School of Physics and Astronomy
Work experience in the School
Would you like to have a week of work experience in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Leicester?
Local students from Years 10, 11 and 12 can apply for the relevant week:
- Year 10/11 students: Monday 22 June – Friday 26 June 2026
- Year 12 students: Monday 29 June – Friday 3 July 2026
Year 10/11 students
Year 12 students
Closing date for applications
- Friday 17 April 2026
Successful applicants will hear back from us via email by 24 April 2026
The work experience schedule for 2026 is still being arranged but is likely to include helping with projects like these:
- Understanding Europa: What instruments can we use to better characterise this mysterious icy moon orbiting Jupiter?
- Earth observation techniques: What can we learn by looking down on the Earth from space?
- Giant planet auroras: Using data from the Cassini spacecraft and the Hubble Space Telescope to explore how the magnetic fields of the giant planets interact with the Sun
- Mission panels: A chance to debate which missions we should fund in the future!
- Mercury’s surface: We’re in the planning phase of a Mercury lander, but where should we land?
- Space weather’s effects on the Earth: How can the Sun cause electricity grids to fail, GPS systems to malfunction, planes to be re-routed and even potentially disrupt animal migration?
- The hunt for exoplanets: What can we find out about these planets, and how can we characterise them?
- Black holes and gravitational waves: The latest developments in the hunt for gravitational waves, and what we have planned for the future
Programme Details
Who will I be working with?
The School of Physics operates a cohort based work experience programme, you will join a group of around 35 other students taking. These students will be of the same age, and like you, will share an interest in Physics and the potential career opportunities available to them. Over the week you will have the chance to get to know these people and there will be a range of tasks that will involve the opportunity to work with them.
What will I do?
Over the course of the week you will undertake several different activities. These will give you insight into the different working styles within physics research. You may find yourself doing some hands-on experimentation in our labs using scientific equipment. On another day you will be engaged in coding or data analysis using computer software. In another session you may be working through some theoretical problem solving with a small group to explore a physics concept. This range of activities is designed to highlight the variety that exists within physics.
Who will be supporting us during the week?
To help you find your way around campus and to support you during the programme you will have several points of contact. Each of the activities will be led by one of our academic staff. They will guide you through the activities and provide support to help you understand. All of them have experience of working with our undergraduate students so will be happy to help you. Alongside this there will be several current physics student ambassadors that will be available all week to guide you round campus and share with you their experiences of studying physics at the University of Leicester. They will accompany you to each session as well as being available during the breaks to ensure that should you have any problems or worries during the week they will be able to help you.
How much will it cost and what do I need to bring?
The School of Physics work experience programme is provided free of charge. There is no cost to take part. All the equipment you need will be provided however we do recommend you bring a notebook and something to write with to take notes and complete some of the activities which may need you to write things down. Also lunch is not provided as part of the programme so we recommend bringing it with you. There are food venues you available on site so you can choose to use those as well. A list of those venues can be found here: https://le.ac.uk/food-drink/outlets though please note, the work experience programme takes place at the end of term. So some of these locations may be unavailable.
Where will the programme take place?
The majority of the work experience programme is held at the University of Leicester (LE1 7RH) from 9am to 4pm each day. One day of the programme will take place on the Space City Campus (LE4 5SP) located on the other side of Leicester. To accommodate potential extra travel this day is often a little shorter (9:30am to 3:30pm). The individual activities will take place in various locations on campus to give you an opportunity to explore the University of Leicester. Student Ambassadors will be with you all week to help you get to the right places to ensure you don’t get lost.
Why should I take part in this programme?
The work experience programme within the School of Physics is designed to give you a great opportunity to explore what physics research is like. We ensure that you get a chance to work with each of our research groups giving you insight into the different aspects and topics that are covered by physics, from astrophysics to Earth observation science. To do this we select a range of activities that will allow you develop a range of new skills. This can include coding, presentation skills, problem solving, data analysis, experimentation skills and more. During the programme you will also get the chance to meet with physics researchers and students who can help you learn more about what its like to study physics at university. Finally, the group based approach mean you will also get to meet lots of other local young people who share your interest in Physics.