Internship opportunities
LISS encourages students to undertake internships to enhance their future career prospects and increase the impact of their research; however you should discuss a possible internship with your supervisor to ensure that it does not interfere with progress on your PhD. Internships enable students to develop a sharper sense of the wider relevance of their research as well as professional and transferrable workplace skills in line with the Vitae Researcher Development Framework. Placements may also build expertise in knowledge co-generation, where research questions, analytical frameworks and knowledge exchange processes are co-designed with academic and practitioner input.
There are three methods through which internships can be developed:
- devise your own internship, through your own initiative, supervisor or institutional support, or
- LISS DTP is informed of internship opportunities, often within major UK government departments, once to twice a year through various ESRC schemes and will advertise these as they are sent to us
- LISS DTP has a set of Research Assistant Internships giving students the opportunity to work on academic research projects at one of the three LISS institutions
For more information on submitting an application to the LISS DTP for an internship opportunities, please see our guidance for current students under ‘Funded Extension Schemes’.
Internship Testimonials
Current Opportunities
Research Assistant Internship Scheme
Research Assistant Internships involve funding in the form of a stipend extension for up to 13 weeks full-time (or part-time equivalent) that allows a LISS DTP funded PhD student to work as a Research Assistant with an academic (other than their immediate supervisor) based at King’s, Queen Mary, or Imperial.
These internships provide several benefits such as the opportunity to work with a larger team of researchers, practice in academic writing, training in research methods, networking and dissemination, collaboration with external partners, and potential for publication. Interns continue to receive their usual stipend payment for the duration of the internship and payments are extended by the relevant number of weeks at the end of the original funding end date.
LISS DTP students can apply for specific research assistant internships below. If you are interested in one or more of these, please get in touch with the person named as Contact. Please note that funding for these internships is only available to ESRC-funded LISS DTP students. The Contact is responsible for selecting the student to take up the internship. Once selected, the student should apply for an internship extension via the form (TBC) so that the appropriate changes to funding records can be made.
New Research Assistant Internships will be advertised here on the week commencing 14th November 2023. If selected, these internships will commence from December 2023. Any enquiries about these opportunities should be directed to liss-dtp@kcl.ac.uk
For academics: applying to be the academic lead for a LISS DTP intern
Academics can apply to be the academic lead for an intern by completing the online proposal form by 29th October 2023. The information submitted will be used by the LISS DTP Director and a selection panel to approve proposals which will be advertised on the LISS DTP website and other platforms. Successful colleagues should also publicise the internship through their own channels.
The academic lead will be responsible for selecting the student (who must be LISS DTP funded).
Please note that ethical approval must be obtained before the internship can be advertised to students.
Note: RA Internships will be advertised to LISS DTP students in November 2023, we recommend that proposers expect internships to start in December 2023 at the earliest to allow time for recruitment etc.
Action |
Date |
Call circulated to LISS DTP Colleagues |
05/10/2023 |
Deadlines for proposals |
29/10/2023 |
Confirm outcome with proposers |
14/11/2023 |
Announcement to Students |
17/11/2023 |
Internships can commence |
From December 2023 |
Current Research Assistant Internship Opportunities
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Tower Hamlets Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) – Research Priority Setting
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Past Opportunities (for reference only)
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LISS Research Assistant Internship-Policies for Circular Fashion
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LISS Research Assistant Internship – Improving how we support people in self-isolation
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Process Evaluation of Smart City E-Bike Trials (Civil Engineering, Imperial College) – NOW FILLED
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Planetary Portals (Geography, QMUL) – NOW FILLED
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