Physics of Life Student Summer Bursary project awards

One of the network’s objectives is to train and equip the next generation of scientists for this interdisciplinary field. To support this, the Physics of Life network is offering summer bursaries to undergraduates interested in pursuing multidisciplinary research projects combining physics and biology. The aim of this bursary scheme is to give motivated undergraduates the opportunity to gain experience in writing a research proposal, and with training, carry out independent research alongside established academics. Experience gained from these projects can provide invaluable skills, useful for student personal development and future employability.
The research generated from summer bursary projects can play an important role in catalysing/pump-priming research in the form of publication and larger possible PoL research grants for academics working across Physics and Biology.  

For general enquiries related to this opportunity, please email the Physics of Life co-ordinator Karis Baker, k.h.baker@dur.ac.uk. 

Next Call

It is anticipated that the next call for this opportunity will open in February 2022 for June/July 2022 start dates.

Eligibility

• Applicants should be undergraduates in the second, third or fourth year of any science degree. Final year students are eligible.
• Bursaries are available to any UK/EU or international student currently studying at a UK university. 
• Supporting academic supervisors must come from a UK university. Only one application per primary Bursary Supervisor will be accepted. 
• Projects can be either remote or lab based.
• Lab based projects must follow host university health and safety related to latest COVID guidelines. 
• Successful students must not  be  in  receipt  of  financial  support  from  other  sources  for  the  project that is the subject of application. If successful, students must declare whether they have been accepted onto another bursary scheme. 

Funding availability

• Projects must be a minimum of 4 weeks, up to a maximum of 8 weeks. Please specify the length of programme required in the application form.
• Projects are intended to take place during the Summer (usually July to September).
• The organisation and delivery of project weeks is to be organised between the student and supervisor.
• Students will be provided a bursary of £260 pw to cover their expenses during the studentship, to initiate payment the succesful applicants should notify Physics of Life with an intended start date.
  

How to apply

• The student should contact prospective supervisor(s) ahead of time and the student and supervisor(s) should develop a project and application together.
• Projects must be interdisciplinary with life (biological and/or medical) and physical sciences components.
• A single proposal submission should be made by the student applicant using the below online form. The amount of input will depend on both the Bursary Supervisor(s) and the applicant.

• Once the bursary application form is submitted by the bursary applicant a copy will be sent to the nominated supervisor(s). The application will only be considered when approval has been given by the primary bursary supervisor(s).

Selection Procedure

The review committee will be composed of academics sitting on the Physics of Life Steering Group committee. The applications are each sent to members of the steering group to independently and blindly score projects on the basis of the following 5 criteria:

• Physics/Biology crossover
• Project Outline
• Student's supporting Statement
• Project feasibility within stated project length

The scores from reviewers are collated to rank order projects and marks are checked for consistency. The top ranked projects are offered funding. All applicants are notified of outcomes by email.

Examples of past student Summer bursary projects

In 2019 PoLNET2 received 35 applications and funded the top ranked 11  projects, see here: Student Summer Bursaries - Physics of Life.
In 2020 PoLNET3 opened a special, covid project call where it received 4 applications and and funded 3 projects. 
In 2021, PoLNET3 received 61 applications, the top 12 ranked projects were awarded funding. Awarded projects:
Viral fitness in spatial expansions: a simulation and experimental study, University of Cambridge
Student: Amy Bowen Supervisor: Diana Fusco
 
Biophysical Modelling of the Pathogenesis of Alzheimer's Disease, Imperial College London
Student: Alisdair Stevenson Supervisor: Chiu Fan Lee
 
Numerical modelling to test the limits of Differential Dynamic Microscopy (DDM), University of York
Student: Alistair Hickman Supervisor: Laurence Wilson
 
The impact of environmental conditions on cell wall antimicrobial activity: study by atomic force microscopy, University of Sheffield
Student: Samirah Mostafa Chowdhury Supervisor: Laia Pasquina Lemonche
 
Habitability in the Venusian Clouds: Power Requirements for Organisms at High Acidity and Low Water Activity Environments, University of Edinburgh
Student: Sam Moylan Supervisor: Charles Cockell
 
Quantifying the emergent properties of the fibrotic extracellular matrix, KCL
Student: Anna Beltramini Supervisor: Susan Cox
 
Do the limits of DNA damage signalling confer a therapeutic vulnerability to low dose radiotherapy?, UCL
Student: Rachel Scott Supervisor: Jamie Dean
 
Understanding how Topoisomerases simplify genome topology using knot classification and Machine Learning, University of Edinburgh
Student: Joseph Sleiman Supervisor: Davide Michieletto
 
Effect of lipid oxidation on domain formation within model membranes, KCL
Student: Prashasti Tiwari Supervisor: Chris Lorenz
 
Modelling of collagen-IV networks under mechanical forces, UCL
Student: Eryk Ratajczyk Supervisor: Andela Saric
 
Temperature-dependent linear rheology of Bombyx Mori silk, University of York
Student: Robin Watkins New Supervisor: Charley Schaefer
 
Mapping molecular crowding in live eukaryotes with 3D single molecule fluorescence microscopy, University of York
Student: Lewis Frame Supervisor: Jack Shepherd