SRP 2026 - Information for students
As a student, participation in a research project can make a significant contribution to your transferable skills, add to your CV and help gain understanding of the research environment – and help determine whether this career direction is or isn’t for you. The King's Summer Research Programmes are aimed at students in the early and middle years of their degree, and you must be based in Cambridge for the duration of the project, even if the project can be completed remotely.
There are two parallel Summer Research Programmes, the Gatsby Summer Research Programme for the Sciences and the King’s Summer Research Programme for the Arts and Humanities, but a single application process. For both programmes, you may apply to work on a project which has been devised by a supervisor, or you can work with a supervisor to devise your own project.
Only students currently studying at King's College, Cambridge are eligible to apply for this.
There will be three start dates for projects in 2026, either 29 June, 6 July or 13 July. ALL projects have to start one of those days and run for a minimum of 6 weeks and a maximum of 10 weeks. There can be a break in between, but this should not be longer than 2 weeks, either consecutive or in total.
We are also planning a number of personal and professional development sessions to run every few weeks during the summer, either on a Monday or Wednesday from 9am - 10.15am. Attendance at these sessions is mandatory and you have to commit to this as part of the Summer Research Programme. Supervisors have been asked to design their projects with this in mind and students devising projects should consider this as well.
Open Placements
The King’s Summer Research Programmes provide students with the opportunity to gain real research experience with an academic at the University.
Each project has been designed to provide insight into the research environment and can make a significant contribution to your transferable skills and employability. By undertaking a research project you can:
- Develop or boost your research skills
- Make a significant contribution to your personal and professional development
- Increase awareness of research either in your academic field or in a new area together with associated techniques
- Gain valuable employment skills, experience for your CV and personal development
- Learn more about what academic careers are like while gaining skills that are useful for any career path
You do not need to be studying in the supervisor's subject area in order to apply for a project.
Applications for The Summer Research Programmes for 2026 are now open. The application deadline is 12noon on 9th March 2026.
You can view detailed project descriptions below:
When and How to Apply to the SRP
You can apply for the King's Summer Research Programmes by either applying for an existing project or by devising your own research project with the aid of a suitable supervisor. All proposals must last 6 - 10 weeks and you must be based in Cambridge for the duration of the project, even if the project can be completed remotely. Only undergraduate students currently studying at King's College, Cambridge can apply for the Summer Research Programmes.
When to apply
During Lent Term, King’s Fellows and College Research Associates have devised a series of projects that will present students with an insight into a range of research skills in an area that complements or extends their own research interests.
If you would like to submit your own project, please discuss this with a potential supervisor in the first instance - your supervisor can be a King's Fellow, College Research Associate or another University academic. External Supervisors may need to be made aware of the Summer Research Programme and it's parameters. Supervisors are not paid and it would be the responsibility of the supervisor to ensure that facilities, like supervisions, membership of a research group, lab spaces etc. are organised for the students. CRAs in particular will need to seek the agreement of their P.I. to run a project, so very important to keep in mind.
When contacting a supervisor to create your own project, you should already have a rough idea of what you want to do, what skills you reasonably will need and which you can expect to develop and why you should be the person doing this project. The project needs to start on 29 June, 6 July or 13 July, run for a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 10 weeks and be completed entirely in Cambridge. There can be a break, but this should not be longer than 2 weeks and a point of contact needs to be arranged if a supervisor is away for a longer period over the summer. If there is any doubt about the suitability of a potential supervisor, please enquire using the email address below. Once you have clarified all questions, please complete the online application form below.
Apply with your own project by filling in this form.
If you would like to apply to a project that has already been devised by a supervisor, please read the full project description first. The full list of proposed projects are available via the Open Placements page. Please read the project descriptions before filling in the online application form below.
Apply to an existing project by filling in this form.
Applications are now open. The deadline for applications is 12noon on 9th March 2026.
When to apply
Applications are now open, the deadline for submitting your application to a supervisor project or to submit your own project is 12 noon on 31 March 2026, with decisions to be communicated in mid- to late April.
