What is a UNIQ+ Research Internship?

Read about Tosin’s work on mechanical behaviour of sustainable high entropy alloys 
Supervisor: Professor David Armstrong, Department of Materials

Tell us about your project, what methods you used, and your results

"The aim of the project was to observe the microstructure of the novel refractory high entropy alloy. This was because we were not sure what it looked like and understanding the microstructure can lead to the explanation of the material’s behaviour. It was first necessary to confirm the chemical composition to ensure the alloy made was in the proportions calculated. After the predicted and actual compositions were found to be almost exact, we continued with other analytical techniques to give a holistic view of the material. To characterise the material, I used several different techniques, these all required metallographic preparation; cutting, mounting, grinding, polishing and finally, cleaning."

"I used Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to capture the microstructure, which uses a focused electron beam to test the surface of the sample. Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDX) to find the composition based on the microstructure, as different points can be specifically chosen for the EDX to create a spectrum on. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) to determine the crystallographic structure, whether the unit cell is BCC, FCC, HCP."

What did you learn and what skills did you develop throughout your internship?

"I have learnt the importance of resilience and perseverance when facing setbacks as well as adaptability when the results do not correlate with your expectations. I have also learnt what type of supervising style I would like to have should I do a DPhil/PhD. I have realised that scientific communication to non-technical audiences is just as crucial as communication to your research group/team. Time management or correctly assigning a time frame to a task is key. Attention to detail is also pertinent as carrying out methodologies carefully can affect your data and can make it easier to notice anomalies and know what they could mean. The ability to understand the effect on the bigger picture is also significant. Finally, I have learnt how important it is to think critically in order to solve any problems that arise and to take initiative or be confident in your solutions to drive the project forward."

Read about Joshua's research on Middle Eastern migration in 19th and 20th century North and South America 
Supervisor: Professor John-Paul Ghobrial, Faculty of History

Tell us about your project, what methods you used, and your results

“This project aimed to provide me with valuable experience in conducting large-scale collaborative research, focusing on the lives and experiences of Middle Eastern migrants who travelled from the Ottoman Empire to the Americas during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The primary objective of my project was to uncover relevant and engaging newspaper sources related to conflict within Syrian communities in North America during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries."

"I found that conflict played a significant role in the experiences of early Syrian migrants in the United States. Like other immigrant groups, Syrians faced the inherent challenges of uprooting their lives, forming new communities, and navigating the prejudices prevalent in American society. Racism and xenophobia were common for migrants who did not conform to American ideals of race and religion, and these difficulties were a substantial part of daily life for Syrians. Personal disputes and criminal activities also played a significant role in the daily lives of Syrian migrants, mirroring the experiences of other immigrant groups during this period.”

What did you learn and what skills did you develop throughout your internship?

“This project provided me with invaluable insight into postgraduate study within the discipline of history. It significantly broadened my understanding of how to effectively locate and utilise a diverse range of historical sources. Engaging with this research project and interacting with several DPhil students offered me an excellent perspective on studying history at Oxford at a postgraduate level. These interactions were immensely valuable, as they helped me better understand the challenges associated with postgraduate study, such as issues related to funding and maintaining motivation. Through conversations with these individuals and my own research experience, I now have a more comprehensive understanding of what further study entails, enabling me to make more informed decisions about pursuing future studies. Additionally, I gained essential knowledge about crafting a successful application for both masters and doctoral programmes.”

Read about Riyadh's research on whether body temperature can help to identify COVID-19 and other new infections 
Supervisor: Dr Susannah Fleming, Department of Primary Care Health Sciences

Tell us about your project, what methods you used, and your results

“The initial aim of my project was to elucidate the effectiveness of body temperature as a diagnostic tool to identify novel respiratory infections. During previous pandemics, such as the swine flu pandemic, and more famously, the COVID-19 pandemic, body temperature was used to screen for infection, but we do not fully understand how accurate this is. I conducted a systematic review to comprehensively review existing studies on how well body temperature can identify new respiratory viruses. Under the guidance of my supervisors, I was able to appraise these studies utilising research tools such as Covidence and the QUADAS risk of bias tool.”

“During the internship, I learnt how to conduct a systematic review using the research software Covidence. This tool was useful for title/abstract screening, full-text screening, data extraction, and quality assessment. I was working alongside another UNIQ+ intern and we both performed a systematic review of the papers to reduce bias and ensure a consensus was agreed upon to ensure high-quality research was conducted.”

What did you learn and what skills did you develop throughout your internship?

“The UNIQ+ internship provided me with personal growth as well as valuable academic experience. Firstly, it has taught me the importance of perseverance and believing in yourself; sometimes, it may feel like things are not going as planned, but having faith and the “I can do it” mindset provided me with the confidence to persevere even when I felt unsure. On top of this, the project has taught me that the best thing to do is to ask for help; my supervisors provided endless amounts of support and created a friendly environment, where I felt comfortable to ask any questions that I had. The end-of-programme conference and departmental presentations gave me first-hand experience of presenting to academic audiences, equipping me with vital communication skills and enhancing my public-speaking and confidence. I now can acknowledge the importance of research and the amount of hard work and dedication that researchers have and the significant contributions they make to science. I believe this experience has further ignited a passion for research, and I may look towards a research career in the future.”

Read about Alex’s research on the media’s portrayal of parental control apps 
Supervisor: Professor Ekaterina Hertog, Oxford Internet Institute

Tell us about your project, what methods you used, and your results

“The initial aim of the project was to build upon my supervisor’s research in digital monitoring apps (colloquially known as parental control apps) and critically analyse what narrative was being marketed to parents from these companies. I would meet with my supervisor frequently to discuss my ideas and ensure I was relatively on the right lines – she was amazing with her time with me and I’m incredibly grateful."

"My study relied on conducting a thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2012) on the websites of popular monitoring apps used within UK families due to its ability to use a dataset from different parental control apps and identify common themes. My analysis found major key themes relating to power-dynamic, fear-inducement and a narrative which was contrary to how children felt during my supervisor’s interviews."

What did you learn and what skills did you develop throughout your internship?

"I learned so much during my project. I think my actual project was fascinating (especially with my background in teaching) and built up my academic skills of identifying issues within the wider world into framing it for academic research. I learned how to use NVivo and the framework of coding (descriptive and interpretative coding) to conduct my analysis."

"Outside my project I developed so many soft skills. I learned communication with senior academics, learned to provide reliable academic work to a high standard and built my confidence within the University. I’ve gained so much confidence and motivation at Oxford, especially considering I’ve been out of academia for two years. When I started my internship, I had major imposter syndrome, but it was the support from UNIQ+, my supervisor and conducting my project that has made me realise I’m good enough to come to Oxford. UNIQ+ has been life-changing for me and I’d encourage the next cohort to grab every opportunity here because these chances don’t come often."