INTERNSHIPS – BIOS²

Internship program

The BIOS² training program is designed to enhance Fellows training and experience and to facilitate their transition towards non-academic sectors. The purpose of the internship is to provide work experience outside of what would normally be possible in the context of graduate studies in science. The internship allows students to network or explore a dimension of their career that is of interest to them but slightly apart from their scientific training. We expect that Fellows’ internship experiences will differ from each other. The internship can be very closely linked to the student current or future research project, but it may also be unrelated to thesis research. Concretly, internships provide valuable professional experience and is a fantastic opportunity to get a “foot in the door” in order to find a job and rapidly be productive.

The BIOS² internship program has the following goals:

To allow Fellows to transfer and adapt their knowledge and expertises outside of their academic research;
To improve their networking and communication skills;
To provide them a better understanding of the expectations and roles they will have once in the Canadian workforce.

Fellows are required to conduct internships with a partner per year of funding / membership with the program. While we strongly encourage the completion of one internship per year, the program requirements are as follows:

BIOS² funded fellows must complete 2 internships (or the equivalent of at least 6 weeks of internship for MSc students and 8 weeks of internship for PhD students) during the period of their membership in the BIOS² program.
Independent fellows must complete at least one internship during the period of their membership in the BIOS² program.
The internships are expected to last from 2 to 6 weeks.

How it works

There are two possible ways to apply for an internship:

Apply to positions advertised by partner organizations. You can find more information below in the section Potential Internship Organizations and Opportunities.
Approach an organization independently and apply for an internship. In this case, students must contact potential hosts on their own, then arrange position requirements such as project description, deliverables and start / end dates of the internship. Once the partner organizations have accepted the internship request, applicants must complete the internship agreement.

Financial support:

We expect the salary during the internship to be covered by the regular stipend. The BIOS² travel grant can be used to pay for transportation and living costs during the time of your internship.

If you need to use part or all of your travel grant, you must complete an online form (Form: Claim your Grant). If your internship has costs that are significantly in excess of $2000, please contact us as it will be possible to allocate a supplement.

Duration:

The internships are expected to last from two to six weeks. The internship can be longer upon approval by the student’s supervisor. We do not expect students to work 100% of that time on a collaboration with the organization, but we want to offer students the opportunity to exchange with partners on a daily basis and learn about the working environment.

Timing :

As outlined during the application process to BIOS², the funding through the program is conditional upon the realization of an internship. Fellows should have identified an internship partner and topic during the Fall semester and present an internship proposal to the coordination team during the Winter semester. After the internship, Fellow should present a final report.

The annual timelines is listed below:

April 1	Student deadline to identify an internship partner and topic. Student must present it to the coordination committee
May 1	Student deadline to submit the Internship Proposal
September	Student deadline to submit the Internship Report

Documents and forms

Internship Proposal/Agreement
Fellow must submit a completed Internship Protocol before the starting date of the internship. This document works first as a proposal. Once approved by all parties involved, it may serve as a protocol of agreement for the internship.

Internship Report
After the completion of the internship, fellows must send a completed Internship Report to the BIOS² coordination team.

Partner Advertisement Form
Partners who want to propose an internship should use the avertissement internship form.

Travel Grant Form
The BIOS² travel grant can be used to pay for transportation and living costs during the time of the internship. To have access to it, you must fill in this form.

If you need any additional guidance about internship, contact us.

Potential Internship Organizations and Opportunities

Some collaborators and partners have expressed interest in working with the BIOS² program. A list of potential organizations (pending availability of an internship) is available below as well as advertised internship by the partner organizations, when such opportunities arise.

Current internship opportunities:

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Potential Internship Organizations:

If you are interested in doing an internship in one of these organisations, we may be able to direct you to a contact person. Don’t hesitate to contact us.

Conservation

Nature Conservancy of Canada
NatureServe Canada
The Nature Trust of British Columbia
Wildlife Conservation Society
World Wildlife Fund
Yellowstone to Yukon

Environmental consultant

Association québécoise pour l’évaluation d’impacts
BBA
SNC – Lavallin
WSP-Global

Public sector

Agriclture and Agri-Food Canada
Canadian Forest Service
Canadina Museum of Nature
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Parks Canada
Polar Knowledge Canada
Ville de Montréal
Government of Alberta – Environmental Monitoring and Science Division
Ministère des forêts, faune et parcs
Ministère des transports
Ministère développement durable
SÉPAQ

Industry

Canadian Malarctic
Domtar
Glencore
Hydro-Québec
Newmont Goldcorp
Port of Vancouver

Academic research

Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute
ArcticNet
Centre d’études nordiques
Centre de la science de la biodiversité du Québec
Groupe de recherche interuniverstaire en limnologie
Québec-Océan

Citizen science

eButterfly
Groupe d’éducation et d’écosurveillance de l’eau
Observatoire des oiseaux de Tadoussac
Regroupement Québec Oiseaux

Science and technology

Calcul Canada
DataOne
GBIF
GeoBON
R-OpenSci