Applications for our 2024 undergraduate summer placements are now open! You can find the list of projects that we are offering here.

Closing date: Thursday 23 May 2024

The NERC REPs scheme aims to encourage students to consider a career in environmental sciences, through funding to support paid summer placements for undergraduate students.

This helps us to address:

• demographic and diversity-related challenges
• the quantitative skills gap in environmental sciences

In addition, REPs encourage undergraduates from any discipline to consider a career in environmental science.

During the scheme, selected undergraduate students will join us for up to 6 weeks over the summer to complete a short-term research project within the environmental sciences. 

We particularly welcome applications from diversity candidates who may fall into the areas below: 

• Undergraduates who are Black, Chinese, Asian, Arabic, or of another non-white ethnicity
• Undergraduates who are from the first generation in their family to go to university

Eligibility 

Students are subject to eligibility criteria to be able to apply for NERC REPs. Selected students must meet the following criteria to be eligible for a REP. The students must:

• Be undertaking their first undergraduate degree studies (or integrated Masters)
• Be expected to obtain a first or upper second-class UK honours degree.
• Be eligible for subsequent NERC PhD funding (ie UK, EU or right to remain in the UK).

Applications

In order to be considered for a placement, please apply to oneplanet@newcastle.ac.uk by the closing date of 23 May 2024. You should provide the following:

• A cover letter detailing your motivation to apply and the project for which you would like to be considered
• A recent CV
• A reference from your personal tutor
• An interim transcript if available
• Please also complete the online EDI form (this form is a mandatory part of the application process, but contains ‘prefer not to say’ options for all questions asked)

Selection process

• Applications are screened for eligibility
• Applications are forwarded to supervisors (without the EDI form)
• Supervisors then nominate candidates to the ONE Planet REP Panel
• Successful candidates will be informed no later than w/c 10th June.   

Payment

Students will be paid for their placement via the host institution. 

Both partner Universities pay hourly rates based on the national living wage. 

NERC will provide approx £3200 per REP, plus a maximum of £500 for research costs