Summer Research Bursaries

Nature of Bursaries

The purpose of the Summer Research Bursary scheme is for undergraduate students to gain research experience via a summer project led by a BSR member, and thus to encourage future careers in rheology.

Each bursary is for up to £3500, including at most £500 for consumables if required. This will fund 6-8 weeks full time work at most Universities. Applications for students wishing to work part–time will also be considered.

Successful awards will be transferred to the host institution; it is the responsibility of the lead supervisor to inform their respective administrative departments of the award. We recommend costings are discussed with the host institution prior to applying; a short breakdown of costs is required in the application form (see below).

A bonus payment of £100 will be made to the student on receipt of a report suitable for publication in the Bulletin of the Society.

The closing date for receipt of applications is Friday 28th March, 2025.

Eligibility

Applications must be made by the lead supervisor.

The lead supervisor must be a BSR member and must be a researcher in rheology at a university or industrial research laboratory within the UK. A supervisor may support no more than one student application. Priority will be given to projects led by postdoctoral researchers or early-career academic staff. Co-supervisors may be included in the supervisory team. 

Students are not required to be a BSR member.

Students may only take up the bursary during the summer vacation between the intermediate years i.e. students must have completed their second year of their undergraduate degree. Students in the final year of their degree intending to undertake a taught Master’s degree immediately following their undergraduate degree may apply. Applications from first-year undergraduate students will not be considered.

Students will normally be expected to be on track for a first-class or upper second-class degree in order to be considered. Students must be registered at a UK institution for the majority of their undergraduate degree. 

Supervisors and students do not necessarily have to be based at the same institution, however we expect that they will work together at the same institution for the duration of the project and have regular meaningful personal contact (an average of 1 hour per week meeting in person is the minimum expected).

Bursaries will only be granted for the student named on the application form; awards are not transferable between students.

Assessment Criteria

Applications will be assessed on the following criteria:

1.   Clarity of proposal
2.   Relevance to current topics in rheology
3.   Impact and timeliness of research topic
4.   Track record of student
5.   Benefits to career of student
6.   Motivation of student
7.   Involvement of an early career researcher on the supervisory team
8.   Clarity of research plan
9.   Quality of supervision
10. Feasibility of project

How to apply

The application form below should be completed jointly by the student and the lead supervisor and submitted by the lead supervisor by the above deadline. (Note that the lead supervisor must log in as a BSR member to submit the form on the website.)

• Please provide a summary of the research that will be undertaken by the student, suitable for a non-expert audience; provide a synopsis of the research problem, its context and significance, and its potential impact. You may mention how the work will fill existing gaps in the literature (Max 1500 characters).

• Please explain why the student is a suitable recipient for this undergraduate research opportunity; explain the student’s motivation, how the student’s previous experience is relevant, and how it will help the student in their future studies and career aspirations. You may include details of the student’s current marks and estimated final grade, any relevant scientific interests, courses they have taken or are planning to take, and what inspired them to undertake research as an undergraduate (Max 1500 characters).

• Finally, please provide a summary of the supervision and support that will be provided by the host institution, including any co-supervision. Provide a short breakdown of costs, with a justification for any consumables requested; the student must receive, at minimum, a living wage for the duration of the project, which may vary with location and the host institution’s policy (e.g., £8.60 per hour, 35 hours per week, 8 weeks total + £500 consumables = £2908 total). The costings must be discussed and agreed between the student, the lead supervisor, and the host institution. Please include a project timeline, stating clearly the intended project dates, and any further opportunities for training and dissemination of the results. (Max 1500 characters).

Summer research bursary form