Undergraduate Research Experience Placements - Summer 2024
The UKRI Centre for Doctoral Training in the Application of Artificial Intelligence to the study of Environmental Risks (AI4ER) trains researchers to develop and apply leading edge computational approaches to address critical global environmental challenges by exploiting vast, diverse and often currently untapped environmental data sets. Embedded in the outstanding research environments of the University of Cambridge and the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), the AI4ER CDT addresses problems that are relevant to building resilience to environmental hazards and managing environmental change. The primary application areas are: Weather, Climate and Air Quality, Natural Hazards, Natural Resources (food, water & resource security and biodiversity).
The AI4ER CDT Research Experience Placement (REP) scheme aims to encourage suitably qualified undergraduate students to consider a career in artificial intelligence applied to environmental risk.
We encourage that placements are undertaken in person, however this can be flexible depending on student and supervisor’s circumstances.
REP placements will be up to 8 weeks and each student will be paid a stipend equivalent to the Real Living Wage (currently £12.00 per hour), paid monthly, based on 35 hour week.
A list of available projects will be announced towards the end of March 2024.
Other Internship Programmes within the University of Cambridge - here
Eligibility
Applicants must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible for this placement:
- Be studying for an undergraduate degree (or integrated Masters degree) in one of the following subjects: natural sciences (e.g. physics, chemistry, earth sciences, biology), engineering, computer science, mathematics. (The degree course should continue beyond summer 2024, i.e. students should not currently be in their final year. Priority will be given to students who will complete their course in 2025.)
- Be expected to obtain a first or upper second class UK honours degree.
- Be eligible for subsequent UKRI PhD funding and have the right to work in the UK.
- Meet the particular requirements (academic background/skills) associated with the project or projects of interest.
How to apply
Students should submit their application by filling out the application form here. In order to be considered for a placement, all fields from the aforementioned form need to be filled out.
Incomplete applications which do not include any of the fields in the form (CV, cover letter and recommendation letter included) will be rejected.
Closing Date: TBC.
(Please note: the University will not be engaging in any virtual internships this year where individuals are working outside of the UK).
What is expected of you
If you apply and are successful, we will expect you to join the University for up to 8 weeks on a full-time basis, and to participate fully in the Research Experience Placements programme. This will include:
- fulfilling the project requirements;
- attending all training and development sessions offered as part of the programme;
- providing feedback after the scheme;
- keeping in touch with supervisors and with the programme to let us know how your internship progresses;
- following codes of conduct in the Department that hosts you;
- submission of a 1 page report at the end of the placement
Previous Year Interns
Testimonials from interns
''Brilliant placement with a lot of opportunities to learn and develop, as well as gain a better understanding of a professional workspace.''
''It was very rewarding, given the flexibility and systematic agenda of the placement. The experience is one of the best I have ever had.''
''I greatly enjoyed what I did and learnt! (...) I found the transition from being an undergraduate learning in a structured way to having more independence trying to teach myself things being a super useful experience and would definitely recommend to others! I really liked the sense of freedom with this project to explore the topic.''
''Easy to access & very rewarding.''
Previous Years Projects
2021
PROJECT 1
Title: Bayesian citizen science for STEM students at the Lake Tana Biosphere Reserve, Ethiopia
Supervisor: Prof Alan Blackwell and Dr Tesfa Tegegne
Department/Institution: Computer Science and Technology / Bahir Dar Institute of Technology and STEM Centre
PROJECT 2
Title: Can machine learning link ocean data with the polar vortex? Using unsupervised classification of ocean data to track changes in Southern Hemisphere winds.
Supervisor: Emma Boland and Dan Jones
Department/Institution: British Antarctic Survey
PROJECT 3
Title: Using machine learning to explore options for replacing lead in lead perovskite solar cell
Supervisor: Bingqing Cheng
Department/Institution: Department of Computer Science and Technology
PROJECT 4
Title: Can Federated Learning Save the Planet?
Supervisor: Nicholas Lane and Pedro Porto Buarque de Gusmão
Department/Institution: Department of Computer Science and Technology
PROJECT 5
Title: Assessing the effects of forestry on natural climate solutions
Supervisor: Dr Andrew Tanentzap and Dr Jeremy Fonvielle
Department/Institution: Plant Sciences / Conservation Research Institute
PROJECT 6
Title: Monitoring changes in tropical forest carbon storage at the individual tree level.
Supervisor: Dr Toby Jackson
Department/Institution: Plant Sciences / Cambridge Conservation Initiative
2022
More details here.
PROJECT 1
Title: Deciphering hidden patterns in carbon cycling from molecules to landscapes
Supervisor: Prof Andrew Tanentzap, Dr Lucas Braga and Dr Jeremy Fonvielle
Department/Institution: Plant Sciences / Conservation Research Institute
PROJECT 2
Title: Advancing volcanic ash forecast capabilities using machine learning
Supervisor: Thomas Aubry & Abhirup Ghosh
Department/Institution: Department of Geography& Department of Computer Science and Technology
PROJECT 3
Title: Mineralogical Analysis of Particular Matter (PM) Air pollution Particles using Machine Learning
Supervisor: Po-Yen Tung, Richard Harrison
Department/Institution: Earth Sciences
PROJECT 4
Title: Automated detection of walrus haulouts to assess seasonality
Supervisor: Ellen Bowler and Hannah Cubaynes
Department/Institution: British Antarctic Survey
PROJECT 5
Title: IceNet2 Operational Forecast refinement
Supervisor: Dr. Scott Hosking, James Byrne, Tom Andersson
Department/Institution: British Antarctic Survey Artificial Intelligence Lab
PROJECT 6
Title: Learning from high resolution 2017 hurricane damage data
Supervisor: Dominic Orchard
Department/Institution: Computer Lab