With the level of fierce competition in applying for post-graduate jobs and research positions these days, simply having a degree is often not enough to set you apart from the rest. It is becoming increasingly difficult to stand out of the crowd in the eyes of potential employers and this ability to stand out is ever more crucial in academic environments especially if your plan is to apply for postgraduate studies after your degree. Coupled with a good degree, earned through many hours of dedicated study and hard work, having research experience can often be the icing on top of the cake and be extremely beneficial to your application. So let’s see what research opportunities UCLan currently have to offer.
Tip 1. Volunteering.
Offer yourself as a volunteer to help in any ongoing studies being undertaking by the staff. It is the best way to show your enthusiasm and passion for science and the good news is that it is very rare for you to be rejected. In addition, any relevant volunteering experience goes directly to your C.V. enhancing what I like to call your `General Awesomeness`. Just ask your favourite lecturer about it. If she/he is not conducting any research at the moment, they could tell you who to ask. As an example we have BIL: UCLan’s Brain Imaging Lab. They offer research assistant positions every now and then and accept volunteers throughout the year. Check their Facebook page for the latest news!:
Tip 2. Internships.
UCLan offers paid internships every year through the Undergraduate Research Internship Scheme (URIS). Students that pass the selection process usually work for 8 to 10 weeks during the summer with qualified researchers on specific projects and even have the potential to be published in scientific journals. I cannot stress enough how good it would be for your C.V. to have some real work experience in research. Unfortunately competition is tough but this is where your previous volunteering experience can make the difference and give you access to this valuable resource. Keep checking their webpage here:
It only gets better and better! If you are fortunate enough to get in to one of the projects you will end up giving a poster presentation on your work.
Presentation Day
On top of this, all URIS students are invited to present their work at the National Conference of Undergraduate Research (NCUR) in USA. 1000 projects are selected for exposition from universities across America and Europe. The location of the conference changes every year with the conference being held in Kentucky last year and soon to be held in Washington this year.
Tip 3. Keep trying!
Didn’t get an internship? Don’t give up! Some opportunities won't be advertised through the URIS scheme but through the Job Portal of UCLan. Take a look!
It is well worth it to keep an eye on this page. In my case, I could not get one of the internships offered by URIS but some late projects were advertised at the Job Portal and I just took the chance. Enthusiasm and eagerness to learn are critical in the interview so don’t be shy and show how much you would enjoy working and learning. Thanks to this I was part of a project looking into the properties of Solid Lipid Nanoparticles (SLN) as drug carriers for the treatment of glioblastomas. My role was to test the toxic effects of a surfactant used in the production of SLN on U-87 MG glioblastoma cell line. As a result next April I will assist to the National Conference of Undergraduate Research (NCUR) in Washington to give a poster presentation on the results of my summer internship. This is an incredible opportunity for me and I will try to get the most out of the experience.
I hope this small guide and personal experience could provide you all with a few tips on how to make the most of the research opportunities here at UCLan. Good luck with it all!
All the best,
David Romero Perez
3rd year Neuroscience Student
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