Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), a member of Qatar Foundation (QF), invites undergraduate students to apply to its summer research internships. The programmes, an initiative by two of HBKU’s research institutes – Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI) and Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI) – aim to help build national research capacity by attracting students to the sciences, offering interns the opportunity to learn directly from industry specialists and work on innovative research projects.
HBKU’s third research institute, Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), offers internships to people interested in pursuing future research in the fields focused on by QEERI throughout the year.
This year’s two summer internships will run for seven weeks, starting on 7 May and ending on 22 June, and will be individually designed to fit each student’s area of interest. Students interested in participating are asked to apply to the desired programme by 31 March.
Interns working within each of the three HBKU research institutes are given the opportunity to spend time at the very heart of Qatar’s effort to use scientific innovation to support research objectives outlined in Qatar National Vision 2030.
QBRI’s interns will be selected based on their academic achievements and interest in research, and will be offered a unique opportunity to get involved in the institute’s research work transforming healthcare and combating Qatar’s health challenges. They will conduct hands-on laboratory research under the supervision of QBRI experts; directly contributing to research on cancer, diabetes and neurological disorders. A range of educational and professional development activities will also be built into the interns’ schedules to enhance their training and enrich their experience.
Programme Manager for the QBRI summer internships Lina Hassna said that the internship programmes provide students with the opportunity to experience biomedical research at QBRI, while learning more about the biomedical landscape in Qatar. She said that she hopes they pursue careers in biomedical as well as health research, and return to work at HBKU or other institutions in Qatar once they complete their studies.
At QCRI, which seeks to build innovation and technology capacity in Qatar by addressing large-scale computing challenges, interns will be offered the opportunity to work with specialists on research and development projects in Arabic language technologies, data analytics, social computing, cyber security and distribution systems. A background in computer science is preferred, but is not a pre-requisite to apply for the programme.
Having started with only six students in 2012, the QCRI summer internship programme is now on its fifth year, with interns in previous years being co-authors to major research papers and winning distinguished awards at the QF Annual Research Forum.
Interns taking part in QEERI’s year-round internship programme learn first-hand the country’s energy and water security grand challenges. They also get the opportunity to work on projects in accordance with their background and specific research interests. Each student gets matched with a research supervisor who helps them develop their individual internship plan.
The internship programmes at HBKU’s three research institutes continue to build talent for national development objectives, across their economic, environmental, human and social dimensions. Such opportunities to gain practical experience complement the theoretical instruction HBKU provides across all disciplines.
Students interested in learning more about the HBKU summer research internships are invited to visit qbri.org.qa.
