Tag: Health and Life Sciences

So you want to get into wildlife TV?

Posted on by Careers Service

Guest post by Liz Bell

Bristol is a great place to be if you want a career in television production. It’s renowned for the wildlife and factual programmes made by the BBC and the many independent companies based here, and with its close-knit professional community it’s an excellent alternative to the sometimes cut-throat London scene.

But if you’ve done your research, you’ll know that it’s not easy to get your foot in the door. Competition is fierce, jobs are rarely advertised and everybody wants someone with tons of experience (which you haven’t got because no one will give you a chance).

As a former TV producer, I get a lot of questions from people wanting to break into the TV industry. So here are my top tips to answer that perennial question: as a recent or soon-to-be Bristol graduate, how can you make yourself stand out from the crowd and get a job?

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My SME Internship: Ellie – Disability Inc. 

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Hi, my name is Ellie, and I’m a PhD student in the Life Sciences Building. I carried out a 4-week SME internship in a social enterprise, Disability.Inc., which is part of a charity called WECIL. 

The internship was in the workASSURED team, who aim to remove in-work barriers for Disabled staff by providing recommendations about reasonable adjustments. I initially shadowed meetings with staff, their managers, and their HR contact and I worked with a colleague to write-up the recommendations reports. By the end of the internship, I took on my own case, which definitely pushed me outside of my comfort zone, but also showed me how much I’d learnt during my internship.

Ellie, a wheelchair user wearing an orange jumper, is smiling at the camera. She is sat on a pier next to crashing waves.
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From awkward to awesome: navigating networking events like a pro

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Several exciting networking events are coming up within the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences and the Faculty of Science and Engineering – see mycareer events to book on.

These will allow you to network with professionals working in industries linked to your degrees.

However, some words will always strike fear into hearts – and ‘networking’ is one of them. Speaking to professional people you’ve never met before can be intimidating – particularly with lots of other students and staff around.

So, what is networking, why do we do it, and how can you make the most of it?

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My SME Internship: Jack – Ocki Sustainability

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Hi, my name is Jack and during my third year studying Biology Bsc I got the opportunity to work as an intern at Ocki Sustainability. 

Ocki is a website that provides free information on broad sustainability issues for the general public. It includes a member service to help sustainability professionals engage with colleagues to drive impact forwards.  

My role

I created news desk content including short articles and longer features. The topics I covered ranged from sustainability education to circular economy policies. I also discussed my ideas for content with colleagues. If they were suitable for Ocki’s audience, I could write about them.

Jack smiling in a check shirt.

My experience broadened my awareness of current sustainability issues. It also gave me a better understanding of routine research work done by journalists.  

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Working for a scientific SME: advice from professionals

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“Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) make up a large proportion of the UK’s economy and account for approximately 30% of graduate employment” (AGCAS, 2022),

Finding and applying for work experience, including internships, or graduate roles, in SMEs can be different to schemes with larger employers. In April 2024, the Careers Service invited three professionals, who work in scientific SMEs, to share their advice:

Scientist carrying out an experiment in the lab
  • Dr Mark Benizett, VetIMD – Pioneering isothermal molecular diagnostics solutions for the animal health sector
  • Dr Clio Andreae, GenomeKey – Biotechnology using cutting edge machine learning and DNA sequencing to treat Sepsis
  • Dr Ed Jones, Kelpi – World-leading sustainable materials innovation business – harnessing the properties of seaweed to create compostable, marine-safe, low-carbon bioplastic packaging
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My SME Internship: Christa – Extracellular 

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Hi, my name is Christa and towards the end of my third year studying for MSci Biology I took part in an SME Internship with Extracellular.

Throughout the internship, I undertook a variety of roles in and out of the laboratory working to support my colleagues and complete my own projects independently.

A photo of Christa smiling in the sunshine.

About Extracellular

Extracellular's logo.

Extracellular is a start-up company focusing on supporting cultivated meat companies to get their products to market. Cultivated meat is produced by cultivating animal cells, removing the need to raise and farm animals for food. 

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My SME Internship: Chaeyeon – Learning with Parents

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Hi, I’m Chaeyeon. During my second year studying BSc Psychology, I completed an SME Internship as a Content Intern at Learning with Parents. They are an education charity, empowering families, schools, and communities to have enjoyable home-learning facilitated by parental engagement.  

A photo of Chaeyeon smiling at the camera.

Parental engagement, involving parents to support child-led learning activities, can be promoted to families of different shapes, sizes, and socioeconomic backgrounds to tackle educational inequality that is largely driven by early provision.

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A career in law for STEM students

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Justice statue

Graduate Recruitment Manager, Zoe Reid and Alexander Gower, a partner at Osborne Clarke (a law firm in Bristol) gave students an insight into how to navigate the legal career as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) students. Here is their advice to students in the Faculties of Engineering, Life Sciences and Science who are interested in a career in the legal sector.  

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My SME Internship: Emma – Neurometry

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Hi, I’m Emma, a Neuroscience BSc graduate. In 2023, I spent six months working as a research analyst with Neurometry.

I started as an intern on the SME Internship Scheme from January to April and then Neurometry extended my contract.

Neurometry is a start-up that is developing cognitive training tools for older adults. The company is based in London but mostly works remotely.

A photo of Emma, smiling to the camera.
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Tips for applying for laboratory internships

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Are you an undergraduate looking for laboratory internships?

Finding lab internships for the first time can be confusing, you may be unsure how to start and feel a little overwhelmed. We’ve taken the opportunity to break this down and share some insights from Carol Huang, a UoB MSci Plant Science student, who has successfully gained opportunities within the UK and Europe. 

When should I apply?

  • Peak time is November to January ready for a summer start (typically July – September) 
  • Some will be available later in the year (but usually only accessible via supervisors who have secured funding) 

Generally, there’s two routes to getting a lab internship for the summer

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