Hi! I’m Sumaya, a Cohort I Avicenna Scholar, and I’m in my final year studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Oxford.
Over the summer, I completed a 3-month internship with UK Research and Innovation. This is the UK’s national funding agency that invests in and supports research and innovation across the country. It is sponsored by the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology with an annual budget of £8 billion. Whilst the organisation is not directly in government, I had the opportunity to experience what working in the public sector would be like, especially in a government-adjacent role.
I developed and strengthened a range of skills during my time at UKRI given I was an intern for the Public Policy, Security & Rights team and for the Public Engagement team in the Arts and Humanities Research Council. One of my projects was a portfolio analysis – where I had to analyse 5 years’ worth of funded research in my council that had public policy impact. I then presented this to senior stakeholders and team heads at the end of my internship, as it was to be used to highlight underfunded regions/remit areas for the future funding calls. Another project of mine was evaluating the impact of AHRC initiatives by interviewing early-career researchers, who had gone on to do incredible things like consult for Netflix documentaries and host radios.
One thing I learnt during my experience was the importance of teamwork and a supportive work environment – not just being in one but actively contributing to it. Across my projects I worked with my team heads, interns and other teams in the wider organisation. I also had access to a mentor who helped me with career support. I realised that the way you can produce the best quality work is by reaching out and asking for expertise when you need it, which is something I really benefited from during my time at UKRI.
Prior to even securing the internship, Avicenna played an active role in my application process. When I was applying to internships, I received interview support from my coach to improve my confidence and practise my STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) answers. I sent over some questions to my coach, and we booked in practice interview sessions. This was helpful as I was able to practise my responses out loud and receive helpful feedback on where to improve or what to add.
Throughout the internship, I still had regular meetings with my coach. It’s easy to only focus on the day-to-day stuff whilst working, so having those conversations about the future and what I could reap from this amazing opportunity was both necessary and insightful. I’m glad I had someone at Avicenna who cared about my development, encouraged me to reflect and consistently reminded me to think about the big picture.
I was initially concerned that the role was mainly remote with only a couple in-person office days (the plethora of IT issues when starting did not help). I was also concerned about integrating into two new teams alone and becoming comfortable in an office/professional environment for the first time.
These concerns disappeared as I instantly felt welcomed and supported by my line managers, team and wider organisation with weekly check-ins, coffee chats, and in-person team days. I feel that during my time I got to really know the organisation, through introductory meetings with every team, directors and council chairs. I genuinely enjoyed my internship and looked forward to working, not only because I was constantly learning about all sorts of research areas, but because the working environment was one that emphasised collaborative teamwork and independent personal development.
Ending off my internship by attending a high-level senior stakeholder meeting was a real highlight of my internship. Listening to how council advisors, who were all experts in their fields, expressed their visions for the future of the council was inspiring and made me reflect on how my work was contributing to the wider efforts of organisation and government objectives.
On reflecting on my internship, a myriad of experiences come to mind. Between writing impact stories and sifting through hundreds of projects in Excel, my time at UKRI highlighted to me how much I enjoy careers and roles that offer variety in projects and constant change. Whether this be in the public or private sector, I’d love to have a role that pushes me to try new things and consistently develop a wide range of skills.
Avicenna has always pushed us to not only think about what change we would like to make in society but also be active in that process. One of the directors at my organisation used to be a senior diplomat and had incredible insight on careers in foreign policy and diplomacy. To benefit, I scheduled a one-to-one with her to gain more knowledge on a career I am potentially interested in. This is the sort of pro-active engagement, networking and commitment to growth that Avicenna encourages, which guided me throughout my internship.