My experience on the Wellcome Trust Funded Biomedical Vacation Scholarship

17 September 2026

The programme is designed to widen access to research opportunities and is open to students from both Russell Group and non-Russell Group universities. Each year, the internships attract exceptional interest, with almost 200 applications from students representing around 30 universities across the UK. Applicants come from a wide range of backgrounds, including many who are the first in their family to attend university, and who aspire to progress to postgraduate study or pursue careers in research.

We are incredibly grateful to Wellcome for making these opportunities possible. Their support has enabled students to gain valuable hands-on research experience, build confidence, and develop skills that can shape their future careers.

One of those students is Ashfana. In this blog, she shares her experience of the internship, the skills she developed, and advice for students thinking of applying to internships. 

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Student Blog: 

Hello, I’m Ashfana and I am a final year Biochemistry student at Queen Mary University of London.

I applied to for the scholarship because I have always been particularly interested in the cardiovascular system. When is saw the project investigating aortic aneurysms, I found it fascinating and wanted to learn more about the disease that has such serious consequences but currently no cure for it. Another reason I applied was to gain experience in a research laboratory alongside senior scientists and researchers. I wanted to experience what research really is like and develop practical skills as well as step outside my comfort zone.

My project:

For my 7 week scholarship, I worked on the project investigating the role of natriuretic peptide signalling in aortic aneurysm.

The project focused on understanding how C- type natriuretic peptide (CNP) helps protect against the development of thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysm. As someone hoping to study medicine and eventually become a surgeon. I found it incredibly interesting to learn about the mechanism behind cardiovascular disease and the research being carried out to develop potential treatments. It was exciting to contribute, even in a small way to research that could improve our understanding of such life threatening conditions

Overall, I had an amazing experience. At first, I was quite nervous because I had never worked in a research laboratory before, but everyone in the lab was incredibly welcoming, supportive, and always happy to answer any questions I had. They created an environment where I felt comfortable learning and developing new skills.

A typical day usually started around 10 am, where I would follow my experimental protocol and work through the different stages of preparing tissue samples. Much of my work involved immunofluorescence staining, which often took several days to complete before the slides were ready for imaging.

One of my favourite parts of the project was viewing the stained samples using the NanoZoomer scanner and NDP.view2 software. I also carried out Elastic Van Gieson (EVG) staining and analysed elastin fibre fragmentation within the aortic tissue. It was rewarding to compare my findings with results generated by PhD students in the lab and see how my work contributed to the wider project.

What I learnt:

The scholarship gave me valuable experience working in a professional research environment alongside researchers, PhD students and senior scientists. I became competent with new staining and imaging techniques, I learned specialised software for visualising and analysing microscopy data.

Beyond the practical skills, I also gained a much deeper understanding of thoracic aortic aneurysms, Marfan syndrome and the ongoing research investigating how CNP signalling could provide new therapeutic approaches. But the biggest gain was confidence. Working in controlled, professional environment with actual researchers showed me that I can learn quickly and adapt to a new environment that’s something I would have not gotten in a lecture hall.

This experience has shaped my next steps, I will be starting my final year project soon which will also involve lab work and I feel much more prepared for it.

Advice for future students:

If you're thinking about applying for a summer internship, my biggest piece of advice would be to start looking and applying early, and apply to as many opportunities as you can. Summer internships can be competitive, so don't be discouraged if you don't hear back from every application. The more opportunities you apply for, the more likely you are to find one that suits your interests and goals.

I would also say don't be afraid to choose something outside your comfort zone or current area of expertise. You might feel like you need to already have experience in a particular area before applying, but you really have nothing to lose and everything to gain. You’ll develop new skills and knowledge, while also showing your adaptability and willingness to learn in an unfamiliar environment.

You will make mistakes, but that's not a failure it's part of learning. Don't be afraid to ask questions or admit when you're unsure of something. The people around you understand that you're there to learn, and putting in the effort and showing initiative will take you a long way.

My own experience showed me that research is much more collaborative and supportive than I initially expected. I was able to work alongside people with much more experience than me, and everyone was willing to help and guide me. So, even if you feel nervous or unsure about applying, don't let that stop you. Put yourself out there, you might discover an interest or career path you hadn't considered before.


BSc Biochemistry 

Wellcome Trust