Are you a current undergraduate student interested in health and social care research?
Do you study a health or social care related degree?
We have an exciting opportunity for three ambitious undergraduate students who are in the 2nd and/or penultimate year to join the Centre for Psychological Research (PsyCen) on a 24-week, part-time internship funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The successful applicants will work on one of three projects supported by academics across the departments of Psychology and Speech & Language Therapy at Leeds Beckett University. You will work with the specific project supervisors to develop the project details, but the broad topic areas you can choose to work in are:
1. Developing a multidisciplinary research agenda to address the needs of people receiving speech and language therapy following neuropsychological impairment. (Supervised by Dr Magda Jordao and Dr Sarah James)
2. Exploring the experiences and perceptions of people with stroke-induced aphasia of using AI to support communication and literacy, through a qualitative focus group study. (Supervised by Dr Lindsey Thiel)
3. To explore intersectional inequalities experienced by women in midlife and develop community-specific physical activity resources using creative methods to inspire behaviour change and participation (supervised by Dr Nova Deighton-Smith and supported by Dr Allie Welsh - CSS)
Each project will give you the opportunity to gain valuable research skills and experience, for example, in developing research questions, literature searching, patient and public involvement and engagement activities, and applying qualitative and mixed methods data analyses. We are also looking for interns to develop their own contributions to our research team, particularly supporting creative dissemination of research outputs.
The internships will be hosted by the Centre for Psychological Research (PsyCen) within the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. PsyCen is an internationally renowned research group comprising over 70 research active staff from Professors to PhD students. You will be hosted primarily within the Health and Wellbeing or the Speech and Language group investigating a broad range of applied research related to the quality and safety of healthcare, public and population health, mental health, physical health and wellbeing. As an undergraduate intern, you will join our thriving network of applied health and/or speech and language therapy researchers and gain experience of qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods research in health and social care or speech and language therapy. You will also have the opportunity during the internship to explore other groups of interest within PsyCen including Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience.
At the end of the internship, you will be invited to present a poster or oral presentation at the PsyCen Postgraduate Research Conference, as well as being invited to a joint NIHR celebration event where you will share what you have learned. There will also be potential for conference presentations and publications to stem from each of the respective projects.
You will have access to an extensive training and supervision programme throughout your internship, and there will be opportunities to network with current MSc and PhD students, as well as members of academic staff from across PsyCen.
As an NIHR undergraduate intern, you will:
• Be studying for an undergraduate degree (2nd and/or penultimate year) in a subject related to health and social care (e.g. psychology, speech and language therapy, physiotherapy, nursing, occupational therapy etc.)
• Have an interest in pursuing a career in applied health and/or social care research.
• Have enthusiasm to learn new skills.
• Be able to manage your time effectively to balance your undergraduate studies with the internship.
At the end of the internship, you will be invited to present a poster or oral presentation at the PsyCen Postgraduate Research Conference, as well as being invited to a joint NIHR celebration event where you will share what you have learned. There will also be potential for conference presentations and publications to stem from each of the respective projects.
You will have access to an extensive training and supervision programme throughout your internship, and there will be opportunities to network with current MSc and PhD students, as well as members of academic staff from across PsyCen.
To arrange an informal discussion about this post, please contact Dr Magda Jordao at [email protected].
Closing date: Sunday 30th August 2026 (23:59)
Interview date: Friday 25th September 2026 (this may be subject to change)
Please be advised that due to the minimum salary thresholds imposed by the UKVI, this post will not qualify for university sponsorship for new applicants to the Skilled Worker visa route. You must have the right to work in the UK to apply for this vacancy.
We welcome applications from all individuals and particularly from black and minority ethnic candidates as members of these groups are currently under-represented at this level of post. All appointments will be based on merit.
Leeds Beckett University is a Disability Confident Employer. Disabled candidates who demonstrate all essential criteria within the Person Specification will be invited to an interview.
