Undergraduate student research opportunities

The research experience will enhance your CV, and six weeks can be counted as part of EMS for BVMSci students. Student interested in this opportunity must obtain funding to cover subsistence and laboratory costs; please see below the current funding calls that are open and would be applicable for students to work. 

Throughout the academic year we may have opportunities for undergraduate students from the School of Veterinary Medicine and the School of Biosciences to aid researchers within the group in their laboratory work. This will contribute to ongoing research projects that are externally funded and supervised by a post-doctoral researcher (e.g., Research Fellow) on the project. These opportunities will be during term-time and the working week (Monday – Friday). 

Morris Animal Foundation Veterinary Student Scholar Programme (Round 2) - 2026

The Morris Animal Foundation is offering Veterinary Students enrolled in an accredited veterinary medicine program (e.g., RCVS) an award of $5,500 as a stipend to support a chosen research project. The research project must support the health and welfare advancements in horses, not only Thoroughbred racehorses.

The application deadline is December 10, 2025.

More information is located on the World Horse Welfare website - here.

Please contact Dr Joy Leng to discuss this exciting opportunity at least 4 - 6 weeks before the deadline passes. If you enquire past this deadline, please note we may not be able to support an application this round, but don’t hesitate to put forward an exiting and novel idea.

World Horse Welfare Veterinary Undergraduate Bursary Scheme – 2026

The World Horse Welfare Organisation is offering a chosen 3rd year Veterinary Student an award of £4,000 as a stipend to support a chosen research project. The research project must support the health and welfare advancements in thoroughbred racehorses. 

The application portal is open and closes on the 31st of January. 

Please consider the Christmas University of Surrey closure periods impact on the submission deadline.

More information is located on the World Horse Welfare website - https://www.worldhorsewelfare.org/.

Please contact Dr Joy Leng to discuss this exciting opportunity at least 4 weeks before the deadline passes. If you enquire past this deadline, please note we may not be able to support an application.

Student Testimonials Hosted by the Horse Microbiome Research Group

Alfie Smith 4th year BVMSci (Hons) Veterinary Medicine and Science (2025):

'I first heard about the work of the Horse Microbiome Research Group from a news article on one of their recent publications regarding the gut microbiome of foals and how it can affect athletic and racing performance which really caught my interest. From there I got in contact with Professor Chris Proudman to discuss some of the questions I had about the article. Having sat down over coffee and talked through it, he suggested that I undertake a 6-week research EMS placement alongside the research group to get involved with everything from sample collection to lab work and data analysis. This was a great opportunity as it not only counted as 6-weeks of EMS placement but also allowed me to experience what a job in veterinary research is actually like – something that is only barely exposed to students during the 3rd year project. I got the opportunity to work with all members of the research group (who were all fantastic and incredibly supportive) on a variety of different projects as well as partaking in other aspects of research such as journal clubs where I got to develop my skills in critical thinking and analysis. I would highly recommend undertaking a research placement to all students, and especially those looking to go on to do internships and residencies in veterinary medicine or surgery as conducting research and writing papers as well as critical thinking are all things that will be expected of you on these programmes'. 

Saffron Thornhill external University of Oxford, University Sciences graduate (2025):

'I was privileged to do work experience with the Horse Microbiome Research Group, which I came across after reading about the Well Foal Study 1 (2024). During my time with the group I gained insights from across the whole process from initial sample collection on the a stud farm, through to the DNA extraction stages, next generation sequencing and data analysis steps, which really increased my knowledge of gut microbiome research. It was interesting to see the different challenges faced at different points of the process, from collecting the fecal samples from new born foals, up to the difficulty of extracting DNA of sufficient quality for sequencing. I really enjoyed my time with the research group, learning about the new projects underway and thinking about all the potential implications moving forwards was very exciting'. 

Maxime Bone external University of Sydney, Bachelors of Science and Advanced Studies (Animal and Veterinarty Bioscience; 2025):

'I was truly honoured to have the opportunity to undertake a placement with the Horse Microbiome Research Group at the University of Surrey. As someone passionate about equine health, it was both surprising and inspiring to discover a research group dedicated to such a specialised but vital area, and to see the scale and impact of their work first-hand. During my time there, I gained hands-on experience in sequencing preparation, microbial assays, and large-scale sample processing, and developed a real appreciation for the entire paddock-to-paper process of producing research. It was extremely eye-opening to see how this work translates into improvements in horse welfare and veterinary health, and awe-inspiring to learn about the exciting projects already underway and those still to come. I am very grateful to have been welcomed into the team, to have had the chance to be part of such meaningful work, and I look forward to following their journey from across the globe'

Contact

Please contact Dr Joy Leng for more information or to express your interest: horsemicrobiomeresearch@surrey.ac.uk.