Summer Research Internships
Each summer there are opportunities for Oxford Mathematics (including joint schools) students to remain in Oxford to work on a research internship under the supervision of a member of the Mathematical Institute. These projects last for between 4 and 10 weeks and typically require a knowledge of second-year mathematics. Projects in receipt of departmental funding are limited to a maximum of 6 weeks long. The internships are principally aimed at second and third years.
This scheme is separate to the University's Summer Internship Programme, details of which are available here: https://www.careers.ox.ac.uk/summer-internships-sector-list
Finding a Supervisor
It is your responsibility to find a willing supervisor and co-ordinate a project application with them. You should not presume that any faculty member will be willing to supervise a project as many academics will be out of Oxford in the summer or otherwise busy. The teaching faculty of the Mathematical Institute are divided by subject panels. To help streamline the process of finding a supervisor, panels will nominate members as contacts to connect students with potential supervisors. Details of those nominated will be circulated via email in Hilary Term. You are welcome to approach any of the nominated panel contacts. In addition, you can approach any member of the department to ask whether they could supervise a summer internship; your college tutor will be able to advise you about this. You should discuss the project with your potential supervisor, to give you and the supervisor an opportunity to think further about what the project might involve, and whether you are the right student to do it.
Finding Funding
Once you have found a supervisor, you will need to find funding for your internship. You should talk to your supervisor and college tutor who may be aware of possible funding sources. The Research Facilitation team within the Mathematical Institute will circulate information about external funding schemes such as EPSRC and LMS. Alongside these it's important that you carry out your own research into potential external sources of funding. Please note that in order to access departmental resources during your project your external funding must match the Oxford Living Wage.
Departmental Funding
The department has some funding for summer internships In order to apply you will have to complete an application form alongside your supervisor by the deadline, exact details will be advertised by email in Hilary Term. Once the deadline has passed, the applications are ranked by a committee of faculty members. Priority will be given to students who have not completed a summer project before. A student’s academic profile – usually judged on the basis of previous exam results, but also on the basis of tutors’ references – is important, but the committee seeks to shortlist a range of students diversely taking projects across a range of mathematical topics. Typically though, exam results need to average 65+ USM (or even higher) to be competitive.
The maximum length of a departmentally-funded project is 6 weeks and a supervisor can nominate at most 4 students. Projects must begin before the end of July. Departmental funding will be initially awarded to those highest ranked, but some others will be put on a reserve list who will receive funding should higher ranked students gain other sources of funding.
The departmental funding correlates to the UKRI standard, paying the Oxford Living Wage for a 36.5-hour week. This is £14.06 per hour for 2026. You should also investigate other sources of funding, including whether your college is able to help (some are). College support can sometimes be given in terms of free or subsidised bed and board.
In order to use the departmental funds to support as many projects as possible, it is a requirement that you also apply to any other funding opportunities that are open to you. If you have received funding from the department previously, this will be taken into account when considering your application.
If you have any questions regarding the Summer Projects scheme please contact the Academic Administration team or Dr Richard Earl.