The four-week programme over August provides real practical training to students wishing to pursue a career in palaeontology. Ideal for students who want to get into the thick of it and not watch from the sidelines.
Components included in the itinerary are palaeontological coservation, fossil preparation, museum curation, scientific communication, public outreach, fossil digitisation, CT training, field work, research, and more.
The internship programme is FREE. Our corporate sponsor Neo Jurassica covers the costs of all tuition, training and resources within the internship programme.
We have designed this programme to be as accessible as possible to all students.
A fantastic part of the programme is collaborating with fellow palaeontology students from other universities. The programme brings together students from a diverse range of backgrounds with a shared passion for palaeontology.
One key component of the internship is fossil preparation. Students are taught to use pneumatic tools to prepare fossils for public display and research in the best-equipped lab for fossil preparation in the nation.
Learn all about the latest technology in palaeontology and how to utilise it as part of the internship. From micro-CT scanning to 3D printing, interns get to develop skills through practical use of the equipment in the imaging laboratories of the museum.
Students get the opportunity to learn practical conservation techniques for geological objects. From chemical to physical treatments, interns learn how best to approach conservation of museum specimens.
A great part of the internship is reaching out to the local community. Students take part in local events raising public awareness for palaeontology, attend fairs and host talks at nearby venues.
All interns get the opportunity to communicate scientific topics with the public and the academic community. This includes public lectures, symposium abstract development, and conferences with academics.
As part of the internship students get to learn curatorial methods, such as specimen registration, object accession, cataloging, database maintenance, loan procedure, exhibition management, public display development, and interacting with researchers.
One of the most exciting and rewarding aspects of the internship is field work. Interns learn practical skills in the field they would not learn through hobby fossil-hunting. Skills such as GPS training, field XRF, OSL sample analysis, field geochemistry, grid referencing, transect surveys, site photogrammetry, mattock and trowel training, trenching, and more.
The Internship Programme operates during the summer for four weeks in August.
The application process is announced in April with a set deadline in May.
Applicants must be enrolled in or have recently graduated from a University programme in Palaeontology, Geology, Biology, or a related discipline.
All costs of training and travel for fieldwork are included in the programme, accommodation costs, and bursaries are not included.
2025 Application Deadline: 18/05/2025
For more information and the application process, download the internship programme here or contact us at: info@ynhm.org