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The Francis Crick Institute is recruiting undergraduates for its 2027 sandwich student programme: a paid, 12-month placement in one of its research groups or science technology platforms, working on a defined research project. Applications close at 12 noon on Tuesday 6 October 2026, so if you’re interested, start today.
A placement year is one of the best ways to find out whether research is for you before you commit to a PhD, and the Crick is about as well-resourced a place to try it as you’ll find in the UK. If you supervise undergraduates, this is worth passing on.
What you get
Sandwich students are employed on a 12-month, full-time contract as a Sandwich Placement Laboratory Research Assistant. The salary is set to cover living and travel costs in London. You’ll work on your own project within an established lab, with access to the Crick’s facilities.
The programme includes an induction, internal and external seminars, and scientific and professional development training. Towards the end of the year you’ll get training in presentation skills, then present your work at the Crick Sandwich Student Symposium. Placements start in early July 2027.
The projects
Each student joins a specific project, and only the supervisors listed on the 2027 sandwich student positions page are recruiting. Most projects are in general biomedical science, from protein design and organoids to microscopy and mass spectrometry. For anyone heading towards neuroscience, the Social Circuits and Connectomics Laboratory is offering a project on the neural circuits underlying social foraging. Read the project descriptions before you start the form, because you need to choose one.
Who can apply
You must be:
- registered at a UK university and studying for an undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline, such as biological or biomedical sciences, physics, chemistry, engineering, maths or computer science
- in your second year of study (third year at a Scottish university), with at least one further year to complete after the placement
- on a degree that includes a formal placement year, or able to show you can interrupt your studies for 12 months
- eligible to work in the UK. International students at UK universities can apply if the placement year is a formal part of their degree and their visa or settled status allows a year of full-time paid work.
Students at universities outside the UK aren’t eligible.
How to apply
Apply online through the Crick. You’ll need a referee, and references are due by Tuesday 13 October 2026. Your application will still be considered if the reference arrives late, but ask your referee now rather than on the day you submit. Late applications aren’t accepted.
The skills that get a placement application noticed are much the same as for a first research job, so our guide to applying for a research assistant job is a useful read before you write your personal statement.
Full details are on the Crick sandwich students page.
Apply by 12 noon (BST), Tuesday 6 October 2026.
