International internships

Turing-funded International work internships

Work experience in Zambia with the Kasanka Trust and Kinda Baboon Project, Kasanka National Park

Dates:1 July to 26 August 2024 (8 weeks) - Provisional (potentially negotiable)

Location: Zambia

Eligibility: Open to BSc Biology/Zoology/E&C UG students in their year 2 and MSci Biology/Zoology/E&C in their year two or three. You must be enrolled at Sussex for the entire duration of the activity to be eligible for the funding.

Language requirements: You do not need to speak any additional languages to participate in this programme.

Academic requirements: You must have taken and passed EE field course modules to participate in this programme.

Cost: The estimated total cost is approximately £2,085. Contact Dr Okamoto for cost details (vaccination, visa application, return flights, accommodation, cost of living, and local travel etc.)

Funding: Turing funding is for £120/week for 8 weeks. Disadvantaged students (i.e. who receive Sussex Bursary etc) please contact for more details.

Deadline: Apply online by 11.59 pm on Monday 24 June 2024

Programme details:

You will spend 8 weeks in Zambia gaining field research work experience with a group of local researchers. The students will undertake internships with partners at the Kansanka Trust and Kinda Baboon Project, both of which are based in Kasanka National Park. The University of Sussex has recently signed a memorandum of understanding with The Kasanka Trust with the objective of forming long-term relationships to foster relationships benefiting wildlife conservation and sustainability in the region. Kasanka is the location of the largest migration of mammals in the world, being the destination of more than 10 million straw-coloured fruit bats, and is also home to the Kinda Baboon, a species only found in Zambia, DRC, Angola and possibly western Tanzania.

The baboons have only been recognised as a distinct species relatively recently, and those in Kasanka are the only population to have been studied in detail. All of the wildlife in the park is threatened by drought, deforestation, poaching, and a significant lack of funding. A strong focus of both the Baboon Project and the Kasanka Trust is to engage with local communities in poverty alleviation schemes to try to reduce the pressure on the park.

Kasanka National Park is a beautiful location, dominated by Miombo woodland. It is is in the northern part of the Central province, a full day’s drive from the capital Lusaka, so you need to be aware that you are going to a remote location and you will spend almost all of your time in the park. The camp has internet (provided that the weather is sunny and the solar power works) but access to facilities such as shops or hospitals requires long drives You will stay at the camp recently refurbished by the University of Sussex and will be sleeping in safari tents. Because you are in the middle of national park, be aware that you will be surrounded by wildlife, ranging from elephants to spiders.

Most of your time will be spent assisting the Kinda Baboon project, with tasks including collecting behavioural information from the baboons, data entry/processing, fundraising etc. In addition, you will be allocated some tasks by the Kasanka Trust, according to their needs for support – this work may be administrative.

It is intended that two students will undertake internships at the same time, and will therefore share the experience of travel etc. The internships will give the students new exposure to the problems faced by conservation organisations working in remote parts of Africa.

The programme will include:

• working with local organisations
• working with local conservation communities

This programme will help you to:

• develop your field research skills
• gain global work experience
• boost your employability
• navigate challenges in an international workplace

Apply for the work experience in Zambia

Work experience in Ecuador

Dates: 1 July to 26 August 2024 (8 weeks) - Provisional (potentially negotiable)

Location: Ecuador

Language requirements: You do not need to speak any additional languages to participate in this programme.

Academic requirements: You must have taken and passed EE field course modules to participate in this programme.

Cost: The estimated total cost is approximately £2,800. Contact Dr Okamoto for cost details (vaccination, visa application, return flights, accommodation, cost of living, and local travel etc.)

Funding: Turing funding is for £120/week for 8 weeks. Disadvantaged students (i.e. who receive Sussex Bursary etc.), please contact for more details.

Deadline: Apply online by 11.59 pm on Monday 24 June 2024.

Programme details

You will spend 8 weeks in Ecuador gaining field research work experience with a group of local researchers. The students will join our partners at the Tesoro Escondido Spider Monkey Reserve; and Fundación Cambugan. These organisations are based in the Choco Region of the Ecuadorian Eastern Andes which is recognised as an area of biological hyper-diversity, and also one of the areas with the greatest tropical deforestation in South America. Tesoro is in the lowlands, whereas Cambugan works mainly at higher elevations. It is anticipated that students will spend 4 weeks with each of the organisations (travelling between them will take approximately 1 day).

The partners are engaged with the restoration of rainforest ecosystems and the development of sustainable alternative livelihoods for local communities. They also have programmes focused on human-wildlife conflict, particularly concerning Andean bears, ocelots and jaguars. Each organisation has ongoing research projects with the University of Sussex, and their own scientific and outreach staff. The students will learn new field skills, develop their knowledge of data analysis and geographical information systems, and also support the host organisations with other activities including fund-raising and administrative tasks. You may also participate in follow-up monitoring of vanilla plants donated to local communities as part of a partnership programme between the University of Sussex and Cambugan.

It is anticipated that two students will undertake the internships together, sharing travelling experiences etc.
Note that you will be working in remote locations and are likely to be living in simple accommodation with limited access to the internet etc. Many people will speak only Spanish, so whilst not essential, some basic grasp of Spanish would be useful. In addition, be aware that the placements are physically demanding because of the high altitude and steep terrain.

Read the testimonials of those students who participated in the international fieldwork internship in Ecuador in the summer of 2023.

The programme will include:

• working with local organisations
• working with local conservation communities

This programme will help you to:

• develop your field research skills
• gain global work experience
• boost your employability
• navigate challenges in an international workplace

Apply for the work experience in Ecuador

International Advanced Neurosciences internship

There are two places available for the "International Advanced Neurosciences work placement" at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary. This placement is for students of the MSci Neuroscience, Medical Neuroscience, and Biology programmes. The scheme provides you £120 per week for 4 weeks. Please note that you must complete the programme in order to receive the funding. Recipients of this programme will also receive a one-off scholarship bursary from Sussex Neuroscience.

Read the testimonials of those students who participated in the International Advanced Neuroscience internship in the summer of 2023.

The application process is now closed.

International Biostatistics internship

There is one place available for the "International Biostatistics work internships" at The University of Verona in Verona, Italy. This internships is for students of the BSc/MSci Biomedical Science, Biochemistry, Genetics, and Biology programmes. The scheme provides you with £120 per week for 4 weeks. Please note that you must complete the programme in order to receive the funding.

Read the testimonials of those students who participated in the International Biostatistics internship in the summer of 2023.

This application process is now closed.