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Applications now open

Applications for the CSIRO Summer Vacation Studentship program are now open.

Visit Studentships and Scholarships to see the opportunities now available.

Applications close 7 August 2025.

About our undergraduate vacation studentships

Our popular undergraduate vacation studentships are available each year during the Australian summer holidays for eligible high performing undergraduate students.

CSIRO offers vacation studentships across a range of science and related disciplines, providing opportunities to learn about science research alongside CSIRO staff in our world leading facilities.

CSIRO vacation studentships offer you

  • Participation in real world projects so you can develop and practice your knowledge and skills in science, technology or related fields such as science communication.
  • Mentoring, shadowing and coaching opportunities with our world leading research staff.
  • The possibility for Work Integrated Learning plans that could contribute to your course credit.
  • A student placement of between 8 to 12 weeks during standard business hours commencing from November.
  • A stipend and, in some cases, the possibility of a contribution towards travel and accommodation costs.
  • The opportunity to present your learning outcomes and reflections on the vacation studentship experience to your peers, mentors and leadership.
Your video or audio is here!

Requirements and eligibility

To be considered for a vacation studentship you will need to:

  • be enrolled in an undergraduate course at an Australian Tertiary Education Institution
  • have completed not less than one year of a full-time (FTE) undergraduate course at commencement of the studentship
  • have a strong academic record (credit average or higher) and/or known capability in the field
  • have an interest in pursuing a research career in science or technology, or a career in a related discipline
  • be available to undertake a learning and development placement in Australia for 8 to 12 weeks over the summer vacation period.

Applications now open

Applications for the CSIRO Summer Vacation Studentship program are now open.

Visit Studentships and Scholarships to see the opportunities now available.

Applications close 7 August 2025.

About our undergraduate vacation studentships

Our popular undergraduate vacation studentships are available each year during the Australian summer holidays for eligible high performing undergraduate students.

CSIRO offers vacation studentships across a range of science and related disciplines, providing opportunities to learn about science research alongside CSIRO staff in our world leading facilities.

CSIRO vacation studentships offer you

  • Participation in real world projects so you can develop and practice your knowledge and skills in science, technology or related fields such as science communication.
  • Mentoring, shadowing and coaching opportunities with our world leading research staff.
  • The possibility for Work Integrated Learning plans that could contribute to your course credit.
  • A student placement of between 8 to 12 weeks during standard business hours commencing from November.
  • A stipend and, in some cases, the possibility of a contribution towards travel and accommodation costs.
  • The opportunity to present your learning outcomes and reflections on the vacation studentship experience to your peers, mentors and leadership.

[Text appears: How much oil can an oil seed hold]

[Image changes to show Frankie Rickard]

Frankie Rickard: I really enjoyed my summer at the CSIRO and have definitely learned a lot throughout my time here.

[Image changes to show Frankie working with another colleague]

The first part of my project involved comparing a number of oil seeds. Just a few examples of products that use plant oils at the moment are green plastic bags which you buy from the supermarket where the slipping agent comes from Canola. Soybean newspaper ink is used in more than 90 percent of American newspapers. And detergents can be made from coconut or palm oil.

[Camera pans of an example of each of the products as Frankie mentions them and then changes back to Frankie working with her colleague on some plant samples]

If we're able to produce more oil from the same amount of land and intensify production there are a number of benefits. Not only does this increase return for farmers but the additional oil could help meet increased demands for food oil and the surplus could be used for industrial purposes.

So coming back to the original question how much oil can an oil seed hold? Well that is something we know that varies between seeds and something that we're hoping to increase in the future.

The best part of the project is getting a feel for how things work in the lab and learning a bit more about science as a career rather than from the lecture theatre at university, which really opened my eyes to science on a larger scale.

[CSIRO Logo appears with text: Big ideas start here www.csiro.au]

As a summer student Frankie worked on comparing oil seeds, producing more oil using the same amount of land could increase return for farmers and help meet future demands.

Requirements and eligibility

To be considered for a vacation studentship you will need to:

  • be enrolled in an undergraduate course at an Australian Tertiary Education Institution
  • have completed not less than one year of a full-time (FTE) undergraduate course at commencement of the studentship
  • have a strong academic record (credit average or higher) and/or known capability in the field
  • have an interest in pursuing a research career in science or technology, or a career in a related discipline
  • be available to undertake a learning and development placement in Australia for 8 to 12 weeks over the summer vacation period.

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