Applications are open for the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE2025) scheme for 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th year Leicester undergraduates.

The SURE programme provides paid opportunities for capable undergraduates to get a flavour of what it is like to work at the cutting-edge of research in the School of Physics and Astronomy and Institute for Space.

We will host 5-10 Leicester undergraduates (currently in the 2^nd to 4^th year of a degree) for paid internships, working on Central Campus or at Space Park Leicester. Internships will be for a maximum of six weeks (37.5 hrs/week) and can be undertaken at any point between June 9^th and August 29^th, subject to negotiation with the proposed supervision team. You will be expected to attend a training session in May, present the results of your internship to the School during September, and to provide any required reports of your work to your supervisors.

We particularly encourage applications from students who have not benefitted from an internship in the past and are yet to secure a graduate position, for whom an internship will likely be of greatest benefit for their long-term ambitions.

Application Process

To make an application, please complete the form here (requires a University login). That form will request:

• a selection of three projects from the list below;
• a personal statement, of less than 500 words, explaining your motivation for applying for a SURE internship, what you hope to gain from the scheme, and how your skills and experience make you well suited to excel at any of your selected projects;
• a curriculum vitae, uploaded as a one-page PDF, which should summarise your qualifications, employment history, and any relevant experience or achievements;
• confirmation of at least 8 weeks between June 9^th and August 29^th when you are available to work (you may, optionally, specify preferred dates); and
• a nominated referee (who will only be contacted for a standard Unitemps reference if you are successful).

Applications will be accepted at any time before 10am on Monday February 10^th. Please do not leave it to the last minute, as there will not be an opportunity to redress errors.

Selections will be made by a panel consisting of the SURE supervisors below, with decisions announced by April 2025. The criteria for selection include:

• Progress and grades during your degree to date;
• Suitability for the chosen research project, including appropriate computational or experimental skills; and
• Context of the application such as how this may benefit the candidate’s career ambitions, improving access to research for underrepresented groups, and topical decisions for PhD research or further employment.

Please address any queries to adam.povey@le.ac.uk.

Project Descriptions

Please continue to check back as more projects may be added to the list below.

ARM25: Harassment and/in the Scientific Space Community

AVA25: A Study for the MMX Space Mission: Martian Material Contamination on Phobos’ Surface
BRI25: New Analytical Microscopy Techniques at the University of Leicester
CHA25: The Evolution and Impact of Accretion Disk Winds in an X-Ray Binary System
EYL25: Identifying Mid-Infrared Counterparts to Gamma-Ray Bursts
FAT25: Detailed Wetland Classification in Bangladesh Using Earth Observation Data and AI
HUM25: Investigating Greenhouse Gas Concentrations Over the UK Using Ground-Based Remote Sensing
JOY25: Studying Mars with Artificial Intelligence
LAP25: Investigations of Spontaneous Ultra-weak Biophoton Emission
LIN25: Modelling X-ray Fluorescence in the Lab for the BepiColombo Mission
POV25: Foreseeing famine – improving surface temperature retrievals ability to monitor food security
SPA25: Studying the Phenotypic and Epigenetic Responses in Pollinator Bombus terrestris Under Martian Conditions: Implications for Mars’ Habitability

ARM25: Harassment and the Scientific Space Community

Supervisor team: Dr Eleanor Armstrong, Prof Emma Bunce
Categories: Data Analysis
Location: Campus

This project will focus on harassment in the space sector. At present, data about harassment are limited and disparately located. For example, there are a handful of surveys that tackle these experiences within the space sector directly (such as the Royal Astronomical Society Bullying and Harassment Report 2023). However, much existing data are located in other reports or publications that focus on gender, racial, or sexual minorities in the field, personal testimonies, or news media. Through independent research, the intern will collate data from these different sources; and together we will work towards conducting a review of these data toward publication or presentation at a conference. This project is based in social science methodology, not physical sciences, with a focus on the space community.

