The Zebrafish Academy: A-level Work Experience Programme
Enrol in the Zebrafish Academy and earn your science stripes!
Every year, we offer several Biology A-Level students an opportunity to work in our lab. The 5-day work experience placement is designed to give students an insight into the daily life in the lab by carrying out an independent research project under supervision.
Our programme has been running for more than 10 years now! During this time we have reached a lot of students, giving them a unique insight of what life looks like in a Life Sciences lab and helping them realise if this is a future career path for them. For many students this was the first time they have been in a lab or even met a research scientist. We take this responsibility very seriously and make our best efforts to ensure the work experience meets the participants’ expectations and is a stepping-stone towards realising their academic goals.
Please note that this program is only open to sixth form students.
about the placement
We usually host up to 8 A-Level students who work in groups of two on several projects that cover some of our research: e.g. eye development, CNS asymmetry and behaviour assays. Students use traditional Molecular Biology methods, are introduced to confocal microscopy and have demonstrations of our cutting-edge behaviour assays.
All our ZF Academy students have been enthusiastic and a pleasure to interact with and supervise. The students really seem to enjoy themselves and work extremely well together. On the final day we have the students make presentations to explain what they have learned over the week. We have been consistently impressed with their presentations. All of the students show off their ability to grasp complex concepts and place their work in the greater context of our research questions.
The Zebrafish Academy – feedback from our Students.
“I really enjoyed the opportunity to see how multi-faceted work in a lab is, and getting to do practical work instead of just watching. I enjoyed talking to scientists about their work and its application and being able to link that to my own A-level knowledge. Alos liked how we were asked questions and given responsibility for our embryos. I really loved attending this program!”Student, 2024 cohort
“ We actually got to see the complicated protocols in the lab, there was a lot of guidance about what we were doing, speaking to scientists and seeing all aspects of a research lab, it felt very authentic and honest.” Student, 2024 cohort
"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. " C., student from the 2019 cohort
“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”; Student, 2016 cohort
"We all had such an incredible time this week. We've learned so much about stuff we didn't even know existed! And learned loads more about things we knew already. We're so grateful to you for helping us and teaching us.", Students from 2017 cohort.
“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!”; Student, 2017 cohort
"Thank you to everyone who helped us with this work experience in the zebrafish labs. It has been an amazing opportunity!"; Students from 2018 cohort.
"Thank you for showing us all these amazing things and being patient with us when This experience has been very enjoyable and valuable to us in the future. Thank you for this exciting experience. Our future is more fluorescent than ever!"; Students from 2019 cohort
