Last call for applications

The University of Cambridge supports a student team in the annual iGEM competition in Synthetic Biology. We are assembling a team to apply for Wellcome Trust iGEM summer studentships over the summer of 2011.

iGEM is an international competition where student teams are given a kit of biological parts at the beginning of the summer from the MIT Registry of Standard Biological Parts. In Cambridge. we start with a two-week crash course in Synthetic Biology, with an interdisciplinary group of students and faculty. The iGEM students then face the challenge of designing a new biological system and constructing this over the summer, using standard parts and DNA synthesis to establish the system in living cells. The project culminates with an international meeting at MIT in November. These are student driven projects, and the iGEM competition provides a opportunity to engage in original research as a team - with control over scientific direction and budget. It is fun and challenging.

Bursaries are available for a maximum of ten students per team and for up to ten weeks during the summer vacation. Each bursary provides a stipend of £180 per week. More information about the Wellcome Trust scheme can be found at: www.wellcome.ac.uk/igem. If you are interested in applying for a Wellcome iGEM2011 studentship at the University of Cambridge, forward your details including, (i) a short description of why you would like to participate and how you might contribute, (ii) a CV, to Jim Haseloff at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by January 7th, 2011. This is the last call!