Work Opportunities

We offer a number of opportunities for students to gain paid work experience in the School.

Centenary Research Scholarships

In 2025 the School of Chemistry celebrated 100 years of Chemistry at the University of Leicester. Providing opportunity for our current and future students has been at the heart of our mission from the outset. As we reflect on our history, we are extremely grateful to our alumni community whose generous donations have enabled the Centenary Research Scholarships to be established. These scholarships will give valuable experience to more of our undergraduate students, allowing them to experience working in our world-leading research teams and helping them make informed decisions about their future careers.

Projects will be advertised annually, with our first cohort of Centenary Scholars expected to carry out their research in Summer 2026.

Polymerise

We are proud to live and work in Leicester, a 'superdiverse' city. This diversity is reflected in our undergraduate courses, where we have one of the most diverse chemistry cohorts in the UK. Despite this apparent success at undergraduate level, we recognise that diversity in the chemical sciences falls rapidly at all career stages beyond graduation. In order to address this 'chemical imbalance' we have instigated the Polymerise project, providing ring-fenced funding for undergraduates to gain valuable research experience (paid at a reasonable living wage) in order to empower students from under-represented communities to pursue scientific careers after graduation. Our hope is to help our talented students become the future leaders that chemistry needs.

Projects are advertised annually, typically with 3-4 positions available each Summer.

Undergraduate Research Bursaries (RSC)

The Royal Society of Chemistry Undergraduate Research Bursary scheme is targeted at students in the middle years of study at either BSc or MChem level. These nationally-competitive bursaries offer up to 8 weeks of paid research internships each Summer, in order to encourage undergraduate students to consider careers in scientific research. Here at Leicester we have a good track record for supporting student applications to these placements, and each year advertise for expressions of interest from our undergraduates.

Chemistry Ambassadors

Throughout the year there are opportunities for students to act as ambassadors for the School of Chemistry. You may meet some of our current ambassadors at an Open Day or Offer Holder Day event. Our student ambassadors meet with visitors and prospective students, giving tours of our facilities and helping take part in chemistry demonstrations. Ambassadors are paid at an attractive hourly rate for their work.