The Cyprus Institute Graduate School Summer 2020 Internship Program
Through the Summer Internship Program, The Cyprus Institute Graduate School aims to expose young talented students and scholars to an international research experience and to encourage and inspire them in the pursuit of a scientific career. Interns will have a unique opportunity to carry out research at the institute's state-of-the-art facilities supervised by a mentor and to be introduced to the use of the latest methods and techniques.
During the application process, students will have the option to either:
(1) select one project from the table below or
(2) suggest a project of interest*
*students who propose their own suggested project must note that this will be considered, provided that the institute has the capacity in terms of supervision and facilities
Applications are welcome from candidates worldwide with a keen interest and a relevant scientific background.
Students who are accepted to the program will be assigned to one project.
All applicants will be asked to justify their selection in a 300-word statement on the online application form.
Summer Internship Projects:
|
Thematic domain |
Spatial Visualization |
|
Project title |
Immersive Visualisation of Urban Heritage |
|
Remote option |
If necessary, this project can be offered remotely, depending on the developments relating to the current pandemic |
|
Start date |
The project should begin on July 1 or August 1 |
|
Duration |
8 weeks |
|
Program objectives |
The main objective of this research is to capture and visualise the complex realities of historic urban environments in Mediterranean cities, and at the same time to engage users and local communities in the creative aspects of these patrimonies’ management. In doing so this research contributes to practices of social inclusion by promoting resilience and fostering cultural rights in the city through the use of co-design practices and citizen engagement. The motive that drives the development of this research is to enrich the agenda for the holistic development of cities by approaching built heritage as a dynamic assemblage of events, activities, performances and identities that relates to space as well as people. In the context of STARC, and specifically the activities of its Virtual Environments Lab, we develop immersive visualisations of historic sites that could be used for the cross-disciplinary study of complex and contested urban realities and better integration of heritage in the everyday life of contemporary cities. This research builds on the premise that built heritage could be promoted in such a way that it would offer interesting everyday experiences and contribute to the well-being and quality of life of citizens. |
| Expected results | Contributions to 3D modelling and Virtual Reality applications |
|
Project mentor |
Dr George Artopoulos |
|
Other CyI people involved |
Marissia Deligiorgi, Nicolas Louca, Mohammed Saleh Rafat |
| Backround requirements | Skills in 3D modelling, Autodesk 3ds max, Maya, Unity or Unreal |
|
Financial aid availability |
A stipend may be awarded to strong applicants |
|
Thematic domain |
Computational Science / Machine Learning / Bioinformatics |
|
Project title |
Unsupervised Feature Extraction of Protein Sequences using Advanced Machine Learning Methodologies |
|
Remote option |
If necessary, this project can be offered remotely, depending on the developments relating to the current pandemic |
|
Start date |
The proposed program dates are: 01/07/2020 - 31/08/2020 but there is some flexibiltiy in the dates |
|
Duration |
8 weeks |
|
Program objectives |
- Optimization of reading and writing FASTA files - By using advanced machine learning and deep learning methodologies for the analysis and feature extraction of protein sequences without any prior knowledge |
|
Expected results |
A model for automatic extraction of protein sequences features |
|
Project mentor |
Dr Charalambos Chrysostomou |
|
Other CyI people involved |
Dr Mihalis Nicolaou |
|
Background requirements |
The applicant need to be at-least in the 3rd year of his/her Bachelor studies, with previous experience in programming and basic understanding of machine learning methodologies. |
| Financial aid availability |
No financial aid is available for this project |
|
Thematic domain |
Solar Concentration Technology |
|
Project title |
Solar Concentration Technology in the Built Environment |
|
Remote option |
If necessary, this project can be offered remotely, depending on the developments relating to the current pandemic |
|
Start date |
June 1 |
|
Duration |
8-12 weeks |
|
Program objectives |
- Define a ray-tracing model of the Fresnel collector at the Cyprus Institute with Tonatiuh or other ray tracing software using eventually the HPC facility - Refine the thermal modelling of the Fresnel collector - Improve the techno economic modelling of the Fresnel collector - Implement Labview as a SCADA with TIA portal (PLCS), controls of the oil loop - 3D drawing of the Fresnel collector in FreeCAD or NX Siemens |
|
Expected results |
- Redefinition of the exhaustive Incident Angle Modifiers of the Fresnel collector at the Cyprus Institute. Exploration of potential upgrades - Thermal modeling of the facility with TRNSYS, open Modelica and/or Matlab Simulink - Definition of the levelized cost of Heat of an hybridized Fresnel collector for the built environment - SCADA implementation to ease the end user operation and generation of a data base - 3D modeling of the Fresnel collector for 3D printing purpose |
|
Project mentor |
Dr Alaric Montenon |
|
Other CyI people involved |
N/A |
| Background requirements | N/A |
|
Financial aid available |
No financial aid is available for this project |
|
Thematic domain |
Archaeological Science |
|
Project title |
Digital Reference Collections for Archaeological Science |
| Remote option |
This project cannot be offere remotely |
|
Start date |
The project will begin on June 1 and end on July 17 |
|
Duration |
6 weeks |
|
Program objectives |
Expansion of digital reference collections for plant microremains (starches, phytoliths), macroremains (archaeobotanical material), human bones and archaeological materials. |
|
Expected results |
Scientific: Open access digital reference collections that will promote the study of the interaction between humans, environment and material culture |
|
Project mentor |
Dr Efthymia Nikita |
|
Other CyI people involved |
Dr Evi Margaritis, Dr Thilo Rehren |
| Background requirements | No (training will be provided) |
|
Financial aid available |
A small stipend may be awarded based on merit. |
|
Thematic domain |
Mechanical Engineering / Concentrating Solar Thermal (CST) Energy Systems |
|
Project title |
Design and Optimization of Solar Thermal Power System Components |
|
Remote option |
If necessary, this project can be offered remotely, depending on the developments relating to the current pandemic |
|
Start date |
Flexible (within period June 1 to September 30) |
|
Duration |
8 weeks |
|
Program objectives |
Modeling, analysis, design and optimization of new thermal components of CST Systems i.e. receiver, thermal storage, heat exchangers, piping etc.
|
|
Expected results |
The student will gain a strong understanding of the concepts of Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) and hand-on experience on thermodynamics, heat transfer and fluid mechanics and on the thermomechanical modelling of CSP components in real world applications. |
|
Project mentor |
Dr Kypros Milidonis |
|
Other CyI people involved |
Dr Manuel Blanco, Dr Victor Grigoriev |
| Background requirements | Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or Physics students, preferably in their two final years of their Bachelor or diploma degree. Students with more qualifications are welcome while students within the first years of their study can be also considered. |
|
Financial aid available |
No financial aid available |
| Thematic domain | Mechanical / Aerospace Engineering / Concentrating Solar Thermal (CST) Energy Systems |
| Project title | Airborne Characterization of Heliostat Fields using Drones |
| Remote option | If necessary, this project can be offered remotely, depending on the developments relating to the current pandemic |
| Program dates | Flexible (within the period June 1 to September 30) |
| Project duration | 8 weeks |
| Program objectives |
Assist in the definition, design and prototyping of heliostat field characterization methods using unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) and specially designed sensors.
|
| Expected results |
The student will gain a strong understanding of the concepts of Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) and hand-on experience on the characterization of heliostat fields using sensors mounted on drones.
|
| Project mentor | Dr Kypros Milidonis |
| Other CyI people involved | Dr Manuel Blanco, Dr Victor Grigoriev |
| Background requirements | Mechanical/Electrical/Electronic/Aeronautical/Aerospace/Software Engineering students preferably on their two final years of their Bachelor or Diploma degree.
