Matter Group
The placement I undertook this summer was in fact my second, which I think is testament to the success and my personal enjoyment of the program. This summer I worked closely with an academic, who guided me in a semi-biological condensed matter project. I was working mainly with an iron-cage protein found in most living things, including humans, called ferritin. Its function is to regulate the amount and species of iron in the blood. If the protein is damaged it can cause adverse effects such as the release of a poisonous form of iron. This defective function of the protein has been linked to Parkinson's disease and some types of cancer. The project focussed mainly on radiating the proteins with microwave fields without heating and studying the effects induced using magnetometry, transmission electron microscopy and optical absorption techniques. I also studied the nanoparticle which formed inside called ferrihydrite using similar techniques but additionally I carried out transport measurements at temperatures as low as 4K!
The opportunity to work in such a dynamic group and experience firsthand the exciting research that's going on really provides you with a unique and highly representative insight into a career in research. The equipment, techniques and skills I acquired will undoubtedly be useful in the future. I sincerely would recommend the opportunity to anyone who is unsure or considering a PhD, if not, it's even good practice for project work in your final year.
2009
Craig Hall - 2nd Year Placement Student sponsored by the Nuffield Foundation Undergraduate Science Bursary in the Polymers and Complex Fluids Group
"I chose to do a summer research placement in the Polymer and Complex Fluids group. The main reason for me choosing to undertake the summer placement was that I was interested in perusing a career in research and thought this would be a good way to see what life was like working within a research group as well a gaining many useful skills and experience.
I found my work over the summer very interesting and enjoyed the experience very much. I also feel that I have developed lots of new skills and learnt a great deal from the experience, such as how to plan my work and make the best use of my time as well as gaining an appreciation for some of the different methods for analysing my data and selecting between them. I also enjoyed learning about many techniques which were new to me. I think that these skills will stand me in good stead for the later years of the course as well as in the future.
I think that one of the most valuable experiences of the project was being given the opportunity to present my work to some of the other students working on projects. This gave me the chance to gain experience in presenting my work to others and forced me to think carefully about what aspects to include and how best to explain them in a way which was appropriate for the audience. Whilst making the presentation I also got a lot of good advice from my supervisor about how best to present my work.
Having completed the summer placement I am even more interested in following a career in research and I fell that I have developed a great deal of useful skills and an excellent addition to my CV, which I hope will help me along the way."
James Beckwith - 2nd Year Placement Student sponsored by the Nuffield Foundation Undergraduate Science Bursary in the Astrophysics Group
"I chose to apply for an undergraduate research position in Astrophysics as I believed it would help me greatly in my future studies. I could not have predicted just how much I could have learned in a relatively short space of time. In the summer project I learned the basics of some programming languages, scientific paper writing and much more.
There are lots of reasons to apply for an undergraduate summer project but from my experience one of the best reasons to apply is the knowledge and the friends you will gain. The people I worked with on my project were fantastic and could not be more friendly or helpful, any question was welcomed and encouraged and this is the ideal environment for learning.
My project involved analysing data from the H.E.S.S array of telescope to try to identify energy dependent morphology in pulsar wind nebulae. I found this interesting because I had not previously studied any high energy astrophysics or done much analysis of real data.
All in all I can't think of a better way to spend a summer than working in a flexible, encouraging environment doing what I enjoy."
Matthew Trevers - 2nd Year Placement Student sponsored by the Nuffield Foundation Undergraduate Science Bursary in the Quantum Information Group
"I did my research placement in the Quantum Information group, building and running quantum walks in c. The project was a great opportunity to learn about a different area of active physics research, and to find out about how research is conducted. By attending seminars I was made to feel integrated into the research group, and I had the freedom to conduct research at my own pace and take it in my own direction. I also met some interesting people, as I was working with two other undergraduates and a PhD student under Dr Kendon's supervision.
The project helped me improve my computing skills, and also my confidence in presenting, as I was asked to give a presentation to the whole group! After 8 weeks we had enough results to get a paper published, and I am definitely interested in doing a Phd to go into research."
Milan Delor - 3rd Year Placement Student sponsored by the Royal Astronomical Society in the Astrophysics Group
"I undertook an eight-week placement funded by the Royal Astronomical Society with the Astrophysics group working on the Red MSX Source (RMS) survey, a systematic search for massive young stellar objects across the galaxy. I was responsible for the reduction and analysis of spectral data taken with the 22-m Mopra telescope (Australia) of approximately 60 candidate young stellar objects, HII regions and hot molecular cores.
This placement offered me a valuable insight into academic research within an active group in astrophysics. It was important for me to understand what type of working environment I would be in if I decided to undertake a PhD and this placement gave me a very good idea of it. I would definitely recommend doing a similar placement for anyone who is interested in continuing with research. It enhances your technical capabilities in the chosen subject and increases your awareness of the academic world."
