The current opportunity is available for current Manchester Met students, to apply you must be based in the UK for the duration of the role.
Understanding how biodiversity varies across landscapes with different levels of human disturbance, and how it responds to efforts to restore habitats, is vital to support effective conservation measures. However, monitoring species is sometimes challenging, as some species are rarely seen or only active at night. Passive acoustic monitoring provides a novel method for biodiversity monitoring. Recording devices capture the sounds animals make, and these recordings can then be analysed to work out what species are present, and sometimes even the behaviours species are doing.
This position will support two active research projects being undertaken by researchers in the Department of Natural Sciences. The first project is working with the RSPB to understand how hunting pressure and other human disturbance influences bird communities in forests in Liberia, with results supporting the management of buffer zones around Gola Forest National Park. The second project is working with WWT to understand how bats use restored wetlands and focuses specially on identifying feeding behaviours.
The position will involve learning to use acoustic analysis software to identify where target vocalisations (e.g. calls of birds like hornbills, or feeding buzzes of bats) are made. These labelled recordings will then be used to train AI models which identify these species/ behaviours.
This project provides the opportunity to work with conservation partners (WWT, RSPB) and contribute to research which will inform conservation decisions.
Details
Dates: from week commencing 1 June 2026 - 17 July 2026
Hours per week: 10
Students will be expected to develop the following skills and experiences while carrying out this internship
- Knowledge of contemporary challenges in conservation.
- Skills using specialist acoustic analyses software, and wider knowledge of how the training data they generate feed into AI models.
- Communication skills and experience working in a team environment. The projects are in collaboration with external agencies (as detailed in the job description), providing the opportunity to engage with organisations and develop networking skills.
- Organisational skills and record keeping.
We anticipate the research to be published and there is the potential to contribute to a scientific paper.
Please Note - As part of the 2026 Student Internship offering, priority will be given to Level 5 & 6 students who have specified in the Careers Registration survey (this is completed during enrolment and cannot be changed at this time) that they have had no work experience in the last 12 months and would like some on campus work or a short work placement. However, applications are welcomed from all students meeting the criteria below.
Students are only eligible to undertake one internship under the 2026 Student Internship offering.