Students with more qualifications are welcome while students within the first years of their study can be also considered. |
| Financial aid available | No financial aid is available for this project |
| Thematic domain | Monte Carlo Simulation, Lattice Quantum ChromoDynamics, Computational Physics |
| Project title | Higher Order Integrator in Lattice Hybrid Monte Carlo Simulations |
| Remote option | If necessary, this project can be offered remotely, depending on the developments relating to the current pandemic |
| Start date |
The program will take place during the time period 16 June and 29 August (for 8 weeks)- the dates are flexible within this time period. |
| Duration | 8 weeks |
| Program objectives | Introduction to Monte Carlo Simulation Techniques in Lattice QCD and to high performance computing |
| Expected results | An analysis of higher order OMF integrators for molecular dynamics in HMC simulations |
| Project mentor | Dr Jacob Finkenrath |
| Other CyI staff involved | Dr Constantia Alexandrou |
| Background requirements | The applicant need to have a solid background in mathematics or/and physics and must be at least in her/his last year of his Bachelor. The software implementation will be done using “C” or “matlab”. A basic knowledge of programming language, like “C” or “matlab” is recommended. |
| Financial aid available | TBD |
| Thematic domain |
Iterative Linear Solvers, Lattice Quantum ChromoDynamics, Computational Physics |
| Project title | Communication-Avoiding Conjugate Gradient solver in Lattice Quantum ChromoDynamics |
| Remote option | If necessary, this project can be offered remotely, depending on the developments relating to the current pandemic |
| Start date | The program will take place during the time period 16 June and 29 August (for 8 weeks)- the dates are flexible within this time period. |
| Duration | 8 weeks |
| Program objectives |
Introduction to iterative linear solver techniques in Lattice QCD and to parallel programming with MPI (if needed) |
| Expected results | Testing and implementation of the communication-avoiding conjugate gradient solver in tmLQCD/DdalpaAMG |
| Project mentor | Dr Jacob Finkenrath |
| Background requirements | The applicant need to have a solid background in mathematics or/and physics and must be at least in her/his last year of his Bachelor. For the implementation a basic knowledge of “C” is required. |
| Other CyI staff involved | Dr Constantia Alexandrou |
| Financial aid available | TBD |
| Thematic domain | Heat Transfer and Thermodynamics |
| Project title | Heat Exchanger Modeling for Solar Energy Applications |
| Remote option | If necessary, this project can be offered remotely, depending on the developments relating to the current pandemic |
| Start date | June 1 or any other date within the June 1 to September 30 program period (flexible). |
| Duration | 8 weeks |
| Program objectives | The projects aims at developing mathematical models for various heat exchange processes in the field of solar energy. Towards this scope, the intern(s) will work under the guidance of Dr Costas Marakkos in formulating the relevant models, and compare the predictions with existing experimental data. |
| Expected results | It is expected that the work will lead to an international congress and/or scientific journal publication. |
| Project mentor | Dr Costas Marakkos |
| Other CyI staff involved | N/A |
| Background requirements | The applicant should have completed at least his/her 1st year of Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical Engineering or Physics. Basic experience in programming languages such as MATLAB |
| Financial aid available | No financial aid is available for this project |
|
Thematic domain |
Climate Impacts on Vector-borne Diseases |
|
Project title |
Integrating Environmental Drivers to the Mathematical Models of Vector Populations |
| Remote option | If necessary, this project can be offered remotely, depending on the developments relating to the current pandemic |
|
Start date |
Ideally June 1 to August 1 (but the dates are flexible as long as the program lasts anywhere from 6 to 9 weeks) |
|
Duration |
Ideal duration: 9 weeks |
|
Program objectives |
Climate and human activities such as land use change and global trade, as well as the phenotypic plasticity of vectors and pathogens give rise to uncertainties regarding the habitats and distribution ranges of disease vectors and vector-borne pathogens. Understanding the environmental dependency of vectors and pathogens is important for developing predictive models and helping to prevent or effectively manage future disease outbreaks. This project aims to introduce the intern to the rigor of mathematical approaches and their use in developing tools for improving the understanding of complex biological systems and their intricate dependency to the environment. The intern will focus on one of the many topics of interest, such as the dynamics of mosquito breeding sites or the effect of daylight in cold hardiness, derive logical conclusions from the literature, and construct, analyze, and visualize mathematical models helping to improve our understanding and the accuracy of our predictions. References:
Erguler K, Smith-Unna SE, Waldock J, Proestos Y, Christophides GK, et al. (2016) Large-Scale Modelling of the Environmentally-Driven Population Dynamics of Temperate Aedes albopictus (Skuse). PLOS ONE 11(2): e0149282 |
| Expected results | The intern will have a basic introduction to the following:
1. Mathematical modelling for ecosystems and vector-borne/infectious diseases 2. Predictive model development for improving understanding of the environmental drivers of vector-borne diseases 3. Introduction to mathematical model development, analysis, and visualization in R |
|
Project mentor |
Dr Kamil Erguler |
|
Other CyI staff involved |
Dr Pantelis Georgiades, Dr Maria Christou, Dr Angeliki Martinou |
|
Background requirements |
N/A |
|
Financial aid available |
No financial aid is available for this project |
|
Thematic domain |
Climate Impacts on Vector-borne Diseases |
|
Project title |
Mathematical Modelling of Mosquito Control Strategies involving Genetically Modified (GM) Mosquitoes |
| Remote option | If necessary, this project can be offered remotely, depending on the developments relating to the current pandemic |
|
Start date |
Ideally June 1 to August 1 (but the dates are flexible as long as the program lasts anywhere from 6 to 9 weeks) |
|
Duration |
Ideally 9 weeks |
|
Program objectives |
The Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), is an important vector of many arboviral human diseases, such as dengue, yellow fever and chikungunya. Furthermore, it is able to invade and establish populations in both tropical and temperate climates, as well as urban and rural environments. Over the past decades, a significant geographical spread of the species has been observed, which imposes a major risk on human health. Recently, the use of genetic tools has gained traction in controlling tiger mosquito populations, and preliminary field studies showed promising results [1]. We have developed an age-structured discrete-time population dynamics model, which can be used to simulate environment-driven mosquito population dynamics [2]. In this project, utility of this model in representing GM vector control strategies will be investigated. The overarching aims of this project are to: expand this model in order to simulate mosquito populations in different locations and expand the model to include genetically modified mosquito populations and explore the effects of their introduction to wild-type populations [3]. References Zheng, X., Zhang, D., Li, Y., Yang, C., Wu, Y., Liang, X., … Xi, Z. (2019). Incompatible and sterile insect techniques combined eliminate mosquitoes. Nature, 572(7767), 56–61. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1407-9 Erguler, K. (2018). sPop: Age-structured discrete-time population dynamics model in C, Python, and R. F1000Research, 7, 1220. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.15824.2 Sanchez, H. M., Wu, S. L., Bennett, J., & Marshall, J. M. (2018). MGDrivE : A modular simulation framework for the spread of gene drives through spatially-explicit mosquito populations. BioRxiv, 1–18. |
|
Expected results |
The intern will be guided to: gain experience in mosquito population dynamics and its environmental dependence, be able to mathematically model and simulate mosquito populations, and use R or Python to perform spatiotemporal model simulations of mixed (wild-type and GM) mosquito populations. |
|
Project mentor |
Dr Kamil Erguler |
|
Other CyI staff involved |
Dr Pantelis Georgiades, Dr Maria Christou, Dr Angeliki Martinou |
|
Background requirements |
N/A |
|
Financial aid available |
No financial aid is available for this project |
| Thematic Domain | Hydrology and Environmental Sciences |
| Project title | Hydrological Processes in Natural and Agricultural Ecosystems |
| Remote option | This project cannot be offered remotely |
| Start date | Selected interns may do their project any time during the normal summer internship period (June 1 to September 30) as long as their project is of 8 weeks (minimum) to 17 weeks maximum duration. Applicants may select their preferred dates on the applicaiton form. |
| Duration | 8 weeks minimum to 17 weeks maximum |
| Program objectives | Quantifying hydrological processes in natural and agricultural ecosystems through the collection and analysis of data with state-of-the-art, scientific equipment. |