Structured by guiding research questions, the student will create a database of exiting data (grey literature, surveys, interviews, published scholarly research) as the foundation of the project focusing on space science workplaces, and physical sciences education (as guided by the student’s interests). The student will be introduced to theories from gender studies that will help us grapple with the material that is gathered, and to inform the outcomes of the project, as such existing knowledge in this field is not required. Please note this project will tackle experiences of harassment (racism, sexism, gender-based discrimination, etc), and while we will work together and the supervisor will provide support for spending time with these themes, these may not be topics all students want to spend time with. This project will not involve interviewing people about their experiences at Leicester or elsewhere but is likely to involve reading secondary data about experiences of harassment and other harms.

AVA25: A Study for the MMX Space Mission: Martian Material Contamination on Phobos’ Surface

Supervisor team: Dr Chrysa Avdellidou, Dr Hannah Lerman, Dr Melissa McHugh, Prof Ian Hutchinson
Categories: Experimental
Location: Campus

After previous successful sample return missions to the two most abundant asteroid types (carbonaceous and stony), JAXA’s Martian Moon eXploration (MMX) sample return mission aims to solve the long-debated origin of Martian moons Phobos and Deimos. This will be the first attempt to sample an object that either formed in the Kuiper Belt and implanted into the terrestrial planet region by a major dynamical process (the first origin scenario); or formed from a large impact and subsequently accumulated material from two, very possibly compositionally different, bodies, i.e. Mars and the impactor (the second scenario). In either scenario, impact processes by asteroids and meteoroids have altered the surfaces of the Martian moons and require investigation. To study Phobos and place the returned sample into the above context, MMX will carry a variety of instruments, where the combination of their data will permit study of the impact processes.

In this project, we will study the contamination of Phobos by exogenous material, delivered by small body impactors or Martian ejecta after large impacts on Mars. To do so, we will use state-of-the-art Phobos and Martian simulant materials. We will mix Phobos and Martian simulant materials at different ratios simulating the implantation of exogenous material on Phobos surface. These mixtures will be analysed using UV to mid-IR spectroscopy in the labs of the School of Physics and Astronomy. These analyses will provide a lower limit for the contamination detection.

The outcome of this project will be combined with impact experiments that we run in parallel. Longer term, the results of this internship will be compared to the MMX MIRS spectra (0.9–3.6 μm) to ascertain the approximate minimum volume of material required for the detection of Martian contamination of Phobos.

BRI25: New Analytical Microscopy Techniques at the University of Leicester

Supervisor team: Prof John Bridges, Dr Gareth Douglas, Dr Leon Hicks
Categories: Experimental
Location: Campus

Planetary materials research at the University of Leicester involves analysis, with a wide range of microscopy-based analytical techniques, of meteorites and material returned from missions to asteroids and comets, the Moon, and ultimately Mars. Every year we hold one or two RAS and SURE-funded planetary materials internships to help develop some aspects of our research and instrumentation.

This year the student(s) will be trained in the use of electron microscopes and in particular aspects of a Zeiss microscope system (housed in the Advanced Microscopy Facility in the Michael Atiyah Building) which allows correlated Computer Tomography, focused ion beam, femtosecond laser and high-resolution electron microscopy. This ‘Hercules’ system can provide highly accurate compositional and textural analyses of planetary materials, combining datasets in a unique way. The femtosecond laser and ion beam can also potentially be used to mill and extract microscopic components, with minimal sample damage, for space instrumentation. This internship will involve understanding the theory and analyses of selected planetary materials and other material to help build our capability with this instrumental technique – which is unique in the UK and Europe. It is suitable for students interested in an interdisciplinary type of experimental space science project.

CHA25: The Evolution and Impact of Accretion Disk Winds in an X-Ray Binary System

Supervisor team: Dr Jaiverdhan Chauhan, Dr Rhaana Starling
Categories: Data Analysis
Location: Campus

Black hole X-ray binaries (BH-XRBs) are a special class of binary stars where a black hole accretes matter from a less evolved donor star. BH-XRBs spend most of their time in quiescence, but occasionally, BH-XRBs undergo an event of enhanced accretion referred to as an outburst, which is bright across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. The duration of an outburst varies from a few weeks to a few years.

Throughout their outburst cycles, BH-XRBs show characteristic X-ray spectral states, namely, hard, soft, and intermediate states. These states are thought to be connected to the geometry of the accretion flow near the black hole. During an outburst, along with the increased rate of mass transfer through the accretion disk, BH-XRBs also show ejection of matter through powerful jets and accretion disk winds. Despite the significant detection of accretion disc winds, the underlying physics behind how and where the winds are launched is not fully understood. The impact of the accretion disc winds on the state transition and the launching of the radio jets is not well known either. In this project, you will study the evolution and impact of accretion disk winds in BH-XRB MAXI J1535-571 using archival data from the Chandra X-ray satellite. You will analyse Chandra satellite data using CIAO software to generate the energy spectrum. You will model the energy spectrum in XSPEC software, and study disk winds and their evolution over time.

EYL25: Identifying Mid-Infrared Counterparts to Gamma-Ray Bursts

Supervisor team: Dr Rob Eyles-Ferris, Dr Rhaana Starling
Categories: Computational, Data Analysis
Location: Campus

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most powerful explosions in the universe and are powered by the collapse of massive stars or the merger of neutron stars. GRBs also power a luminous afterglow, bright across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, and can be accompanied by supernovae or more elusive kilonovae. GRB afterglows and their accompanying transients have been investigated across the spectrum from X-ray to radio but are relatively unexplored at mid-infrared wavelengths (1–10 microns).

In this project, you will use results from the 10-year NEOWISE mission. NEOWISE performed a full sky survey every six months, observing over 10% of the sky on a given day. A significant fraction of GRBs have therefore occurred coincident in time and space with NEOWISE observations. You will develop and adapt code to carry out cross-matching to identify potential mid-infrared counterparts. You will analyse these counterparts to determine their properties and gain further understanding of the extreme physics underpinning GRBs.

FAT25: Detailed Wetland Classification in Bangladesh Using Earth Observation Data and AI

Supervisor team: Dr Khunsa Fatima, Dr Rob Parker, Chandana Pantula
Categories: Computational, Data Analysis
Location: Space Park Leicester

Bangladesh’s diverse and dynamic wetland ecosystems are vital for biodiversity conservation, sustainable livelihoods, and climate resilience. This project aims to exploit high-resolution PlanetScope and Sentinel satellite imagery to perform detailed wetland classification across various regions of Bangladesh. Employing the spectral and spatial richness of satellite data, the project will use advanced image processing techniques, including machine learning and deep learning methods such as Random Forest and U-Net, to achieve precise delineation and classification of wetland types.

Key objectives include addressing challenges such as seasonal variations, spectral similarities between wetland classes, and potential data gaps caused by cloud cover. To improve classification accuracy, the project will integrate supplementary datasets, including Digital Elevation Models and hydrological maps. Based at Space Park Leicester, this initiative offers the student practical experience in remote sensing, environmental monitoring, and state-of-the-art computational tools, while contributing valuable insights to wetland conservation efforts in Bangladesh.

HUM25: Investigating Greenhouse Gas Concentrations Over the UK Using Ground-Based Remote Sensing

Supervisor team: Dr Neil Humpage, Dr Rob Parker
Categories: Data Analysis with option for Experimental
Location: Space Park Leicester

Emissions of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄), as a result of human activities, have been identified as the primary drivers of climate change. In response, the UK government has committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, with a 78% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2035. Achieving this requires robust monitoring of atmospheric CO₂ and CH₄ concentrations to accurately quantify the sources and sinks of these gases, and to track progress towards the UK’s GHG emissions reduction goals. The National Centre for Earth Observation is currently setting up a new, state-of-the-art, nationwide network of ground-based remote sensing instruments that will monitor GHG concentrations over the UK, called GEMINI-UK. Once established, we expect that data from GEMINI-UK will play an important role in verifying UK GHG emissions.

The primary aim of this project is to analyse the first GHG concentration data taken at operational sites of the new GEMINI-UK network. By looking at both long-term trends and daily variations in the concentrations of CO₂, CH₄ and other gases, we can investigate the emissions sources and other physical processes that drive changes in the abundance of GHGs in the atmosphere. A second potential research direction involves exploring the potential to use GEMINI-UK data for ground-based validation of satellite missions targeting greenhouse gases. In addition, if the student is interested in gaining practical fieldwork experience there may also be opportunities to assist in testing, set up and/or maintenance of GEMINI-UK instrumentation, either at Space Park Leicester or at one of the GEMINI-UK sites.

