LMS Research Internship: Into the Wild - Why Do Stroke Survivors Find it Difficult Walking Outdoors?
Closing Date: 30/01/2026

Please note: these internships are only available to current undergraduate students in Lancaster University Medical School.

This internship is offered as part of an exciting pilot of research opportunities for Medical School undergraduate students (MBChB and SaES). Each internship will be supervised by an academic member of staff. These opportunities are designed to give students experience of contributing to university research. These internships would be ideal for students considering postgraduate study, intercalated degrees or specialised foundation programmes. 

Project Summary

Nearly all gait assessment and rehabilitation is conducted indoors, but the challenges of walking outdoors mean that many people remain confined to their own homes after a disease or injury that affects the ability to walk. A project has recently finished on how stroke survivors walk outdoors which is the first project to capture how stroke survivors walk in an urban and rural environment. Sadly the researcher leading the data collection for research project has left the university and there is some data analysis and study write up to be completed.

The student internship will be responsible for going through the data collected (questionnaire, video, ethnography feedback, and clinical tests), analysing it using statistical analysis or thematic analysis where appropriate and preparing the data ready to be used in a research publication. Ideally the student internship will also work on writing this research paper ready for publication in a research journal.

Full training will be provided in the data analysis skills and mentorship from the PI (Dr Hannah Jarvis) in writing up the work for publication and techniques associated with that.

There is also the opportunity for the student intern to support a follow on study from this initial work which is led by one of the PI’s MSc Res students has taken the key barriers to walking outdoors for stroke survivors (different surfaces, turning corners and barriers/objects to step over/cross) and measuring biomechanical performance when completing these.

Major duties

• The student will form part of the team who will undertake data analysis and writing short synopses for relevant material that will form part of at least one published manuscript.

The successful candidate should be able to demonstrate:

• You must be a current student registered on BSc Sports and Exercise Science, MBChB Surgery, Medicine and Surgery with a Gateway Year and in Years 2-5 of study.
• Strong interest in undertaking research. Previous research experience is not essential as support will be provided, but a willingness to learn is essential.
• Basic Word and Excel proficiency.

Applicants should have good organisational skills, and academic experience in the following:

• Attending supervisory meetings
• Developing a plan of work
• Recording and presenting findings clearly

Please apply through ERS with:

1. A CV including your education history and any work experience (maximum of two full pages) and,
2. A cover letter that explains your interest in research, why you would like to be involved in this particular research internship, and how you meet the criteria outlined in the person specification.

For any informal information about this role, please contact Dr Hannah Jarvis ([email protected])