Student Casual – Summer Internship for project on Ethnic minority NHS Staff- Applied Health Sciences- Grade 5 – 907368

Main duties

The intern will contribute to two small projects: 

1. Contributing to a literature review 

2. Conducting statistical analysis of survey data. 

Project 1: Contributing to a literature review 

The intern will assist with a literature review that seeks to provide guidance for the conduct of research using realist evaluation methods. A key component of realist evaluation is the production of programme theories which explain how and why programmes work or fail to work. Realist programme theories are often complex and difficult to depict visually. Poor visualisation can reduce the usefulness of programme theories. There is, thus, a need for guidance on how realist programme theories can be best depicted visually for clarity, rigour, and usability. The intern will contribute to a literature review that will systematically map the literature on visual depiction of realist programme theories. The intern will contribute to the screening of the literature and data extraction. Further, they will synthesize the extracted data and write and publish an academic blog post, summarising their findings. 

Project 2: Conducting statistical analysis of survey data

The intern will conduct statistical analysis of NHS staff survey data. This work relates to an ongoing research project funded by the NHS Race and Health Observatory on bullying, harassment, and abuse towards ethnic minority NHS staff. This intern will analyse NHS staff survey data to examine levels of bullying, harassment, and abuse experienced by ethnic minority NHS staff from patients, relatives and members of the public. The intern’s analysis will a) compare levels of bullying experienced by different ethnic groups; b) investigate whether bullying is influenced by individuals’ social characteristics such as gender, social class, religion, nationality, and professional group; and c) examine whether bullying is associated with perceptions of discrimination and fairness. These analyses will help in creating a more detailed picture of bullying, harassment, and abuse experienced by ethnic minority NHS staff.

The intern will be supervised by Dr. Ashok Patnaik, Research Fellow in the Department of Applied Health Sciences, who will provide structured guidance and support. Additional mentorship will be provided by Dr. Justin Aunger, Senior Research Fellow, thus ensuring a supportive and enriching learning environment.

The intern will be supported to attend relevant training courses run by the university, e.g. on literature reviewing, quantitative research methods, statistical analysis, and the use of software such as EndNote and Covidence. The successful applicant will be given the opportunity to attend the prestigious Health Services Research UK 2026 Conference at the University of Manchester (30 June – 1 July, 2026). 

In addition to gaining hands-on experience with specific aspects of research, the intern will be exposed to broader aspects of health services research. The intern will be supported to connect with other researchers at the School of Applied Health Sciences to get a better sense of what a career path in health services research or academia could mean. This may include This may include attending research team meetings and academic seminars; meeting PhD students, early career researchers, and senior academics; working with Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) groups to see how PPI works; and more. 

Supervision, support and training will be provided throughout the placement, with regular progress meetings and clear learning goals to ensure a productive and enriching experience.

Required knowledge, skills, qualifications & experience

1. Interest in a career in health services research or academia; thematic interest in the sociology of professions and work-related inequalities 

1. Enrolled in an undergraduate degree programme at a UK university. Suitable disciplines include:

• Health research methods 
• Sociology 
• Psychology 
• Economics 
• Business Management 
• Mathematics 
• Statistics
• Biomedical science 
• Or a closely related subject

1. Year of study: Applicants must be in their second or third year of undergraduate study and currently enrolled in a course. 

2. Availability for on-campus placement: The successful applicant must be available to attend the University of Birmingham campus for the full 8-week internship (full-time). The preferred dates for the internship are between 6 July, 2026 and 28 August, 2026; however, some flexibility may be possible, depending on circumstances. The applicant should be able to come to the office at the Murray Learning Centre, University of Birmingham, at least 3 days a week during their internship. 

Further Information

To apply, please submit:

1. A CV 
2. A covering letter / letter of motivation (One A4 page, in size 12 font) addressing:

• why you are interested in this internship; 
• what skills, experience or perspectives you would bring to the role; 
• what you hope to gain from the internship; and 
• how you intend to make use of what you learn during the internship in the future. 

Interviews for shortlisted candidates will be held in person at the University of Birmingham in June, 2026. Remote interviews via Zoom or Teams may be arranged, depending on individual circumstances. 

This role is open to undergraduates from all backgrounds. We particularly welcome applications from students from professional backgrounds under-represented in health research, including but not limited to low-income and / or ethnic minority backgrounds.

This internship does not have the potential to lead to a permanent role, but the intern will gain valuable experience and connections useful for a career in health services research or academia. 

For informal enquiries, please contact Dr. Ashok Patnaik (a.patnaik@bham.ac.uk)

The University of Birmingham restricts all students to working up to 20 hours per week during term time for a maximum of 13 consecutive weeks. If your application is successful and your course does not follow the usual academic term timetable (e.g.  PGT, PGR or PhD student), you and your supervisor must formally agree vacation periods if this role exceeds 20 hours per week. In addition to this, please be aware if you are an international student you will be required to apply to the Registry for the appropriate authorised absence. 

You are only eligible to apply to this role if you are a current University of Birmingham student. If you are not a University of Birmingham student your application will not be considered.

To work you will need to carry out a right to work check. These checks will need to be completed prior to work commencing.

Regarding the use of AI in applications, we review hundreds of applications and shortlist candidates based on their unique perspective, motivations and potential. Cover letters generated through, or edited by, AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT or CoPilot) are easy to identify. They produce generic answers and will not score highly enough to progress. You may use AI tools for research, but all written content in your application must be your own work. Authenticity and originality are key to standing out in this process. 

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we’re unable to contact all applicants individually. You can check the progress of your application by logging into the Worklink jobs portal using the same email address you used to apply. If you haven’t heard back within six weeks of the closing date, please assume your application has been unsuccessful.