JOY25: Studying Mars with Artificial Intelligence

Supervisor team: Dr Simon Joyce, ???
Categories: Data Analysis, Computational
Location: Campus

There are now various spacecraft orbiting Mars and sending back data on the plasma environment and atmospheric properties. The huge variety and quantity of data available presents many opportunities for discoveries. However, traditional analysis techniques are too slow to take full advantage of the data available. New techniques, being developed in the fields of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, may be adapted to the study of Mars.

In this project we will investigate what types of data are available from different spacecraft, and identify suitable AI techniques to apply to them. This will provide practical experience of how to select AI methods appropriate for the available data and how to develop a working AI system. This project will suit someone with an interest in planetary exploration and computation. Some experience with Python programming would be beneficial.

LAP25: Investigations of Spontaneous Ultra-weak Biophoton Emission

Supervisor team: Prof Jon Lapington, Dr Ivan Reading
Categories: Experimental, Data Analysis
Location: Campus

Ultra-weak biophoton emission results from the innate ‘natural’ emission of light by all biological systems due to biochemical activity associated with internal, typically metabolic, processes. It is distinct from bioluminescence, which is light generated by living organisms through evolutionary mechanisms towards a specific purpose. The much lower intensity of biophotons make it difficult to detect as the flux is typically ~10s to 100s of photons s^-1cm^-2 and emission is over a broad spectrum, typically from infra-red to blue.

In this project the intern will perform experiments using a newly developed photon-counting, imaging camera system designed specifically to measure biophoton flux at both high spatial and temporal precision. An initial aim is to investigate biophoton emission from germinating seedlings, showing images of biophoton emission versus time interspersed with time lapse images using white light illumination to record plant morphology and growth.

LIN25: Modelling X-ray Fluorescence in the Lab for the BepiColombo Mission

Supervisor team: Dr Simon Lindsay, Dr Julia Cartwright
Categories: Computational, Data Analysis
Location: Space Park Leicester

Having launched in 2018, the BepiColombo mission is in the final stages of its interplanetary cruise to Mercury, where it will begin its science phase in April 2027. This ambitious joint European Space Agency (ESA) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) mission consists of two spacecraft that will study Mercury’s interior, surface and space environment. The Mercury Imaging X-ray Spectrometer (MIXS) instrument, which was designed and built at the University of Leicester will study Mercury’s surface composition by measuring fluorescent X-rays excited by the Sun.

With the science phase of the mission drawing near, the UoL MIXS team members are hard at work laying the foundations for a successful mission: this internship offers the student an opportunity to collaborate with the team and to be a part of this critical work. We have assembled a unique laboratory at Space Park Leicester that features the MIXS flight spare instrument, and is able to measure X-ray fluorescence within a simulated Mercury environment. The intern will help us to generate and analyse data using a sophisticated X-ray fluorescence model developed in-house, while also working towards validating these outputs against measurements taken in the lab. Given the broad range of experiments being performed, we are looking for an intern with coding experience, who has an interest in gaining mission, instrumentation and sample analysis experience.

POV25: Foreseeing famine – improving surface temperature retrievals ability to monitor food security

Supervisor team: Dr Adam Povey, Dr Agnieszka Soszynska
Categories: Computational
Location: Space Park Leicester

Food security has long been a concern for economic development, social stability, and national independence. The well-being of billions of people relies on stable supply chains that can foresee crop failures caused by drought or disease. Achieving net zero is reliant on sourcing more food locally, which increases sensitivity to weather. The National Centre for Earth Observation supports crop monitoring through satellite observations of land surface temperature to identify signs of plant stress or damage. This relies on the solution of an ill-posed problem – determining both the temperature and emissivity of the surface from too few observations for an analytic calculation. The most widely used method to perform this calculation is the Temperature and Emissivity Separation (TES) algorithm, but it lacks a correction for the influence of water vapour, aerosols, and other atmospheric constituents. That decreases accuracy in humid atmospheres and over vegetated areas, limiting the ability to monitor food security.

