The Centre for Forest Protection internship programme, introduced in early 2023, aims to nurture the next generation of forest scientists. Interns work on a research project within one of the Centre for Forest Protection research teams complemented by additional sessions visiting labs and discussing career options.

At the start of October 2025, we welcomed six new interns to the Centre for Forest Protection, with an additional two interns joining us shortly. Half of the group are working on Forest Research projects and are based out of the Northern Research Station near Edinburgh, and the others are based at Kew Gardens in London. You can find out more about each of our new interns here:

Meet our 2025/26 Interns!

Throughout their time with us, alongside working on their research projects, the interns will get the chance to hear from one another in monthly catch-ups, be invited along to CFP full programme meetings, and will get the chance to visit Wakehurst’s Millenium Seed Bank.

For many of our previous interns, the programme has served as a stepping stone between university and work, with some going on to PhD research in the field, including Phoebe Swift who has recently written a blog on her route into a career in tree genetics. In other cases, the programme has enabled a change of career  direction into forest science.

Hear from previous Centre for Forest Protection Interns in the video above, and by checking out the talks our 2024/25 cohort gave on their research projects: CFP Intern Talks (2024/25)

To find out more about our internship programme, please visit Education – Centre for Forest Protection.