The Summer Studentship research programme is a great opportunity to experience research first-hand. Often results are published as reports, media releases, or journal articles. Many of our summer students go on to other research opportunities.
Several of our leading researchers were summer students and are now leaders in their field and experienced supervisors.
The programme provides you with the opportunity to work within an excellent research environment and to mix with researchers and postgraduate students who are working at the forefront of their fields. You'll become familiar with a complete research experience, from project planning and data collection through to reporting results in a public forum.
You will have a supervisor to guide you through your project.
There are projects to suit many academic disciplines including medicine, sciences, humanities, and informatics.
How do I apply?
Available projects will be advertised on the website here from 1 September.
You should then get in touch directly with supervisors who you are interested in working with via their listed email address. Supervisors will confirm a place with you and pass your information on to the summer studentships office.
What do I need to send to potential supervisors?
When you email a potential supervisor, please include the following information:
- Full name
- Email address
- Degree
- What year of study you are in
- Describe any previous research experience you have and why you want to do a summer studentship
- Include a copy of your CV
Who can apply?
You can apply if you are enrolled at any New Zealand Tertiary Education Provider for next year. Preference is given to University of Otago students and those who have not had a Summer Studentship experience previously.
How and when do I get paid?
The value of the scholarships are NZ$7,000, which is paid as a non-taxable educational grant during the studentship with the aim of encouraging students to take up a research career in New Zealand.
You will receive four payments in November, December, January, and April/March upon completion.
Structure of the Summer Studentship programme
Each project is approximately 10 weeks full‑time commencing in November and finishing in late-January to early-February with a two‑week break over New Year. A support programme is provided to students with a series a workshops. The Welcome and Poster Showcase Events are highly recommended for all students.
Key dates
Note the key deliverable dates and our poster showcase event: