Placement Schemes

One of the core aims of ACCESS is to increase the accessibility and impact of environmental social science. We can do this by building capacity for more effective inter- and trans-disciplinary working amongst environmental social scientists and those we work with.

High-quality placement schemes hosted by credible organisations can help. They provide an opportunity for academic social scientists to improve their interdisciplinary research skills and gain experience of applying social science insights in practice.

Placement schemes can offer important development and networking experiences, especially in helping researchers understand more about policy development and delivery. For example, UK Research and Innovation offers UKRI-funded PhD students a three-month placement at an influential policy organisation. The Open Innovation Team, which tends to have broader eligibility criteria, offers placement opportunities for PhD students to work across a range of policy projects.

Sarah Golding at the 2023 Summer School at Dartington Hall

Work placement experience

One of our ACCESS Knowledge Exchange Fellows, Sarah Golding, completed an RCUK (now UKRI) policy internship during her time as a PhD student.

You can read more about her experiences on placement at Public Health England here.

Sarah told us:

“I really valued having the opportunity to take time out from my PhD studies to complete a policy internship at Public Health England. I worked across a variety of topics and projects, usually in interdisciplinary teams, and gained insight into the needs and priorities of my public sector colleagues. I learned a lot from them about how social science evidence can be communicated and used in a non-academic context.

I found the whole experience to be very enjoyable and affirming, if a bit daunting at times! Completing the placement strengthened my resolve to focus my post-PhD career on projects that enable the application of social science evidence in ways that can directly improve people’s lives. In fact, I am pretty sure my placement experience contributed to securing my role as a Knowledge Exchange Fellow for ACCESS. For example, I gained valuable skills and understanding of a public sector environment (that I could mention on my CV!), a transdisciplinary publication record with my public sector co-authors, and an increased passion for working at the science-policy interface.”

Why join a Placement Scheme?

Specific benefits and opportunities vary depending upon the host organisation and remit of the placement, but in general, such schemes can help to:

Bring together academics, policy makers and practitioners to share knowledge and work collaboratively on applied projects
Extend networks across different disciplines and sectors to help form co-production partnerships
Build relationships and generate shared experiences with new colleagues
Increase environmental social scientists’ understanding of a range of professional contexts
Build capacity amongst environmental social scientists to support important policy goals such as Net Zero and Nature Recovery
Enable more effective use of social science knowledges to help us shift towards fairer, safer and more sustainable societies

How do I find a Placement Scheme?

Externally-hosted placement schemes are signposted on our training news page, in our newsletter and on our social media channels X and LinkedIn.

We advise you to always check details and eligibility criteria directly with hosting organisations.

Please subscribe to our newsletter for updates on the latest placement opportunities, as well as other events, jobs, funding and news from ACCESS.

We do not maintain a comprehensive database of placement schemes, and you will probably find other opportunities through internet searches and word-of-mouth within your own networks.

Please let us know about any placement schemes that might be of interest to the wider ACCESS network by contacting us.

Placement Case Studies

Working at the Welsh Government

Blog by Dr Caroline Verfuerth at CAST & Cardiff University and Dr Laura de Vito at the University of the West of England (ACCESS Leadership College Fellow). Both reflect on their fellowship placement at the Welsh Government.

Want to know more about PhD internships with devolved governments?

There are increasing opportunities for social science PhD students to undertake internships in public sector organisations. These internships can help develop new skills, extend networks, and a greater understanding about using social science evidence in practice.

Welsh Graduate School for the Social Sciences

Board room with presenter at the front and others sat round a table

The WGSSS trains top-level social scientists across Wales on a range of issues affecting society today.

They prepare doctoral students for their future careers through the generation of knowledge and building of intellectual capacities and research skills that allow outstanding contributions to be made to environmental, political, economic and social development.

WGSSS is part of a national network of 14 ESRC accredited Doctoral Training Partnerships across the UK providing PhD students with access to quality research training in the social and economic sciences as well as internships to further develop their knowledge and expertise.

Work placement case studies

Here, we showcase two examples of doctoral training centres in Wales and Scotland that are enabling social scientists to gain work experience outside of academia.

The Scottish Graduate School of Social Science

People looking at an open laptop outdoors

The SGSSS is the UK’s largest facilitator of funding, training and support for doctoral students in social science. By combining the expertise of sixteen universities across Scotland, the school facilitates world-class PhD research.

The school is funded jointly by the Economic and Social Research Council and the Scottish Funding Council.

SGSSS offers comprehensive and world-class research training in a number of discipline-specific and interdisciplinary pathways. Including internships which offer students further opportunities to develop their research, knowledge exchange and transferable professional skills.

Work placement case studies