Robert Heath - 3rd Year Placement Student sponsored by the School of Physics & Astronomy Summer Studentship in the Polymers and Complex Fluids Group
"I was awarded an eight week School studentship in the Polymer & Complex Fluids department with Dr Voice over the summer between my third and fourth year. During the time I was in the department, I was trained in how to use equipment and got a feel for how Physics is to research, which cemented my desire to do a PhD. The experience was invaluable and comes highly recommended to anyone considering pursuing a career in Physics."
Yerbol Khassen - 2nd Year Placement Student sponsored by the Nuffield Foundation Undergraduate Science Bursary in the Astrophysics group
First of all, I would very much like to thank the Nuffield Foundation for giving me the opportunity to improve and advance in my subject field. The scheme noticeably raised my confidence in experimental physics and electrical engineering.
The work during those 8 weeks was intense and full of interesting findings. I had not studied electronics in great detail before so the beginning was quite challenging as it pushed me to work in a new area. I have to mention my supervisor Dr. Rose's contribution in patiently explaining the details which I am very thankful for. The atmosphere in the Electronics Workshop where I was working was bright and friendly. The staff I met have helped me a lot and I really enjoyed working with them, I kept in touch with other students, newcomers and got to know many different people.
Developing a prototype for the optical system for the SNO+ experiment involved learning computer programs such as SPICE and OrCAD. I discovered that computer simulations are extremely fascinating and a useful tool to know. However, discovering the right codes and designing the circuits required much time and patience. Sometimes when things did not go well, it seemed that there was no sign of finding the solution. I learnt to face these moments during the summer internship with determination and persistence.
I was included in the Department activities such as a full day trip to Birmingham for a PPAP community review of particle physics science programme. Another memorable part for me was to write my first scientific paper. It is now available on the university site: http://www.personal.leeds.ac.uk/~fy06yk/research.html
I have realised that there is much more to learn and I am currently interested in doing a PhD. Additionally, I am aware that the professional skills and abilities obtained this summer will be attractive to potential employers.
All in all, I am greatly satisfied with the work I have accomplished and recommend this internship to anyone who is targeting a scientific career path.
2008
Lara Small - 2nd Year Placement Student sponsored by the Wellcome Trust Vacation Scholarship
"The summer internship in the MNP group was very hands on from the start. Things didn't always happen the way they were expected to and so I tried again or changed the experiment slightly. It was all about carrying on, repeating experiments, trying new things to get better results. I applied for an internship to do real research and gain lab experience, which is what I got. I had the opportunity to use lots of brand new equipment, plan my own days and I enjoyed the fact that it was in a different area to those I have studied during my degree. It showed me that there are lots of areas of research I could go into after my degree."
Robert Grand - 2nd Year Summer Placement Student with the Molecular and Nanoscale Physics Group sponsored by the School of Physics & Astronomy Summer Studentship
"I applied for a summer bursary mainly to gain an insight into research work within the university, as I believed it will be good preparation for forthcoming projects in the years to come, and it will also be a positive addition to my CV. I chose this particular bursary (Nanoscale group) because I had not yet studied any nanoscale/molecular physics in my current degree program and so I found this project intriguing. For this reason the project interested me, and also broadened my knowledge of the subject."
Joanna Baldry - 3rd Year Summer Placement Student with the Molecular and Nanoscale Physics Group sponsored by the School of Physics & Astronomy Summer Studentship
"Having done a very similar placement with the department last summer, which I found both challenging and enjoyable, I chose to apply once again to research in the department with the Molecular and Nanoscale (MNP) group this summer. My hope was that, with previous experience and practice at this sort of work, I could get even more immersed in the work than I did last year as I was already fairly familiar with the MNP group, their labs, and routines.
For the duration of my 8 weeks in the department I used the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) to image a variety of mixtures of sphingomyelin (SM) and cholesterol (CHOL). I had to prepare the samples and then use them on a temperature stage so I could heat and cool them as I imaged them using the AFM. The aim of this was to produce phase changes in the samples which should be visibly obvious as the samples were expected to phase separate into regions. Additionally I used the AFM's force curve facilities to measure the mechanical properties of surfaces at different temperatures and to determine melting points of the samples. Over the 8 weeks I had many problems and barriers to overcome but ultimately I managed to get a good set of data which, excitingly, has already been used by Dr Simon Connell in a presentation at Trinity College and might even be published at some point!
Having done this placement I now feel a lot better prepared for my 4th and final year project. I also feel I am now much better placed to make an informed decision as to what I would like to do after I graduate and am seriously considering doing a PhD next."
