Undergraduate Summer School

Every year, IGC organises a Summer School for motivated undergraduate students interested in life sciences. Students are given an overview of science at the IGC, attend seminars and develop a research project in a scientific laboratory, being introduced to the stepping-stones of a researcher’s career.

Timeline 2022

• 21/02/2022 – 31/03/2022: Call Open
• 25 – 29/07/2022 : Seminars
• 01 – 31/08/2022 : Internships
• 08/2022: Science Communication Workshop
• 31/08/2022:  Final presentation

Programme (25-29 July)

2022 Summer School has returned with a mixed format with 46 students online and 18 selected for the in-presence format and lab internships. Seminar programmes was mixed. Mornings with hands-on activities for the in-presence students: from collecting samples to studying them in various IGC facilities. Afternoons with interactive sessions including short seminars to all students. These included an introduction to IGCs Labs and participatory discussions with PIs and Alumni, with research topics ranging from ecology, evolution and theoretical biology to cell cycle development and host-microbe interactions. The last afternoon hosted three speakers addressing future challenges to science, from international networks to the challenges of the ongoing Biodiversity Crisis, or the unanswered questions of Immunity.

Programme (1-31 August)

Selected students have joined a lab for their summer placement. 

Who can apply

We welcome undergraduate students from any scientific background (e.g., biology, biochemistry, mathematics, medical science, engineering and physics) who are motivated and interested in life sciences.

How to apply

Applications accepted exclusively in English via the online platform, during call. 

Fellowships

All candidates may apply for a fellowship to cover travel and/or accommodation expenses (except for candidates residing in the Lisbon area).

*Note: Participation in the Programme does not imply any contractual relationship with IGC.

IGC Summer School 2022 hosting labs

• Cell cycle regulation (Mónica Bettencourt-Dias): Evolution in the light of centrosome amplification
• Cell cycle regulation (Mónica Bettencourt-Dias): Centriole biogenesis regulation
• Cell Biology of Viral Infection (Maria João Amorim): Mechanisms of hijacking membrane protein biosynthesis during viral infection
• Complex Adaptive Systems and Computational Biology (Luís Rocha): The orthoBackbone: an evolutionarily-conserved backbone of genetic networks
• Complex Adaptive Systems and Computational Biology (Luís Rocha): A computational pipeline to compare genetic networks from multiple sources
• Chromosome Dynamics (Raquel Oliveira): Transcription inhibition in mitosis- understanding how chromosomes turn suddenly silent
• Evolution and Development (Élio Sucena): How do larvae die upon bacterial infection? 
• Evolutionary Biology (Isabel Gordo): Modelling eco-evolutionary dynamics of microbiomes (theoretical project)
• Functional Ecology (Giulia Ghedini): The environmental regulation of phytoplankton metabolism
• Genome Maintenance and Evolution (Marco Fumasoni): Does the environment change the mutation rates of the buddying yeast?
• Histopathology Facility & Microfluidics Lab (Pedro Faísca/Jorge Carvalho): 3D Printed Tissue Microarrays models for immunohistochemistry standardization
• Host-microorganisms interactions (Luís Teixeira): Characterisation of gut microbiota of wild Drosophila
• Inflammation (Miguel Soares): Investigating glucose metabolism in resistance to and tolerance of Salmonella infection
• Inflammation (Miguel Soares): Adipose Tissue Lipolysis and Sepsis

Internships for undergraduate students

In addition to our Summer School Programme, we encourage undergraduate students with a particular interest in one of our labs to contact our groups leaders directly and enquire about lab internships.

Partners