| Expected results | - Gaining practical skills and knowledge in hydrological and environmental field observations (stream flow, soil moisture, precipitation, evapotranspiration, irrigation, tree sap-flow, leaf water potential, interception, soil properties);
- Getting familiar with scientific sensors and equipment (meteorological station, flux tower, electromagnetic stream flow velocity sensor, soil moisture sensors, porometer, sap-flow sensor, leaf water potential with pressure chamber, optical leaf area analyzer, data loggers); - Gaining practical skills in experimental data collection and processing in hydrological and environmental sciences. |
| Project mentor | Dr Hakan Djuma |
| Other CyI staff involved | Melpo Siakou, Dr Marinos Eliades, Dr Christos Zoumides, Dr Adriana Bruggeman |
| Background requirements | Bachelor or Master students in hydrological, agricultural or environmental sciences. |
| Financial aid available | No financial aid availble |
| Thematic domain | Sustainability and the Built Environment |
| Project title | Simulation-based Optimization Applied to Support the Design of a Nearly Zero Energy Building under Future Climate Projections |
| Remote option | If necessary, this project can be offered remotely, depending on the developments relating to the current pandemic |
| Start date | June 8 (the start date can be flexible by plus 1 or minus 1 week) |
| Duration | 8 weeks |
| Program objectives | Nearly zero energy buildings (nZEB) aim at meeting several requirements from different fields. Often, such requirements are antagonistic, and the designer cannot identify the most suitable building variant in a simple way. Algorithm-driven optimization techniques explore the huge problem space of available building variants in a reasonable time span and provide the analyst/designer a trade-off between optimal building variants according to input data vector. Furthermore, the optimization problem will be investigated under future climate projections to assess its robustness against climate uncertainty. |
| Expected results |
- Developing an automatic simulation-based optimization experiment to identify optimal (or near-optimal) nZEBs in the Nicosia climate - Identify the technical solution to achieve the Zero energy target - Extract a list of recommendations - Investigating the robustness of the building concept against climate uncertainty |
| Project mentor | Dr Salvatore Carlucci and Dr Jean Sciare |
| Other CyI staff involved | Dr Panos Hadjinicolaou, Dr Theodoros Christoudias, Dr George Zittis |
| Background requirements | Applicants for this project should be in graduate school |
| Financial aid available | A small stipend may we awarded based on merit |
|
Thematic domain |
Sustainability and the Built Environment |
|
Project title |
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment of a Nearly Zero Energy Building: The Novel Technologies Laboratory at CyI |
| Remote option | This project cannot be offered remotely |
|
Start date |
June 15 (start date is not flexible for this project) |
|
Duration |
8 weeks |
|
Pogram objectives |
ZEBs are complex and high-performance buildings with a low energy use covered on a great extent by electricity generated by renewable energy sources. But, together with a statement based on the energy balance, monitoring of indoor environmental quality is a key issue to verify whether a building provides an acceptable comfort level with respect to occupants’ needs and expectations and to detect critical environmental conditions, vulnerabilities and potential improvements. Then, actual indoor conditions can be assessed using (time-dependent) short-term metrics and (time-integrated) long-term metrics. |
|
Expected results |
- Carrying out performance assessment during the operation of a ZEB on the base of monitoring data. - Provide an estimation of thermal sensation and acceptability perceived by building occupants. - Detect critical environmental conditions. |
|
Project mentor |
Dr Salvatore Carlucci and Dr Despina Serghides |
|
Other CyI staff involved |
N/A |
| Background requirements | The applicant should be in graduate school (MSc or PhD) |
|
Financial aid available |
TBD |
| Thematic domain | Computational Science and Engineering |
| Project title | Parameter Estimation for Wetting Hydrodynamics using Machine Learning Techniques |
| Remote option | If necessary, this project can be offered remotely, depending on the developments relating to the current pandemic |
| Start date | Proposed start date is preferrably mid-July (for 8 weeks) |
| Duration | 8 weeks |
| Project objectives | The project is an exploratory investigation into the use of data from dynamic simulations to estimate system parameters using machine learning methodologies. These ideas will be used in the context of wetting hydrodynamics and the study of droplet dynamics in heterogeneous environments. |