Ryan Szparaga - 2nd Year Summer Placement Student with the Polymers and Complex Fluids Group sponsored by the School of Physics & Astronomy Summer Studentship
"As a student wanting to persue a physics related career, I jumped at the chance of working on a research project . Not only was it a chance to finally apply my skills to a real-world situation and get an excellent addition to my C.V, it also gave me the money to be able to stay in Leeds over the summer with my friends. The scholarship was definitely the best way I could have spent the summer, I enjoyed the challenge and the supervision of my professor. Analysing current physics papers allowed me to utilise my abilities in new ways and develop my initiative. It was a great insight into research and has reinforced my desire to persue it as a career."
Godfrey Leung Ming Chi - 3rd Year Summer Placement Student with the Quantum Information Group sponsored by the School of Physics & Astronomy Summer Studentship
"I applied for the research placement as I am really enthusiastic about going into the research field in physics and plan to study for a PhD.
I have always been more interested in the theoretical aspect of physics. That's why I chose a project about quantum random walk, which is more theoretical based, rather than one of the experimental projects. The idea of using quantum random walk to investigate the power of quantum computing and study phase transition appealed to me.
The placement provided an excellent experience of working in a research field and greatly enhanced my physics knowledge at the same time. For instance, it enhanced my programming skills which are undoubtedly useful in PhD study.
It also gave me a chance to get an insight into the research field in physics and what a PhD course is like. This has indeed helped me a lot in setting my plan for after graduation. I quite enjoyed it as it fulfills my desire to learn more, especially in physics, and at the same time, improving my career prospect."
Michael Woodhouse - 3rd Year Summer Placement Student with the Polymers and Complex Fluids Group sponsored by the School of Physics & Astronomy Summer Studentship
"I chose to do a summer project so I could get a feel of what a career within academic research would be like, and whether it is something I will want to consider when I've finished my degree. It also looks good on my CV and gave me some much needed money. I chose a project similar to my final year project which gave me some much needed skills and experience in simulation."
Youmna Mouhamad - 3rd Year Summer Placement Student with the Molecular and Nanoscale Physics Group sponsored by the Nuffield Foundation Undergraduate Science Bursary
"I have never aspired to become a researcher, but along my degree I started enjoying the laboratory work more and more and thinking about a career in research. I thought that a placement would be the right experience to give me a taste of research. My project was about 'The Cohesion of Granular Matter below the Freezing Point of Condensable Vapour'. Condensable vapours greatly increase the stability of granular media due to the formation of small liquid bridges between the grains. I focused on the stability of assemblies of small beads as a function of the temperature and the vapour pressure. The results found are in agreement with the theory- the maximum angle increases as the vapour pressure increase.
It has been a good opportunity to improve my computational analysis and reporting skills and I have now decided to become a researcher in the industry."
Paul Knott - 3rd Year Summer Placement Student sponsored by the Nuffield Foundation Undergraduate Science Bursary
"I chose to do a summer project mainly to see whether doing research was right for me. My project was an excellent example to me of what sort of things are involved in doing research in a university. I have been fully integrated into the Quantum Information group in which I work, where all the staff have been very friendly and helpful. I have had many insights into the life of a PhD student, from the students themselves and from our supervisor.
My project was in computer modelling of a Quantum random walker on 2 dimensional percolation lattices. I was working in a team of three summer project students, and our supervisor Viv Kendon. After the 8 week project we managed to produce enough material to put together a paper of our findings.
The first task we had to do was learn how to program using c. I found this very interesting, and I feel like I have picked up an important skill for the future. We then got onto the main task of working out how to program the system in question, and we all worked very well in a team and made good progress. I have learned huge amounts about teamwork, planning, problem solving and producing accurate data to be formally written up.
I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the Quantum Information (QI) group in Leeds. I found all the staff and students very helpful and interesting. I chatted to many of the PhD students and had many enthusiastic and absorbing mini presentations. We had numerous excellent opportunities to learn about life in the department, such as a day trip to Sheffield University to the QI White Rose meeting, and many talks by various people in and out of QI. I thoroughly enjoyed our in depth QI lab-tour, where we learned about the experiments being done along side the theoretical QI work that we were involved with.
Another highlight for me was having the opportunity to be part of writing a real scientific paper. I found this a very exciting and rewarding experience.
During the project I learned that a Phd wasn't for me, and so I didn't enjoy all of the actual work we did, i.e. programming and calculating things on paper and in maple. However, I see this as a very positive aspect to the project, as without trying real research I never would have know for sure whether or not it would suit me.
Overall I am very pleased with my experience, and I would recommend doing a summer project to any Physics Undergraduate."
