Biology internship fellowship
This biology internship is a mentored ecology project on Earth5R’s field work, set in the green spaces of your own city. You record trees, birds and plants, study the effect of native plantations and analyse what you find with your mentor, who checks your survey method and your species records.
For school and university students who enjoy studying plants and animals and want to learn how ecologists survey them in the field. Online, with field work near where you live. The fellowship is paid because every fellow receives time and attention from senior researchers and leaders.
Why biology and ecology matter for sustainability
Ecology studies how living things depend on each other and on the places where they live. In a city, a park or a lake edge can support many species of plants, insects and birds. Biologists record what lives where and how it changes when habitat is cleared or restored. Without these records, a city can’t tell whether a new plantation is helping wildlife.
Earth5R plants trees with volunteers and geotags each plantation on the Earth5R app, with photographs. Its cleanups at Powai Lake in Mumbai, on rivers such as the Mula Mutha in Pune and on beaches take teams into habitats under pressure from waste. Women in informal settlements have grown saplings in upcycled containers on their roofs with Earth5R. As a fellow, you add the biology to this work by recording which species are present.
This work links to the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Goal 15, Life on land and Goal 11, Sustainable cities and communities.
Available projects in the biology internship fellowship
You join Earth5R’s live work through your own subject. Your mentor shapes the final project with you.
Urban tree and bird survey
Record trees, birds and plants in a park, campus or lake edge near you, identify species with field guides or apps, and geotag your records.
Native plantation study
Revisit a tree plantation geotagged on the Earth5R app, check which saplings survived, and compare how native species grow next to others planted nearby.
Habitat at a cleanup site
Survey plants and animals at a lake or river cleanup site, record where waste builds up, and study how pollution and invasive weeds affect the habitat.
Saplings on hot tin roofs
Study saplings grown in upcycled containers on hot tin roofs, record which species survive and grow, and suggest plants suited to rooftop heat.
What you do in the field
- Walk set routes and record species at fixed points
- Identify trees, birds and plants with field guides and apps
- Photograph and geotag your records
- Measure tree girth, height or canopy cover with simple tools
- Enter your records and calculate simple diversity measures
- Discuss your results with your mentor and in research conversations
Skills you build
On a biology internship, you collect your own data near where you live, using the Earth5R app and data forms. Earth5R checks the data on its platform before it goes into your project report.
How the biology internship fellowship works
Every fellow moves through four phases. Each phase is checked by your mentor before you move on.
Observe and Map
Go into the field near where you live and collect primary data for your project in Biology and Ecology.
Frame and Design
Find the root cause in your data and frame a problem worth solving, with your mentor.
Model
Build a working model, analysis or design for your solution, and test it.
Build and Deploy
Put your solution to work, measure the result and publish a verified record on earth5r.org.
Along the way you take part in research conversations with professors at MIT, Oxford, Cambridge, LSE and other universities, and ask your own questions. See how FIELDWORK works.
Where this can take you
Degrees this work supports
- BSc in Biology or Life Sciences
- BSc in Ecology, Zoology or Botany
- MSc in Ecology or Conservation Biology
- MSc in Biodiversity and Conservation
- PhD in Ecology or Evolutionary Biology
Careers in this field
- Ecologist or field biologist
- Conservation scientist
- Biodiversity officer for a city or a company
- Environmental impact assessment specialist
- Research assistant in an ecology lab
Universities known for Biology and Ecology
Strong biology and ecology programmes look for applicants who have asked a clear question in the field and kept careful records to answer it. A fellowship project gives you species data you collected yourself and a report your mentor reviewed, listed on your verified profile on earth5r.org. Students use a biology internship to build a record of real work for applications to universities like these.
USA · Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Cornell’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology offers undergraduate concentrations within the Biological Sciences major and the Environment and Sustainability major, plus a Ph.D. programme. Research areas include community ecology, biogeochemistry and ecosystem science, and sustainability, environment and conservation. The department runs the Experimental Ponds Facility and the Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates.
University of California, Davis (UC Davis)
USA · Department of Evolution and Ecology, College of Biological Sciences
In the College of Biological Sciences, the Department of Evolution and Ecology runs the undergraduate major in Evolution, Ecology and Biodiversity. Its research covers biodiversity, conservation, environmental change, behaviour and evolutionary biology, along with the ecology of populations, species, communities and ecosystems. Faculty also teach in affiliated graduate programmes.
USA · Department of Biology
Stanford’s Department of Biology offers an undergraduate Biology major, a coterminal master’s programme and a PhD. Its subgroups include Ecology and Environmental Science, Evolution, and Integrative/Organismal Biology. Field research takes place at sites such as Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve and Hopkins Marine Station on Monterey Bay.