| Expected results | Estimation of system parameters using data from simulations. |
| Project mentor | Dr Nikos Savva |
| Other CyI staff involved | Dr Charalambos Chrysostomou, Dr Mihalis Nicolaou |
| Background requirements | The applicant needs to have a solid background in mathematics or/and physics and must be at least in the last year of her/his Bachelor studies. A basic knowledge of a programming language, such as “C” or “python”, and in machine learning methodologies is recommended. |
| Financial aid available | A stipend may be awarded based on merit. |
| Thematic domain | Computational Science and Engineering |
| Project title | Iterative Solvers for Partial Differential Equations |
| Remote option | If necessary, this project can be offered remotely, depending on the developments relating to the current pandemic |
| Start date | Proposed start date is preferrably mid-July (for 8 weeks) |
| Duration | 8 weeks |
| Project objectives | The project aims to introduce students to the development of iterative solvers and their application in the context of nonlinear partial differential equations encountered across science and engineering. |
| Expected results | Development of an efficient iterative solver and a suite of tools applied to the numerical solution of nonlinear partial differential equations. |
| Project mentor | Dr Nikos Savva |
| Other CyI staff involved | Dr Giannis Koutsou |
| Background requirements | The applicant needs to have a solid background in mathematics or/and physics and must be at least in the last year of her/his Bachelor studies. A basic knowledge of a programming language, such as “C” or “python” is recommended. |
| Financial aid available | A stipend may be awarded based on merit. |
| Thematic domain | Computational Science and Engineering, Molecular Simulations, Data Analytics |
| Project title | Atomistic Simulations of Graphene-based Polymeric Nanostructured Materials |
| Remote option | This project cannot be offered remotely |
| Start date | July 1 (but flexible as long as it takes place for 8 weeks during July 1 to Sept 30) |
| Duration | 8 weeks |
| Project objectives | Introduction to atomistic simulations of complex materials. The main goal of the project is to perform molecular dynamics simulations of polymer/graphene interfacial systems, and to extract properties at the atomic/molecular level. Simulation data will be analyzed using statistical mechanics and data mining tools, to study the effect of the interface on the behavior of the hybrid nanostructured materials. |
| Expected results | Properties of the polymer/graphene interfacial systems at the nano-scale. |
| Project mentor | Dr Vagelis Harmandaris |
| Other CyI staff involved | N/A |
| Background requirements | The applicant needs to have a solid background in mathematics or/and physics and must be at least in the last year of her/his Bachelor studies. A basic knowledge of a programming language, such as “C” or “python”, and in machine learning methodologies is recommended. |
| Financial aid available | A stipend may be provided based on merit. |
| Thematic domain | Computational Science and Engineering, Molecular Simulations, Data Analytics |
| Project title | Parameterizing Molecular Force-fields via Advanced Machine Learning Methodologies |
| Remote option | This project cannot be offere remotely |
| Start date | July 1 (but flexible as long as it takes place for 8 weeks during July 1 to Sept 30) |
| Duration | 8 weeks |
| Project objectives | Introduction to molecular simulations and data analytics methods for complex materials. The main objective of the project is to parametrize interaction between atoms/molecules using advanced deep learning methodologies and physics-based models, without invoking any experimental data. |
| Expected results | A methodology for automatic parametrization of molecular simulation force fields. |
| Project mentor | Dr Vagelis Harmandaris |
| Other CyI staff invloved | N/A |
| Background requirments | The applicant needs to have a solid background in mathematics or/and physics and must be at least in the last year of her/his Bachelor studies. A basic knowledge of a programming language, such as “C” or “python”, and in machine learning methodologies is recommended. |
| Financial aid available | A stipend may be provided based on merit. |
| Thematic domain | Concentrating Solar Power and Desalination Plant |
| Project title | Hands on experience and participation in experiments implemented in the PROTEAS facility |
| Remote option | If necessary, this project can be offered remotely, depending on the developments relating to the current pandemic |
| Start date | June 1 (this start date is flexible) |
| Duration | 8 weeks |
| Project objectives | Hands on experience with a demonstration Concentrated Solar Power and Desalination plant |
