Evidence Intern: Reviewing Fragmented Antimicrobial Materials Efficacy Evidence for Dissemination

This opportunity is open to current Manchester Met students only. To apply, you must be based in the UK for the duration of the role.

The BioEffective Surfaces for Transport (BEST) Network is a UK-wide research initiative led by Manchester Metropolitan University. The network brings together researchers, industry partners and transport professionals to advance the development and understanding of antimicrobial materials used in transport systems and the built environment.

We are seeking a student intern to undertake a structured review of research evidence relating to antimicrobial materials. The project will explore how these materials perform in both laboratory testing and real-world environments, helping to create a clear and accessible evidence base that can support future research, stakeholder engagement and knowledge exchange activities.

This role offers an excellent opportunity to develop research, analytical and communication skills while contributing to a nationally significant research network.

You can view the full project brief, including detailed objectives, methodology and expected outputs, here:

Project Brief (PDF):
https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:EU:c250f321-6361-46be-a47a-19d2d4401878

Key Responsibilities

You will:

• Review published research on antimicrobial materials and their effectiveness.
• Identify and categorise different antimicrobial material technologies.
• Examine laboratory and real-world evidence relating to antimicrobial performance.
• Review commonly used testing methods and standards.
• Collect, organise and summarise evidence in a structured spreadsheet and database format.
• Identify key factors that influence antimicrobial material performance.
• Analyse the literature to identify trends, inconsistencies and evidence gaps.
• Produce concise reports and summaries for both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
• Support the development of resources that may inform future research and data-modelling projects within the BEST Network.

What You'll Gain

Through this internship, you will develop:

• Literature review and evidence synthesis skills.
• Experience analysing and interpreting scientific research.
• Data organisation and management skills.
• An understanding of antimicrobial materials and their applications within transport and the built environment.
• Experience communicating complex information to a range of audiences.
• Insight into interdisciplinary research involving science, engineering, public health and policy.

Duration: Early November - end January

Hours: 10 hours per week

This internship provides the opportunity to contribute to an important research project while gaining valuable experience in evidence review, data analysis and research communication. It may also help inform future work within the BEST Network, including the development of evidence databases and decision-support resources.

•  Strong research, analytical and problem-solving skills.
• The ability to review, interpret and synthesise large volumes of information.
• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Confidence working with structured data and analytical tasks.
• Strong written communication skills, with the ability to present information clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• An interest in interdisciplinary research and innovation.
• Good Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel.
• Experience using presentation or visualisation tools such as PowerPoint, Canva, Adobe Creative Suite or similar.