In this project, the intern will work across disciplinary boundaries to assess the sensitivity of TES to the conditions common over cropland by simulating real-world conditions with the RTTOV radiative transfer suite, developed by the UK Met Office. These simulations will guide refinement of TES by identifying the most important processes to include within future versions of the algorithm. Some real-world experience of scientific programming would be useful, particularly in Python, though neither is required.

SPA25: Studying the Phenotypic and Epigenetic Responses in Pollinator Bombus terrestris Under Martian Conditions: Implications for Mars’ Habitability

Supervisor team: Dr Vassilia Spathis, Dr Hollie Marshall
Categories: Experimental
Location: Campus

Mars is one of the most explored bodies in our Solar System, with efforts to return samples to Earth via the NASA Mars Sample Return program currently underway. As a rich destination for scientific study, targets are also being set towards human exploration of the red planet, presently scheduled for the late 2030s. NASA’s Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) missions, simulating year-long stays on the Martian surface in preparation for this, are providing critical data on crew factors (e.g. physical / behavioural health, performance) and the development of knowledge and tools needed for humans to one day live and work on Mars. However, to sustain life long-term and reduce stress on supplies and biodome infrastructure, ecosystems similar to those on Earth would need to be developed that allow for crop growth, pollination, and decomposition of organic matter. Research is currently being conducted on the ability to grow crops in Martian simulant(s), including by the first CHAPEA mission, and it has been recently discovered that plants are able to adapt more rapidly to novel soil conditions when paired with interacting insects [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-49383-x]. It is therefore vital that we understand the phenotypic limits of plant-interacting insects, such as pollinators, in Martian environmental conditions.

This project will investigate the phenotypic and epigenetic responses to Martian conditions in the bumblebee, Bombus terrestris. Mated B. terrestris queens can start a colony with just one individual and have the ability to stay alive in a state of diapause, including underwater [https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2023.0609], making a good candidate species for long space journeys. Combining disciplines, the student will expose B. terrestris workers to Martian solar cycles, affecting the species’ circadian rhythm, as well as exploring the effects of low temperatures and UV exposure on the pollinators. They will record mortality rate, ovary development (a key phenotypic outcome in bumblebees) and behaviour. They will also examine epigenetic changes (i.e. molecular marks altering gene function) in key genes from control (Earth) and exposed (Mars) conditions. This project will provide preliminary data for a future joint grant, and will help explore ecosystem development and habitability on Mars.

FAQs

• Why only Leicester undergraduates? An aim of SURE is to boost the profile of Leicester undergraduates and help them secure prestigious doctoral studentships and competitive employment opportunities in environmental and space science.
• Will I be required to be in Leicester over the summer? Yes, projects will be conducted in person in Summer 2025, although hybrid working arrangements are possible in consultation with the supervision team. You will be expected to be near Leicester for the duration of your internship. To give supervisors some flexibility for holidays, applicants must state that they are available to work for at least 8 weeks between June 9^th and August 29^th.
• Why can 1^st years not apply? Lasting only six weeks, we have found that placements are most effective for students that have demonstrated aptitude in the fundamentals of a science or technology degree. This provides a foundation of shared knowledge for the project to build on. First year students will be eligible to apply next year.
• How will I be paid? Interns will receive an allowance from which they are expected to fund their accommodation, cost of living and travel expenses. We will use the Unitemps system of temporary staff hires. You will be paid monthly in arrears, meaning that your final payment will likely be made in September. Proof of right-to-work in the UK will be required before the internship begins and international students should check their visa restrictions before applying.
• Do I have to do all six weeks consecutively? No, you are able to charge a maximum of 6*37.5 = 225 hours for your internship via timesheets submitted to Unitemps. You can agree with your supervisors the best way to organise those hours over the summer.
• How much will I be paid? The scheme intends to employ at Grade 2 Spine Point 6, which is about 10% greater than the National Minimum Wage.
• Do you offer unpaid internships? Unpaid roles are inaccessible to low-income students and families, and we discourage students from accepting such positions. Your work and time are valuable, so you should be reimbursed for them.
• Are there other opportunities? Possibly – contact individual tutors, advisors, and staff to see if funds are available to support internships outside of the SURE programme (e.g. through fellowships). We will advertise any opportunities as soon as we are aware of them.