Should you have any questions about the schemes, please contact research@kings.cam.ac.uk
Open Placements list
| supervisor name | Research Project Title |
| Iris Hardege | Exploring the complexity of dopamine signalling in the C. elegans nervous system |
| Jonathan Van Buskirk | Establishing design principles for lithiation in anodic battery materials to reduce surface degradation |
| Christoph A Hess | A machine-learning method for new estimates of popular literacy in China, 1650-1950 |
| Kyriakos Flouris | Quantum Machine Learning–Inspired Generative Models for Interpretable Simulation of Quantum Systems |
| Mark Dyble | Do humans really have the fattest babies? Updating our comparative perspective on mammalian adiposity and/or considering the life and work of Elsie Widdowson. |
| Mark Dyble | Mammalian monogamy in avian context |
| Alice Hutchings | Large-Scale Data Analysis of Cybercrime and Online Harms |
| Olaf Kranse & Tom Thirkell | Smart your research; Learning to automate data collection at Kings College Meadow |
| Nick Evans | Insatiable Greed: Medieval Economic Anthropology |
| Marco Tripodi | Mapping Brain Circuits using Viral Barcodes |
| Nile Stephenson | Coral reefs in space and time |
| Phil Knox | Reading and Book-Ownership in Medieval Yorkshire |
| Pedro Mendes Loureiro | The Prison Consensus in Brazil |
| Martin Hyland | Penrose's 8-conic theorem |
| Martin Hyland | Fermi Problems |
| Martin Hyland | Fixed point logic |
| Martin Hyland | Structure of School Mathematics |
| Charles Emogor | Modelling spatial hunting patterns in Nigeria |
| Fatemeh Rezaee | Unifying patterns in Algebraic Geometry |
| Laura Martin | Investigating an engineered PET-degrading enzyme |
| Umang Bhatt | Does AI make you a good teacher? Comparing expert and novice explanations from an existing study on AI-assisted knowledge transfer |
| Andjela Sarkovic | Mixing time of random graphs |
| Andjela Sarkovic | Directed expanders |
| Gillian Griffiths | Imaging killer cells of the immune system in action |
| Zelimhan Raduev | Heat exchanger correlations for hydrogen aviation |
| Stephen Cherry | The dramas of forgiveness and forgiving |
| Tiffany Harte | Characterising optical tweezers for ultracold atoms |
| James Taylor | Propulsion systems for eVTOL and eCTOL vehicles |
Summer Research Projects Srp Updated 2
FAQs
Who is eligible?
To participate in the Summer Research Programmes you need to be a current King's College undergraduate student in the early or middle years of your undergraduate study, i.e. not the final year of your study. You can be from any academic department and the project does not have to be in your discipline, but please make sure that you match the skills required for the project. Preference will be given to students in their 2nd year of a 3 year degree or the 3rd year of a 4 year degree.
Will everybody who applies get a place?
Unfortunately funding for the programmes is limited and interest in the projects usually exceeds the number of placements we can support. Students in the early or middle years of their degree are normally prioritised for placements, but suitability for the project and ranking by the supervisors are also taken into consideration when places are confirmed.
What kind of work will I have to do?
The project should be well represented by the project description put together by the supervisor(s), but we encourage you to contact the academic supervising the project to find out more.
Where should the project take place?
All students are expected to be in Cambridge for the duration of their project, excluding any breaks they have agreed on with their supervisor, even if the project could be completed remotely.
When should the project take place?
Projects should either start on 29 June, 6 July or 13 July 2026 and run for at least 6 weeks and a maximum of 10 weeks. There can be a break, during which you can leave Cambridge and return home for example, but this should not be longer than 2 weeks, either consecutive or in total. You need to agree this with your supervisor in advance. You should not work on your project during a break and you won't be paid your stipend during this time.
What does the Summer Research Programme award cover?
A Summer Research Programme award of up to £3,600 in total will be made to cover subsistence and accommodation in College (at the subsidised 'long contract' rate) for a 6-10 week period during the summer vacation, based on a weekly allowance of £360 for up to 10 weeks.
Accommodation in College will be arranged once the award is confirmed. You need to fill in the usual accommodation request form which is sent round ahead of summer by the accommodation officer.
When will I be paid?
You will receive payments on a weekly basis, usually on a Wednesday.
Can I apply for multiple projects?
No, you can only apply to one project.
Can I apply again, if I have been unsuccessful to get a place last year?
Yes, you are welcome to apply for a place again.
And can I apply again, if I have taken part in the SRP last year?
Yes, you can apply, but you will have low priority for a place.
Can I suggest my own ideas for projects?
Yes – students can propose a programme of research to be supervised by a King’s Fellow, College Research Associate or University Faculty member. We encourage students to reach out to potential supervisors to discuss their ideas before submitting an application. You will be asked to complete an application form and your proposed supervisor will be asked to write in support of your application.
Will I have to pay tax?
No. A Summer Research project is not employment, it is an educational opportunity to work with an academic on specific research.
Can I apply if I am an international student?
Any King's student may apply to do a project but you must, however, be based in Cambridge for the duration of the project - even if the project can be done remotely.
Can I take a break away from Cambridge during the project?
Yes, if your supervisor is happy with this, you can take a break during the project. You will not be paid during the break. The break can't be longer than 2 weeks in total.
Is there anything to help students prepare for the projects?
A welcome event will be held after the end of Easter Term to launch the programme and introduce you to other students undertaking similar projects over the summer. A number of workshops and events will take place throughout the summer to help you gain additional skills and to foster interaction with others on the research programme. Attendance at these workshops will be mandatory. More information will be provided when placements have been confirmed.
What happens after the projects finish?
Participating students will be expected to write a short report about their work once it has been completed.
In October we will hold an Undergraduate Research Showcase in College where you will share your findings either as a short talk or in the form of a poster presentation. Lord Sainsbury and representatives from the Gatsby Foundation will be invited to attend.