THE ZEBRAFISH ACADEMY: A-LEVEL WORK EXPERIENCE PROGRAMME
Enrol in the Zebrafish Academy and earn your science stripes!
February halfterm: 16th February-20th February 10:00-16:00
To be eligible, you need to be an A-level student in Lower Sixth (Yr 12) studying one of the natural sciences, preferably Biology, at a UK school at the time of the work experience.
Application deadline: 28th November 2025.
To apply for the ZF Academy please complete the application form below. You will also need to attach a Personal Statement (max 600 words) and your CV. This should be a single document (.doc or .pdf) and the name of the file should contain your First and Last Name e.g. JoeBloggs_ZFA_2026.
Personal Statement: Please tell us a bit about yourself and your interests. We particularly want to hear about what makes you excited about biology, what you hope to do in the future (if you know) and how attending the Zebrafish Academy aligns with your academic hopes and dreams.
Please make sure your CV includes:
GCSE (or equivalent) Grades,
Predicted A/IB grades (if available),
Work experience.
If you are applying from outside the M25, please provide information on how you will be able to attend the work experience in Central London, e.g. stay with relative, be accompanied by a parent/guardian. We do not provide nor are able to help to arrange supervised accommodation for minors.
Application Form
Any questions about applying to the ZF Academy please contact g.powell@ucl.ac.uk
PLEASE NOTE: This is the only work experience programme we offer.
Please read the ZF Academy’s GDPR statment to see how we will store and process your data.
Student Feedback
“This placement was a brilliant opportunity to get a taste of what life would be like being a scientist. I have gained enormously from this experience not just in term of knowledge but becoming a more independent learner. Although I found the projects to be quite challenging, it was also very rewarding. We were shown some very cool pieces of equipment including the laser camera and it has broadened my view in the field of scientific research. All in all, the experience was very enjoyable”
“My placement at The Wilson Lab was an amazing experience. I really enjoyed pushing my A Level knowledge to go into more depth on topics such as DNA replication and protein synthesis. It was also a hugely valuable experience because I was able to improve my lab technique as my partner and I carried out own protocol over the week and presented our results back to the team. It gave me an insight into scientific research and has inspired me to continue my studies. I would recommend the placement to anyone: you meet inspiring people, learn a lot and have a lot of fun!”
"I'm writing to thank you for the brilliant week of work experience in October, and to let you know that I got an offer to study Medicine at UCL! Having an understanding of research and being able to talk about the Zebrafish labs definitely gave me an edge in my interviews. I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to gain a better insight into the world of science and research; it definitely made an impact on the success of my application. "
For information about other Zebrafish UCL outreach programmes, click here.