Applications

Details on widening access and the application process:

• Prioritising applications from underrepresented communities

  Whilst the internship is open to eligible candidates, we are prioritising applications from individuals who are underrepresented within health data research. This includes:

  • If you are in the first generation of your family to attend university
  • If you are or have been a looked after person (Care-experienced)
  • If you are a carer (i.e. someone who cares, unpaid, for a friend or family member who due to illness, disability or for another reason cannot cope without your support)
  • If you are a government refugee or asylum seeker
  • If you have a clinically diagnosed disability
  • If you were eligible for Free School Meals

  We will also encourage applications from those who are studying at a non-Russell Group university. Fulfilling one or more of the criteria above will mean that your application will be prioritised for review.

  If you are awarded a scholarship and have declared that you meet one or more of the criteria listed above you will be expected to evidence this either via a supporting statement from a referee, formal documentation or otherwise.

  Please note: This information will NOT be made available to those engaged in the vacation scholarship application shortlisting and interviews. The information will only be accessible by restricted administrative staff. It will be used to flag applications that meet one or more of the widening access criteria.

• Application dates

  Applications open: Friday 10 February 2023

  Deadline: Sunday 12 March 2023 (midnight)

  Interviews: TBC

• Application form

  We accept applications on our application portal. You will be asked about the following in your application form to us:

  • Your contact details (name, email address, phone number)
  • An up-to-date CV
  • Your current degree subject
  • Eligibility questions
  • Your project choice
  • Criteria for widening access
  • 4 personal statement-style questions on your experiences, skills and motivation

  Please note that there is a timed assessment within this application. We will be asking 3 Maths-based questions with 15 minutes. If you have any reasonable adjustments that require extra time, please email us at phd@hdruk.ac.uk BEFORE opening this assessment.

  Please ensure that your university details (course, dates and university) are up-to-date to ensure proof of your eligibility for our programme. We would also recommend checking the contact details (phone and email) on your CV are current and match those in your application.

• Application process

  After your application has been submitted, we will be screening applications for eligibility before reviewing personal statement-style answers and timed assessment answers. This will be done in a blind and randomised manner to review applications in a fair manner.

  Shortlisted applicants will be contacted for an interview with host organisation academics, PhD students and HDR UK Training staff. Those who pass the sifting process and do not reach interview will receive feedback on their personal statement-style answers. All candidates who complete an interview within our scheme can receive feedback, regardless of outcome.

• Selection criteria

  We are looking for applicants with an enthusiasm to learn how their mathematical and/or computational skills can be applied to biomedical and health care research problems.

  We will look for these:

  • In your Maths quiz scoring (at least 2/3)
  • In the answers you give to the personal statement-style questions in your application to us, which are then reviewed anonymously and given a score.