| Expected results | Actively involved in experiments. Gain experience in experimental campaigns and in designing and executing experiments. |
| Project mentor | Dr. Marios C Georgiou |
| Other CyI staff involved | Dr. Costas Marakkos, Marios Constantinou, Dimitris Alambritis, Martha Kourouyianni |
| Background requirements | Applicant must be a mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or physicist student, preferably in their final year of their Bachelor's degree. Applicants with additional qualifications are welcome to apply. |
| Financial aid available | Only in exceptional cases |
| Thematic domain | Mechanical/Aeronautical Engineering / Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants |
| Project title | Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations for investigating natural convection thermal losses within solar receivers used in Concentrated Solar Thermal (CST) tower plants |
| Remote option | If necessary, this project can be offered remotely, depending on the developments relating to the current pandemic |
| Start date | Flexible (as long as project takes place between June 1 and September 30) |
| Duration | 8 weeks |
| Project objectives | To perform CFD simulations for quantification of natural convection thermal losses within solar receivers used in Concentrated Solar Thermal (CST) tower plants |
| Expected results | The student will gain a strong understanding of the concepts of Concentrating Solar Power (CSP), and especially on the thermal receiver sub-component. Hands-on experience will be gained on using CFD for real-life applications. |
| Project mentor | Dr. Kypros Milidonis |
| Other CyI staff involved | n/a |
| Background requirements |
Mechanical/Aeronautical Engineering, students, preferably on their two final years of their Bachelor or diploma degree. Good knowledge on fluid mechanics and/or heat transfer and/or Fluent or OpenFoam CFD software will be considered an advantage. Students with more qualifications are welcome while students within the first years of their study can be also considered. |
| Financial aid available | No |
| Thematic domain | Electrical/Electronic/Mechanical/Software Engineering / Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants |
| Project title | Sun-tracking software development for heliostats in LabView environment |
| Remote option | If necessary, this project can be offered remotely, depending on the developments relating to the current pandemic |
| Start date | Flexible (as long as project takes place between June 1 and September 30) |
| Duration | 8 weeks |
| Project objectives | To implement heliostat sun tracking algorithms for motion control of heliostats using stepper motors/linear actuators/servo mechanisms etc, through LabView environment. |
| Expected results | The student will gain a strong understanding of the concepts of Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) and especially on the heliostat sub-component. Hands-on experience will be gained on scientific programming for real-life applications. |
| Project mentor | Dr. Kypros Milidonis |
| Other CyI staff involved | n/a |
| Background requirements |
Mechanical/Aeronautical Engineering, Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Software Engineering students, preferably on their two final years of their Bachelor or diploma degree. Basic knowledge on control theory (sensors, digital/analog I/O, feedback control, PI/PID controllers etc) and/or some experience on Arduino/Raspbery Pie or similar and/or LabView will be considered an advantage. Students with more qualifications are welcome while students within the first years of their study can be also considered. |
| Financial aid available | No |
| Thematic domain | Computational Science |
| Project title | Modelling of COVID-19 |
| Remote option | If necessary, this project can be offered remotely, depending on the developments relating to the current pandemic |
| Start date |
Program can be 2 or 3 months duration and should ideally take place between period 1 June to 31 August (latest end date is Sept 11) |
| Duration | 8 - 12 weeks |
| Project objectives | Predict the spread of COVID-19 using a statistical model |
| Expected results | A modeling tool for predicting the evolution of diseases and in particular for COVID-19 in Cyprus. A scientific publication is foressen. |
| Project mentor | Prof. Constantia Alexandrou |
| Other CyI staff involved | Asst. Prof. Giannis Koutsou |
| Background requirements | The applicant must be a least in her/his final year of a Physics Department. |
| Financial aid available | No |
| Thematic domain | Bioarchaeology |
| Project title | Following the footsteps of an Ancient Cypriot – Summer internship for the FF-MAC Project |
| Remote option | If necessary, this project can be offered remotely, depending on the developments relating to the current pandemic |