USA · Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology (OEB)
Harvard’s Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology (OEB) studies biological processes from single cells to entire ecosystems, with field and laboratory work on how biodiversity is generated and maintained. It runs the undergraduate concentration in Integrative Biology and a graduate programme. Affiliated institutions include the Museum of Comparative Zoology and the Arnold Arboretum.
UK · Department of Biology
Oxford’s Department of Biology combines animal, microbial and plant sciences. It teaches the MBiol in Biology, from molecules to ecosystems, plus MSc by Research and DPhil programmes. Its Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) delivers a Postgraduate Diploma in Wildlife Conservation, and the John Krebs Field Station near Wytham Woods supports behaviour and ecology research.
UK · Department of Zoology
Cambridge’s Department of Zoology teaches undergraduates through the Natural Sciences Tripos, including Part II Zoology, and trains postgraduate researchers. Its scientists study how life evolves, how it functions and how it can be conserved, with fieldwork from Panama to Antarctica. The department houses the University Museum of Zoology and is closely allied to the Cambridge Conservation Initiative.
UK · Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences
Imperial’s Department of Life Sciences teaches BSc degrees including Biological Sciences and Ecology and Environmental Biology, along with master’s courses and PhD research. Its Silwood Park campus is a centre for research and teaching in ecology, evolution and conservation. Centres include the Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet and the Leverhulme Centre for Wildfires.
Switzerland · Department of Environmental Systems Science (D-USYS)
ETH Zurich’s Department of Environmental Systems Science (D-USYS) teaches BSc programmes in Environmental Sciences and Agricultural Sciences. Its institutes include the Institute of Integrative Biology, which works on ecology and evolution, alongside competence centres and research stations. Research is organised around strategic areas such as ecosystems and biodiversity, climate, and sustainable transformations.
University of British Columbia (UBC)
Canada · Biodiversity Research Centre (BRC)
UBC’s Biodiversity Research Centre (BRC) brings together scientists from several departments who study the ecology, evolution and conservation of biological diversity, from genes to ecosystems and their links with society. Its work responds to climate change and habitat loss. Its training opportunities include BRITE, a programme in integrative biodiversity research training and education.
Australia · School of the Environment, Faculty of Science
UQ’s School of the Environment brings together ecology, conservation, marine biology, zoology, genetics, evolution, earth sciences and geography. Study areas include conservation biology, ecology, genetics and evolution, and marine biology and ocean science. Its research addresses climate change, environmental resilience and natural resources, and students can take part in field experiences and industry placements.
This list is for guidance. These universities are widely known for Biology and Ecology. Earth5R has no admissions arrangement with them, and admission decisions rest with each university. Fellows get help researching universities, scholarships and applications, depending on the programme.
What your fellowship fee pays for
An internship fellowship at Earth5R is time and attention from senior researchers and leaders. Each part below takes staff time and resources that we set aside for every fellow.
Live mentoring with experts
One-to-one mentoring in most fellowships, with regular check-ins on your project.
Dialogues with global researchers
Academics from international universities and renowned scientists, who answer your questions and discuss your work.
Support in the field
Guidance while you collect data and work on your project in the field.
References for your next step
References when you apply for jobs, higher studies and research programmes.
Your work, hosted for life
Your work and data stay on Earth5R’s website and servers for life, where universities and employers can check them.
Time from senior people
Each fellow receives time and attention from senior researchers and leaders, set aside for them.
Fee details available on request.
Choose your fellowship
The fee pays for live mentoring, dialogues with global researchers, support in the field, references and lifelong hosting of your work. Fee details available on request.
Biology internship: common questions
Do I need to know species names before this biology internship?
No. You learn to identify common trees, birds and plants with field guides, apps and your mentor’s help. Most fellows start with a small group of species and add more as their survey goes on.
Can I do a biology internship if I live in a big city?
Yes. Cities have parks, lake edges, school campuses and street trees, and each of these holds species you can record. Urban ecology is an active research field, and your mentor helps you pick a site you can visit often.
Will this help if I plan to study biology at university?
It gives you field research to describe in your personal statement and interviews, with your own data and a report your mentor reviewed. Many biology degrees include ecology, so the methods you learn carry over. Admission decisions rest with each university.
Is the biology internship fellowship paid?
Yes. It is a paid, mentored internship fellowship. The fee pays for live mentoring, dialogues with global researchers, support in the field, references and lifelong hosting of your work. Fee details are available on request.
Can I do this biology internship online?
Yes. FIELDWORK runs online, and your field work takes place near where you live. Your mentor guides you through each step.
Who can apply?
School and university students from India and other countries. The fellowship prepares you for university, postgraduate study and work.
What do I get at the end?
A certificate, a letter of recommendation, a project report and a verified profile on earth5r.org, where universities and employers can check your work.
Apply for the biology internship fellowship
Work on a live Earth5R project in Biology and Ecology with a mentor, take part in research conversations with global researchers, and build a verified record of your work. Fee details available on request.
