This summer, three undergraduate speech and language therapy students had the chance to gain hands-on research experience through a paid internship, funded by the NIHR as part of its Undergraduate Internship Programme (UIP). The award was granted to Dr Niamh Devane (Lead Applicant) and Carla Magdalani (Co-Applicant), and the internships supported a number of projects focused on supporting individuals and families living with communication difficulties following brain injury. 

One of the student interns, Emma Reid, joined the TANGO project in the Department of Speech and Language Therapy within the School of Health and Medical Sciences. In this blog, Emma reflects on her experience working alongside Dr Nicholas Behn and Carla, sharing what she learned and how the opportunity has shaped her view of research: 

“In summer 2025, I took part in the NIHR Undergraduate Internship Programme (UIP). It was a 30-day paid internship with travel expenses covered, and I really liked that it was flexible – I could spread the days out over a couple of months, which made it easier to fit around holidays and other responsibilities.

I worked on the TANGO Project, but I also got to try out lots of other things in the department. I met every week with two co-supervisors (a research assistant and a post-doctoral researcher), and I also had regular meetings with two mentors (a professor and a senior research fellow). There were two other interns too, and we had peer meetings together. I always felt supported and encouraged, and everyone made me feel like part of the team.  

One of the best parts was being able to choose which areas of the project I wanted to help with. This meant I could try things I’d never done before, like writing video scripts and co-facilitating at four co-design sessions with people with communication difficulties after a brain injury, their family members, and speech and language therapists.

The co-design sessions were a real highlight because they showed me what collaborative research looks like in practice.  

The tasks I did were really varied – from data entry and making tables for journal articles, to preparing minutes and helping to think of fun ways to share results with participants. Doing so many different things gave me a much better idea of what research in Speech and Language Therapy can involve.  

I also got lots of chances to do training for my own development. I completed online courses about adult communication disabilities, went to in-house training about participatory research, and even co-chaired a session at the British Aphasiology Society (BAS) conference online. I joined team meetings and met several researchers who told me about their research interests and career journeys, which was really inspiring.  

One of the most valuable things I’ve learned from this internship is that you don’t have to spend years working clinically before you can get involved in research.

The two can go hand in hand – you can be a clinical academic. Research can complement and enhance a career in Speech and Language Therapy. 

Overall, this internship was an incredible experience. I’ve learned so much, felt like I contributed something meaningful, and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who is curious about a career in research.” 

Interested in finding out more about the TANGO study?

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