SBS students awarded over $250,000 of funding for Canadian research internships.

12 Apr 2022

22 students from the School of Biological Sciences have been selected to take part in the Mitacs Globalink Research Internship scheme this year.

Mitacs is a competitive UK-Canada research mobility programme which co-funds undergraduates to complete an intensive 12-week summer research internship at a Canadian university.

The successful SBS students will be conducting their research in 11 different participating institutions, including the Universities of Toronto, British Columbia, Alberta, Montreal and McGill. Projects will be completed under the supervision of a professor and range from “Cellular underpinnings of neurodegenerative diseases” to “Role of nuclear mechanics in accelerated cell ageing”, “Cannabinoids effects on sleep and breathing” and “Drug metabolizing enzymes in zebrafish”.

The funding of 12,000 Canadian dollars per student covers research costs, travel, a living and housing stipend, industry events and professional development workshops and access to a mentor scheme. In total, 42 students from the University of Manchester will be taking part in the scheme, five co-funded by the University of Manchester, and the remainder fully funded by Mitacs, a not-for-profit Canadian national research organisation.

Students had to initially be nominated by the International Programmes Office (IPO), part of the International Development Division of the Directorate for the Student Experience (DSE). Successful students could then apply to between three and seven research projects on the Mitacs database before being selected by the host university.

Oriana Newman, who is studying for a BSc Biomedical Science with Industrial Placement, will be going to the University of Saskatchewan to undertake research on ‘Genetics and Cellular Mechanisms of Cardiac Rhythm Disorders’. She says, “I applied to the Mitacs scheme because I was aware of the importance of gaining research experience during my degree to be in good standing for job offers and postgraduate study. Academically, I am hoping to gain some more technical skills in the lab, and also some more knowledge on experiment design. My project is a new project for the whole lab, so I think this will be a great insight into the project design and experimental decisions that come with starting a new study. Personally, I am looking to gain some more self and social confidence. I am excited to meet my Mitacs professor and the rest of the lab in person, it sounds a really fun and friendly environment”.

The call for student applications for summer 2023 will open in summer 2022. For more information on the Mitacs GRI programme please see the University of Manchester Go Abroad website.