Image: Mattias Pettersson
A three-month residential internship will be awarded to support the Borealis UMF Fellowships. The internship includes accomodation at UMF and one return trip to UMF. Up to two Internships will be appointed each year. There is an active Internship round in spring 2025, see below.
Application streams
Stream 1: What makes Arctic microbes Arctic?
Prof. Sinéad Collins is a prestigious Borealis Fellowship at UMF. Sinéad is developing small experimental ice mesocosms that will allow controlled laboratory physiology and evolution experiments with ice-associated microbes. The successful intern will be part of a team examining how light levels affect the survival and grown of diatoms in artificial (laboratory) sea-ice versus in water - the first experiment in our new system. The intern should have a strong interest in laboratory experiments, and preferably some experience working with phytoplankton or other microbes. Since we are developing novel methodologies, practical trouble shooting and problem-solving is needed. The project is particularly suitable for a student considering further study in polar microbiology or algal physiology.
Sinéad will be present at UMF for training, and during some of the main experiments. She will be available by Zoom or email through the entire project.
Stream 2: Open stream
Applicants are chosen based on their academic excellence. If your interests are aligned with the Mission and Vision of UMF you may wish to consider applying via this stream. Full details on the UMF’s Vision and Mission can be found here.
It is expected the success rate for both streams will be similar.
Intern eligibility and application process
Intern applicants should be early-career (pre-PhD), with a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in marine science or a related field. Competitive candidates will have experience in, for example:
The following documents should be submitted as a single PDF by 2300 CET on 1st of April 2025 to umf@umu.se:
1. Application statement (maximum 1 page), which should include:
2. A CV inclusive of any publications and contact emails for two referees (maximum 2 pages)
Internship selection process
The Borealis UMF Fellow Selection Committee (including international representation), together with the successful Borealis Fellows, will review and rank applications. Key assessment criteria will be:
Mentorship and outputs
The Fellows and interns will be appointed as affiliated members of UMF and will benefit from access to all relevant UMF and Umeå University facilities, including the library. The Fellows and interns will be appointed an on-site mentor to support project progression and will be required to use their UMF affiliation address in any project outputs including publications, conference talks and outreach materials.
