Tag: Science

My SME Internship: Jack – Ocki Sustainability

Posted on by Careers Service

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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My SME Internship: Tom – QLM Technology 

Posted on by Careers Service

Hello! My name is Tom and I took an internship with QLM Technology for 3 months, funded through the SME Internship Scheme. 

I initially contacted the company through their website and quickly received a response and interview from the R and D Team. I had heard about the company through their links with Bristol University and the QTEC Quantum incubator program that the company was founded from.

I was looking to gain experience in research and experimental science, since my degree had unfortunately been impacted by COVID, reducing the opportunity for me to access labs during my studies. The company were happy to host me and give me the opportunity to learn lab skills while also seeing how a small company works. 

A photo of Tom smiling in a white shirt.
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Working for a scientific SME: advice from professionals

Posted on by Careers Service

“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 

Posted on by Careers Service

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

Posted on by Careers Service

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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