Students experience postgraduate study in UNIQplus research internships

Last week we said goodbye to the UNIQplus students who joined us for seven weeks to get a taste of postgraduate study.

The University’s UNIQplus research internships are offered across a range of subject areas and are for talented undergraduates from under-represented groups who may find continuing into postgraduate study a challenge for reasons other than their academic ability.

We were delighted to welcome a cohort of these students to the department in early July to work on Professor Seth Flaxman’s research project ‘Understanding and mitigating bias in medical AI’. Tawfeeq, a recent graduate from Lancaster University’s Software Engineering programme, took part in the project to get a taste of what postgraduate studies are like before committing to further study.

Whilst in the department his research work focused on machine learning and healthcare, and he worked with healthcare data and AI models, exploring strategies to identify and mitigate bias in healthcare systems.

Beyond the research itself, Tawfeeq had the opportunity to develop his personal network:

I met amazing interns across different departments and connected really well with my supervisor. Tawfeeq Hamayun UNIQplus research intern

The programme has also helped Tawfeeq consider whether postgraduate study is right for him.

This experience made me much more interested in pursuing a research career. Although I had some understanding of what postgraduate studies involve, this internship allowed me to experience what life as a postgraduate researcher is like and helped me better understand whether this path is right for me. Tawfeeq Hamayun UNIQplus research intern

We're pleased to know that the interns who join us in the department come away valuing their experience and believing in the opportunities that UNIQplus can provide. Tawfeeq enjoyed his time on the programme and said that

the experience may completely change your perspective, or at the very least provide you with valuable skills, experiences, and networks that will benefit you throughout your career. Tawfeeq Hamayun UNIQplus research intern

These internships provide students with a chance to experience postgraduate life and develop research skills but also develop connections and invaluable networking skills to take with them into their future.

We wish the interns that joined us this summer the best of luck in their future study and careers.

Find out more about the UNIQplus Research Internships here: https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/access/uniq-plus