Science Policy Intern

We have a unique and exciting opportunity to join the Royal Society of Chemistry as a Science Policy Intern. This internship is for 6 months to start from June-July 2025 and can be completed either on full time or part time basis (28-35 hours per week).

In this role, you will conduct desk research, review scientific and grey literature, analyse data, and present your findings to persuade decision-makers and inform RSC members. You will support events and round tables, organise workshops, and contribute to developing policy positions. This role involves administrative and research support within the Policy and Evidence Team, addressing key topics such as scientific relationships, chemicals policy, environment, funding, skills, innovation, and climate change.

We are looking for someone with strong research skills and excellent communication abilities.

At the RSC, we embrace flexibility and offer hybrid working, which means our teams come together when they need to collaborate. This role is in the Policy and Evidence team, which is spilt between the Cambridge and London offices, with some members also home based. 

This role is contractually based at our London or Cambridge office. You will have the opportunity to also work mostly from a UK location other than this, or at home, as agreed with your line manager. Applicants should be aware that there is an expectation to travel to London occasionally if based in Cambridge and if based in London, some travel to Cambridge will be required.

If you need flexible working arrangements, please outline this in your application.

Your day-to-day activities will include:

• Consultation of RSC Members: Identify and contact experts, organise and design workshops, and write up findings to inform policy work.
• Desk Research: Analyse scientific and grey literature to develop briefings and positions on significant scientific topics.
• Data Analysis: Perform quantitative and qualitative analysis of large data sets, presenting information in user-friendly formats.
• Case Studies: Research, interview scientists, and write case studies illustrating the impact of chemical sciences on society and government priorities.
• Policy Support: Assist the Policy & Evidence team with evidence-collecting work, particularly in education policy and net zero initiatives.
• Administrative Tasks: Provide support for policy meetings, focus groups, and round table discussions.

We are looking for:

• Educational Background: Degree in chemistry, other sciences, chemical engineering, or related fields, with knowledge of chemistry (minimum GCSE level, ideally A-Level/Scottish Higher).
• Research Skills: Ability to find, understand, and evaluate information, draw conclusions, and explain findings clearly.
• Communication Skills: Strong oral and written communication skills, ability to summarise discussions, write clear documents, and negotiate politely.
• Interest in Policy: Keen interest in government, parliament, and public policy affecting science.
• Technical Proficiency: Proficient in MS Office suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) for document production, data analysis, and collaboration.

A full job description is available here.

If you are interested in this role, please apply before the end of the closing date. When applying, you will need to provide an up-to-date CV and as a cover letter (in no more than 500 words) telling us about your relevant knowledge, skills and competencies and why you are applying for this role.

About the RSC:

The Royal Society of Chemistry is a not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to advance chemical sciences. As a not-for-profit publisher, we reinvest surplus funds back into the global scientific community, supporting our purpose to help the chemical science community make the world a better place.

The RSC strives to continuously innovate its product and services to adapt to market and customer needs, maintain relevancy, and diversify revenues from print journals. This requires a market-led and ‘outside-in’ thinking approach to product and service innovation.

Benefits:

At the Royal Society of Chemistry, we promote a healthy work/life balance and flexible working options across the organisation. We offer a comprehensive benefits package to all employees including:

• 26 days paid holiday per annum
• 35-hour working week with flexible options
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave
• Paid volunteering days
• Pension plan with up to 12% employer contributions (depending upon your contribution)
• Life assurance at four times basic annual salary

Visit our Work For Us website to learn more about us, our benefits, equal opportunities statement, and inclusive culture pledge.

At the RSC, we recognise the benefits of a diverse workforce and welcome applicants from a range of backgrounds to apply. We particularly encourage applications from disabled and ethnic minority candidates.

As a part of the Disability Confident Scheme, we endeavour, where possible, to offer an interview to candidates meeting the essential criteria of the role, who have a substantial physical/mental impairment which impacts their ability to carry out day-to-day tasks.

We are committed to making our recruitment processes accessible to all and as part of this, we are flexible in the ways we give and receive information. If you would like to apply using a different format, please contact the Recruitment Team at jobs@rsc.org or on +44 (0) 1223 432229 and we will do our best to put any reasonable adjustments in place.

If you have any questions, please contact us at jobs@rsc.org