Work and Train in Metabolism and Systems Science

The Department of Metabolism and Systems Science, College of Medicine and Health, an interdisciplinary research Department, is always committed to training the next generation of scientists, part of which is the very successful summer school which runs for six weeks after the end of the academic year between June and August. (Dates TBC 29th June - 8th July 2026).

The Department's Summer School, led by Dr Angela Taylor and Dr Maria Makarova is a unique opportunity providing hands-on experience researching metabolism and endocrinology.

The School of Medical Sciences provides an invaluable opportunity to perform scientific research and to bolster student CVs. Some of our past summer students have found their experience so rewarding they have returned to intercalate or to take their PhDs at the University of Birmingham.

Each year the Department of Metabolism and Systems Science Summer School students join the department to work with our Principle Investigators (PIs) in their research groups. Students spent six weeks in the Department, learning research and analytical techniques, attending weekly skills sessions and have the opportunity to participate in seminars and other activities. Students from any higher education institution nationally and internationally are welcome to apply. 

Applications

Applications for the MSS Summer School 2025 open on 24th November 2025. The closing date for applications is Friday 30th January 2026.

Who is eligible to apply?

Students should currently be an undergraduate and must not be in their final year of study (between years 2/3 or 3/4). We encourage students from any biological/chemical field to apply, including Medicine (MBChB), Biomedical Sciences (BMedSci), Biochemical Engineering, Biosciences, Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacy (MPharm).

Is any funding available to support Summer School students? 

This is an unfunded program, however there may be some funding available. Students are encouraged to work with their supervisors to identify potential internal and external funding to support living and/or associated research costs. Obtaining funding support is not always possible but this will not impact on the student's placement.

For questions regarding any aspect of the Metabolism and Systems Science Summer School please contact Dr Angela Taylor or Dr Maria Makarova.

For more information about our researchers

Read more about the Department of Metabolism and Systems Science and the Department Principal Investigators

Here are some comments from previous summer students.

Application Form

Please complete the application form on this page in order to apply for the MSS Summer School. The closing date is midnight Friday 30th January 2026. For questions regarding any aspect of the Summer School, please contact Dr Angela Taylor or Dr Maria Makarova.

The Department of Metabolism and Systems Science, an interdisciplinary research department, is always committed to training the next generation of scientists.

The Department hosts students registered for a research masters degree in the UK or Europe to complete projects that can be written up for a masters thesis. The students work for a period of up to 12 months in a host laboratory within the Department.

Interested students should contact Department group leaders directly.

Find out more about the Department Principal Investigators and their research 

Find out more about the Metabolism and Systems Research PhD/MSc by Research

The Department of Metabolism and Systems Science is committed to training excellent scientists and healthcare professionals, with a strong ethos of delivering outstanding undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate teaching underpinned by cutting-edge research, in line with the University of Birmingham 2026 vision.

Department staff participate in the delivery of several UG programmes including MBChB, BSc Biomedical Science (BSc), MPharm, BDS, and the intercalated BSc Clinical Sciences. In addition, Department staff contributes to UG teaching for the School of Biosciences.

Department staff regularly serve as personal tutors for students on the MBChB, BMedSc and MPharm programmes, contribute to MBChB Year 1 research taster sessions and supervise electives and audit projects of MBChB students. Department staff regularly supervise final year dissertation projects for BMedSc and intercalated BMedSc Clinical Sciences students.

Find out more about our undergraduate courses.

Find out more about our postgraduate taught courses.

See our latest PhD opportunities on FindAPhD.