Student Casual – Summer Internship for project on Ethnic minority NHS Staff- Applied Health Sciences- Grade 5 – 907368 in Birmingham

The intern will be hosted within the Department of Applied Health Sciences (DAHS) at the University of Birmingham. DAHS is a thriving, multidisciplinary department of over 250 staff, known for world-class research and teaching excellence. It hosts NIHR Fellows, Senior Investigators, and Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences, reflecting its global leadership in applied health research. DAHS offers rich opportunities to aspiring researchers for engagement and methodological training. The University of Birmingham (UoB) fosters a research culture rooted in equity, openness, and collegiality. UoB’s commitment to excellence, integrity, and inclusivity ensures impactful research and high standards of training, mentorship, and professional development for students, interns, and staff.

We are recruiting an intern interested in a career in health services research or academia to work in the Department of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Birmingham. This 8-week paid internship, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, will take place full time from 6 July, 2026 to 28 August, 2026. It is open to undergraduate second or third-year students only (or later, if a 4-year programme). This internship provides an excellent opportunity to contribute to a high-impact health research project focused on reducing bullying, harassment, and abuse towards ethnic minority NHS staff. The intern will gain hands-on experience in working with real-world healthcare datasets, develop practical skills in literature reviewing and quantitative data analysis, and contribute to meaningful research that aims to improve NHS staff experience and healthcare delivery. This role is particularly suited to candidates seeking to develop practical research skills and gain insight into applied health services research on work-related inequalities.

Main duties:

• Contributing to a literature review
• Conducting statistical analysis of survey data

Project 1: Contributing to a literature review. The intern will assist with a literature review that seeks to provide guidance for the conduct of research using realist evaluation methods. A key component of realist evaluation is the production of programme theories which explain how and why programmes work or fail to work. Realist programme theories are often complex and difficult to depict visually. Poor visualisation can reduce the usefulness of programme theories. There is, thus, a need for guidance on how realist programme theories can be best depicted visually for clarity, rigour, and usability. The intern will contribute to a literature review that will systematically map the literature on visual depiction of realist programme theories. The intern will contribute to the screening of the literature and data extraction. Further, they will synthesise the extracted data and write and publish an academic blog post, summarising their findings.

Project 2: Conducting statistical analysis of survey data. The intern will conduct statistical analysis of NHS staff survey data. This work relates to an ongoing research project funded by the NHS Race and Health Observatory on bullying, harassment, and abuse towards ethnic minority NHS staff. This intern will analyse NHS staff survey data to examine levels of bullying, harassment, and abuse experienced by ethnic minority NHS staff from patients, relatives and members of the public. The intern’s analysis will a) compare levels of bullying experienced by different ethnic groups; b) investigate whether bullying is influenced by individuals’ social characteristics such as gender, social class, religion, nationality, and professional group; and c) examine whether bullying is associated with perceptions of discrimination and fairness. These analyses will help in creating a more detailed picture of bullying, harassment, and abuse experienced by ethnic minority NHS staff.

The intern will be supervised by Dr. Ashok Patnaik, Research Fellow in the Department of Applied Health Sciences, who will provide structured guidance and support. Additional mentorship will be provided by Dr. Justin Aunger, Senior Research Fellow, thus ensuring a supportive and enriching learning environment. The intern will be supported to attend relevant training courses run by the university, e.g. on literature reviewing, quantitative research methods, statistical analysis, and the use of software such as EndNote and Covidence. The successful applicant will be given the opportunity to attend the prestigious Health Services Research UK 2026 Conference at the University of Manchester (30 June – 1 July, 2026).

In addition to gaining hands-on experience with specific aspects of research, the intern will be exposed to broader aspects of health services research. The intern will be supported to connect with other researchers at the School of Applied Health Sciences to get a better sense of what a career path in health services research or academia could mean. This may include attending research team meetings and academic seminars; meeting PhD students, early career researchers, and senior academics; working with Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) groups to see how PPI works; and more. Supervision, support and training will be provided throughout the placement, with regular progress meetings and clear learning goals to ensure a productive and enriching experience.

Required knowledge, skills, qualifications & experience:

• Interest in a career in health services research or academia; thematic interest in the sociology of professions and work-related inequalities
• Enrolled in an undergraduate degree programme at a UK university. Suitable disciplines include: Health research methods, Sociology, Psychology, Economics, Business Management, Mathematics, Statistics, Biomedical science or a closely related subject
• Year of study: Applicants must be in their second or third year of undergraduate study and currently enrolled in a course.
• Availability for on-campus placement: The successful applicant must be available to attend the University of Birmingham campus for the full 8-week internship (full-time). The preferred dates for the internship are between 6 July, 2026 and 28 August, 2026; however, some flexibility may be possible, depending on circumstances. The applicant should be able to come to the office at the Murray Learning Centre, University of Birmingham, at least 3 days a week during their internship.

Further Information:

To apply, please submit:

• A CV
• A covering letter / letter of motivation (One A4 page, in size 12 font) addressing: why you are interested in this internship; what skills, experience or perspectives you would bring to the role; what you hope to gain from the internship; and how you intend to make use of what you learn during the internship in the future.

Interviews for shortlisted candidates will be held in person at the University of Birmingham in June, 2026. Remote interviews via Zoom or Teams may be arranged, depending on individual circumstances. This role is open to undergraduates from all backgrounds. We particularly welcome applications from students from professional backgrounds under-represented in health research, including but not limited to low-income and/or ethnic minority backgrounds. This internship does not have the potential to lead to a permanent role, but the intern will gain valuable experience and connections useful for a career in health services research or academia.

For informal enquiries, please contact Dr. Ashok Patnaik (a.patnaik@bham.ac.uk)