NSERP is designed to offer high achieving students an opportunity to experience a career in research by completing a summer project over an 8 or 10 week period.
During this time, students are given access to a wide-range of labs and technical facilities within the University of Nottingham which are usually only used by postgraduate researchers.
This gives our students a real insight into life as a researcher and hopefully help them decide whether a career in research is suitable for them.
Who can apply?
- MEng students in their third year are given preference, however, there are a small number of projects available for MEng and BEng students in their second year.
- Students must achieve a pass mark of at least 65%, but preference will be given to those with the highest marks.
- NSERP welcomes applications from MEng students in their third year from other UK universities.
- NSERP welcomes applications from students outside of Engineering, for example Chemistry, Physics, Maths, Computer Science and other related subjects.
- Students who have previously participated in NSERP may apply again, but excellent references from their previous project supervisors are required.
How to apply
We launch our recruitment cycle in October each year, for projects running in the following summer period. The application process is broken down into the following stages:
- Students wishing to apply should complete the online application form.
- University of Nottingham students should complete the internal application form (click here)
- Students from other UK Universities should complete the external application form (click here)
- In order for students to be considered for as many projects as possible, we request completed application forms be returned to the above email address by 31st January
- Eligible students are shortlisted and asked to select the projects they are most interested in
- A list of interested students are then sent onto the project supervisor for them to make their selection (please note: some supervisors may decide to interview their applicants)
- We start allocating projects in February. Applications submitted after the above deadline may miss out on being considered for some projects, however, there may be a number of opportunities still available so do get in touch if you are interested!
If you're unsure, attend an information session!
Projects
Projects commence at the end of June and last either 8 or 10 weeks. Students are given a clearly defined, achievable research objective which will give scope for thought and initiative.
The programme is accompanied by a number of workshops, such as poster presentation training and information on what it is like to do a PhD.
All NSERP students are required to produce a poster explaining their project and the research input. These posters will be entered into the NSERP poster competition and will be put on display at the NSERP celebration event in early October.
Students will also be given membership of the Engineering and Science Graduate Centre and are encouraged to set up their own social group.
Nottingham Advantage Award (NAA)
If you have any queries about the programme or your eligibility to apply, please contact us via email