The Society for the Study of Human Biology (SSHB) is offering financial grants to support undergraduate research bursaries in human biology. It is anticipated that a maximum of two awards will be made in 2022. Each award will be up to £1500 (£210 per week student bursary for a maximum of six weeks, plus up to £240 in total for incidental and consumable costs; it is expected that other research costs, if any, will be met by the supervisor’s institution). Students supported by an undergraduate bursary will also be given a complementary student membership of the Society.
The purpose of the bursaries is to give undergraduates (normally between the second and third years of study) the opportunity to undertake a specific supervised research project during the summer vacation. The research project must fall within the remit of the SSHB (the general advancement and promotion of research in the biology of human populations in all its branches, including human variability and genetics, human adaptability and ecology, and human evolution). Retrospective applications are not permitted. Successful applicants must submit a report within one month of completion of the project. Those who receive an undergraduate research bursary are encouraged strongly to present their work at a meeting of the Society.
Eligibility
The scheme is open to full members of the Society who currently supervise, or have the opportunity to supervise, undergraduate project students. Applicants may be based in any organisation that undertakes research into human biology, including (but not confined to) universities, museums and NGOs, provided that adequate supervisorial, research and infrastructure support are available and outlined in the application. The undergraduate project student must be named but is not eligible to apply directly to the scheme; the supervisor applies on behalf of the student. Applicants who are not full members of the Society are permitted to apply for full membership at the same time as they submit their application. Membership application forms can be found HERE.
How to apply
Applications include a short abstract (250 words) and a 1000 word summary of the proposed project (see form below). The supervisor’s experience in supervising undergraduate and other students should also be detailed, along with the research environment and facilities for the research. A brief CV of supervisor (no longer than 2 pages of A4, including education, employment history, and publications) and named project student (including assessment transcript) should also be uploaded on the form.
Applications will be assessed in relation to the quality of the work submitted, the suitability of the student to undertake the proposed project, the suitability of the applicant to supervise the project, and the relevance of the topic to the aims and scope of the SSHB. Applications that fail to adhere to the guidelines will not be considered. All applications will be reviewed by referees appointed by the SSHB committee.
Deadline and submission
Applications should be submitted online, on the official application form available on the Undergraduate Bursary scheme section of the SSHB website by Friday, 24 June 2022. Decisions will be communicated to applicants no later than the 30 June 2022.
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