Luke Maud - 3rd Year Summer Placement Student with the Astrophysics Group sponsored by the Nuffield Foundation Undergraduate Science Bursary
.JPG "Research Placement Student")
"I have always being interested in space, stars and the planets since I was young, thats why I'm doing physics. Moreover when I heard about the studentship bursary in the astrophysics group doing actual research into young massive star formation I realised this would be a great opportunity and must apply. The bursary not only involves learning about these objects, but also gaining knowledge of analysis techniques and methods which will be useful in my degree project. The busary is also funded so you get paid to learn about the things you are interested in and better yourself.
My aim during the bursary was to find out whether MYSO (massive young stellar objects) were associated with molecular outflows allowing some link between the well known low mass mechanism of accretion discs to MYSOs. Using previously unseen CO data I established ~50% had outflows and as such the data will need to be analysed in detail to confirm this result which Dr Lumsden now offers as a PhD placement project. I have learnt valuable insight into actual studies and data used as well as now being able to search literature to find papers and use the astrophysics software, all of which I have began to use in my final year project. Finally, the bursary has meant that I can make the decision to apply for a PhD placement as this is what I would like to contine in the future and put me in a great position as an applicant."
Ross Dorner - 3rd Year Summer Placement Student with the Condensed Matter Group sponsored by the Nuffield Foundation Undergraduate Science Bursary
"Having enjoyed my degree so far, I decided to apply for a Nuffield bursary in order to allow me to experience a more 'hands on' aspect of physics than experienced in lectures. As someone who is interested in pursuing research in physics in the future, I also felt that the placement offered a taste of what could be expected should I choose to pursue that path as well as introducing entirely new and interesting concepts and techniques."
Philip Symonds - 2nd Year Summer Placement Student sponsored by the EPSRC Undergraduate Vacation Bursary
"I recieved an EPSRC bursary to work on a project regarding the capability of ionophore transport through a supported membrane. I applied for this particular project because it is part of a large research field and it has industrial links with Philips. I enjoyed coming to terms with the hi-tech equipment used in the experiment."
Nguyen Thuong Thuong - 2nd Year Summer Placement Student sponsored by the EPSRC Undergraduate Vacation Bursary
"I think a research placement is a great chance to investigate a specific subject of Physics, as well as discover how a research group works. When I started the placement I thought the freedom that we got was great, we could study the subject without the stress of passing upcoming exams. It was a great way of getting to know how to use the equipment and a great opportunity to apply what I had learned during lectures in a current research area. My project was based on organic spintronics which gave me the opportunity to learn about AFM, sputtering, lithography and X-ray characterisation in much more depth than the usual laboratory or lectures. What I really enjoyed during the placement was that I saw physics from another point of view. I found that researching physics is completely different from learning about it. Overall, I think this project really gave me an overview of the work done by PhD students."
Stephen Sheen- 2nd Year Summer Placement Student sponsored by the Nuffield Foundation Undergraduate Science Bursary & 3rd Year Summer Placement Student with the Condensed Matter Group sponsored by the School of Physics & Astronomy Summer Studentship
I spent two summers working on a project in the Condensed Matter Group. I worked alongside a PhD student on a technique known as Point Contact Andreev Reflection (PCAR). This technique is a direct way of measuring the spin polarisation of the current flowing between a metal and superconducting tip. This is of interest to the field of Spintronics where spin polarised currents play a big role in a wide range of devices. Working on the project I was able to make use of experimental skills developed in undergraduate labs and also experience many of the techniques used in the Condensed Matter Group - things that you never normally get to do as an undergraduate. As part of the project I would fabricate samples using the group's thin film deposition systems, test their magnetic characteristics before measuring their spin polarization. For my very small contribution to the work on PCAR I have even been included on a paper that is soon to be published.
For the 8 weeks of the project you really become part of the research group and experience lots of different aspects of doing a PhD and not just the experiment you're working on. At the weekly group meetings you get a chance to find out what other group members are working on. This is where I was introduced to a lot of new physics. Then in the lab you get the chance to ask the PhD students about their work which is a great way of getting your head around some difficult new ideas. I was also really lucky to get the chance to attend an international conference on magnetism and magnetic materials in Dublin. Here I was able to listen to presentations by some of the top researchers in the field (including two Nobel Prize winners) and get a feel for some of the work being done outside the Leeds group and the general opportunities in condensed matter physics.
I do feel that this opportunity has given me a fair and realistic view of research, which can at times be quite frustrating, for instance when things don't work as expected. Although sometimes this can be when the really interesting stuff is happening and even an experiment that doesn't work can still be valuable, particularly for shaping and guiding future projects. Being able to encounter this aspect of research was important and helped make the experience very worthwhile.
As well as learning a lot of new physics that has proven useful in my later studies, I was able to get a better understanding of what undertaking a PhD involves. It definitely isn't like a regular 9-5 job. I really enjoyed the whole experience and feel it offered a great insight into the world of scientific research.