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Research Traineeship in Biology I

Research traineeship in biology allows you to deepen you understanding of how scientific studies are conducted. By taking part in the day to day work you will gain insight into the work at a biological institution.

With a research traineeship you largely control what you will learn, by choosing a supervisor and tasks that suit your own interests. The aim is that you should be able to perform the practical and/or theoretical tasks agreed upon . You should also be able to plan and document your work in a satisfactory way. Important skills both for your continued studies as well as future work.

Information for admitted students summer 2023

In order to get you off to a good start, we have gathered the important things you need to know here. Read through carefully and if you have any questions, please contact us.

It is your responsibility to ensure that you are registered on the correct course. If you do not register then your place can go to a reserve (see Registration). In good time before registration, you must check if you are eligible with conditions. If you have conditions you cannot register (see Eligible with conditions). If you do not want the place, however, it is important that you decline your place as soon as possible, so that someone else can get the chance to go the course (see Declining your place). See also below for information on studying with a disability and if you are placed as reserve.

Eligible with conditions

If you did not meet all the eligibility requirements for the course when you applied then you are eligible with conditions. It is stated in your acceptance letter from Universityadmissions.se if you are eligible with conditions. In that case, you cannot register as the department must first assess your eligibility.

Check the requirements under "Eligibility" here on the course page. To qualify, all requirements must be met before the course starts.

As soon as you meet the requirements, send a message to our student office with the following information:

  • Subject line: Conditional admission
  • Your name
  • Which course(s) you are admitted to

If you have questions about your condition, you can contact our student office.

Read about eligibility

Registration

Our courses generally apply online registration. To be able to register online, your student account must be activated and any conditions assessed. In order to maintain your place on the course, you must register within the registration period.

Registration periods in summer 2023:

  • Registration for all courses opens 8 May and closes on the Sunday closest to one week before the course starts.
  • Traineeships, research traineeships and degree projects are open for registration throughout the semester (see more below).

If you have trouble registering, please contact our student office before the last registration day. Otherwise you will loose your place on the course.

Register online

Traineeship and research traineeship

If you submitted your work plan for traineeship or research traineeship, or your research idea for degree project, before the deadline and had it approved, you have been admitted to the course and can register, provided you meet any conditions (see "Eligible with conditions" above). If you  submitted your work plan / research idea after the deadline, you have been placed as reserve and will be admitted as soon as it has been approved. If you have not yet submitted your work plan / research idea, you can read more about this further down on this page under "More information / How to apply".

Studying with a disability

If you need special pedagogical support, you can apply for support measurs. You should apply as soon as possible after you have been admitted to take advantage of the best possible support.

Read how to apply for support

Once you have your Nais certificate, contact the study counsellor for a meeting where we will go through the recommended support measured. After the meeting, you should contact the course coordinators for the courses you will attend and inform them that you have been granted support, so that they can prepare well.

Declining your place

If you no longer want your place, it is important that you decline your place so that another applicant can get the place. Please note that you can only decline your place at Universityadmissions.se before the registration period begins. After the course has opened for registration and three weeks after the course has started, you can decline in Ladok. Declining the place later than three weeks after the start of the course is counted as having dropped the course. If you drop the course you will not be able to apply for the course again.

Declining your place at universityadmissions.se

Reserve place

If you have been given a reserve place you may be admitted if someone declines their place. If there is cause for reserve admission then you will receive notice one to two weeks before the course starts. For traineeships, research traineeships and degre projects see more information above.

Read about reserve roll call

More information about your studies with us

On our website you will find more information about your studies with us.

su.se/big/english/

  • Course structure

    Before you apply you should read under the heading More information to find out where you can do the traineeship, how you find a work place and what to think about when you write the work plan.

    Teaching format

    Research traineeship is tought through supervision. During the course you will take part in the day to day work in the research group, this can include labwork, field work, data analysis, reading of iterature, seminars and group meeting. As part of the course you are also expected to document the planning, implementation and reflection of your work in a logbook.

    Assessment

    You present the research traineeship in the form of a logbook. This means that you should spend a bit of time each day during the traineeship writing down what you have done during the day and reflecting on this. The research traineeship is examined based on your logbook as well as a verdict from your supervisor.

    Examiner

    Kenneth Ekvall
    E-mail: kenneth.ekvall@su.se
    Telephone: +46 (0)8-16 4071
    Meetings after booking by e-mail

  • Schedule

    The schedule will be available no later than one month before the start of the course. We do not recommend print-outs as changes can occur. At the start of the course, your department will advise where you can find your schedule during the course.

    Research traineeship 7,5 credits equates to 4.5 weeks of fulltime work.  The course does not have set start and end dates, but you should apply for the course the period that best fits when you plan to do the traineeship. Which weeks you will work and what workhours you should keep is an agreement you make with your supervisor, these are then specified in the work plan which must be approved by the examiner.

  • Course literature

    Note that the course literature can be changed up to two months before the start of the course.

    Research Traineeship in Biology does not have any official literature. Depending on your traineeship you may be expected to read different forms of literature, if so, this is something that you will discuss with your supervisor.

  • Course reports

    Collated answers for all of 2021 (not only spring term)

  • More information

    How to apply

    Before you start your internship, you must follow all these steps:

    • Apply as usual on Universityadmissions.se. Apply to the period that best matches your plans.
    • When the application has closed, you will receive a link to a form where you fill in the workplace and work plan (see more information below). The deadline for submission is normally about one month after the application closes.
    • When the workplace and work plan have been approved by the examiner, you will be admitted (assuming that you are eligible) and you can register online. Note that you must have passed Research traineeship in biology I before you can be admitted to and register for Research traineeship in biology II.

    You can not start the traineeship until you have registered for the course! This is important because you are not insured by the university until you are registered.

    The workplace

    Research in biology at Stockholm University spans across the subject from genomics, greenhouse gas producing baltic clams and the cost of advanced brains to natural resource management. In other words there are many different exciting research groups to look for a traineeship placement.

    It is your responsibility to find a workplace and supervisor, BIG does not supply placements. To get the most out of the course it is important that you think carefully about what your personal ambitions are with the course, and which research group can best help you achieve them. When you have found a group that suits your interests and aims you make contact with the researcher in question. Useful practice for job hunting.

    Get in touch early with the research groups where you would like to do the traineeship, preferably before you apply for the course, some groups need good time margins to be able to schedule a traineeship.

    You can find information about the different research groups and their contact details on the departments websites:

    Traineeships outside of Stockholm University

    It is also possible to do traineeship at other workplaces than Stockholm University, however, these require a Bachelor's degree.

    Read more about our different traineeship courses

    The work plan

    The work plan is an agreement between you, your supervisor and the examiner, to ensure that your work during the traineeship is relevant to the course. When you write the work plan you will familiarise yourself with the work place, the supervisor and what is expected of your work. It is therefore important that you develop the plan in consultation with your supervisor, while you write the plan independently.

    When you have applied for the course, and the application round has closed, you will receive a link to a form where you fill in and submit your work plan. In order for you to be admitted to the course, the work plan must be approved by the examiner (see "How to apply" above). The following points must be included in the work plan:

    • Supervisor's name, position and e-mail address
    • Preliminary start date
    • Description of the workplace (max 150 words)
    • Job assignments (max 150 words)
    • Expectations and own learning objectives (max 150 words)
    • Time plan where you specify approximately how many days/weeks you will spend on each task
  • Contact

    Student office
    Study counsellor for basic level