Secondments allow PhD students to experience new working environments, engage with novel areas of research application, or translate research outputs for different audiences. The focus of secondments remains very open, ranging from topics that may be directly related to a student’s research interests, to those that are aimed at developing their skills and capabilities in business and policy arenas.
From a broader perspective, secondment opportunities also allow the student and supervisor to foster and develop stakeholder relationships, test new research and methodologies on real-world problems, and demonstrate the value of academic collaboration with the Institute and College to external partners.
Up to seven PhD secondment opportunities will be funded each year through the Science and Solutions for a Changing Planet DTP. Funding will cover the equivalent cost of bursaries and fees for three months, and in certain circumstances may also cover travel and accommodation costs. There will be biannual calls (in September and March) for secondment ideas from partners, affiliates and students.
Additional opportunities may be available directly through the Institute. These include working to produce Institute briefing papers or collaborating with key stakeholders on priority engagement or research activities. These will be advertised when available and project usually last for a period of two to three months.
Case Study
With the Institute's support, a number of students have undertaken internships at the International Energy Agency (IEA). The projects have contributed to improving the characterisation of energy systems input technologies in the ETP-TIMES model used in the IEA's flagship Energy Technology Perspectives publication. Read about Jonathan Bosch's internship at IEA on our blog.
Requirements
Funding will ordinarily only be available for non-industry partners and will be dependent on the eligibility of students to receive full NERC funding.
How to apply
Applicants are encouraged to discuss their ideas with the Institute prior to submitting a proposal, which will be reviewed by a panel convened by the Institute.
Calls for secondment ideas will take place in March and September.