DCAT vacation studentships

The DCAT vacation studentship scheme offers students at the University of Dundee the unique opportunity to work in a research environment during their summer break, with a large selection of varied projects to select from (in 2023 there were 19 projects available).  

• Projects typically last 4-8 weeks, and students get hands on experience of a research project.
• They may be held in research groups across the University of Dundee and are not restricted to laboratory work.
• These studentships generally offer a monthly payment at the ‘real living wage’ (depending on the funding body), and if you are unsuccessful in securing funding from external bodies, internal funding is available from various funds held within the University.
• Upon completion of the project, students are expected to write up their work in the form of an abstract.

Over the summer of 2023 we administered funding to one student for a project of 30 hours per week, for 8 weeks. A second student secured a funding award from the Society for Endocrinology for their 6 week project. Feedback from previous years has been very positive with all participating students indicating that they would recommend the scheme to friends and colleagues.

Please contact the DCAT admin for further information regarding potential funders.

Apply for a DCAT vacation studentship

The DCAT Vacation Studentship Scheme is very popular. Students are selected based on academic performance and a personal statement and can be from any academic year (although 4th year medical students are not eligible to apply due to timetabling constraints). 

Once the SSC component has finished, please contact the DCAT admin in the first instance. If there are places available, you will be sent a link to an online application form. This requires submission of:

• a brief CV (1-2 pages) outlining your work and research experience (please include your complete academic performance)
• 300-word personal statement indicating why you would like to undertake a vacation studentship.

If you have discussed a specific project with a supervisor and wish to apply for DCAT funding, please highlight this in your personal statement. Having an agreed project with a supervisor does not guarantee a vacation studentship.