| Start date | July 1 would be ideal but project dates are flexible |
| Duration | 8 weeks |
| Project objectives |
The main objective of this research is to follow the historic and prehistoric trails of specific individuals that lived in Cyprus during various time periods, collate this information and contribute to the project Face to Face: meet an Ancient Cypriot (FF-MAC). The overall aim of the project is to increase the appeal and accessibility of cultural heritage for tourism through encounters with real individuals from the Cypriot past, based on bioarchaelogical research leading to construction of osteobiographies, ancient life stories, and visitor encounters with real, individual life stories from the past. The project involves an integrated intervention through research, and technological and innovation activities for addressing important challenges in the relevant sector. During the internship, the student will receive training and gain skills on how to effectively use literature sources, both online as in libraries, how to write literature reviews, and familiarize his or herself with specific time period from the Cypriot (Pre)History. Furthermore, the student has the possibility to familiarize him/herself with the basics of human osteology, burial taphonomy and material culture. |
| Expected results | By the end of the internship, the individual will have constructed a document with scientific information related to a real individual from the Cypriot past that directly contributes to the FF:MAC project |
| Project mentor | Asst. Prof. Kirsi Lorentz, Dr. Simone Lemmers |
| Other CyI staff involved | Ms Bianca Casa, Ms Natalie Branca, Ms Yuko Miyauchi, Ms Sila Kayalp |
| Background requirements | No previous experience is needed, although a basic level of using academic sources is beneficial. |
| Financial aid available | No |
| Thematic domain | Bioarchaeology |
| Project title | Lab based XRF on an Ancient Cypriot – Summer internship for the FF-MAC Project |
| Remote option | This project cannot be offered remotely |
| Start date | July 1 would be ideal but project dates are flexible |
| Duration | 8 weeks |
| Project objectives | The main objective of this research is to perform Lab based X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis on an assemblage of material from specific individuals from the Cypriot past. The obtained results contribute to the project Face to Face: meet an Ancient Cypriot (FF-MAC). The overall aim of the project is to increase the appeal and accessibility of cultural heritage for tourism through encounters with real individuals from the Cypriot past, based on bioarchaelogical research leading to construction of osteobiographies, ancient life stories, and visitor encounters with real, individual life stories from the past. The project involves an integrated intervention through research, and technological and innovation activities for addressing important challenges in the relevant sector.
During the internship, the student will receive training on how to use Lab based XRF equipment, and will perform background literature study on the application of this method on archaeological human remains. |
| Expected results | By the end of the internship, the individual will have generated a dataset of XRF readings related to the human remains of specific individuals from the Cypriot past that directly contributes to the FF:MAC project. |
| Project mentor | Asst. Prof. Kirsi Lorentz |
| Other CyI staff involved | Dr Simone Lemmers, Ms Bianca Casa, Ms Natalie Branca, Ms Yuko Miyauchi, Ms Sila Kayalp |
| Background requirements | No previous experience is needed, although a basic level of using academic sources is beneficial. Training will be provided on using the XRF equipment. |
| Financial aid available | No |
| Thematic domain | Eco innovation, green technology transfer |
| Project title | Establishing a classification model for EU financed SMEs against The SDGs |
| Remote option | This project can be offered remotely. This will be determined later as things develop with Covid 19. |
| Start date | Proposed project dates: July 13 to September 11- project dates are flexible |
| Duration | 8 weeks |
| Project objectives | This program aims to build a database of startups with innovative solutions to address environment or sustainability issues (UN SDGs), to develop a suitable research methodology on bibliometric classification, and to analyze the status of eco-innovation in different regions. |
| Expected results | The project intends to outline the current scenarios of eco-innovation, particularly among start-ups and innovative SMEs, and the related policy, funding resources, market barriers and infrastructures needed, as well as the transfer of green technologies or business models inter-regionally or globally. |
| Project mentor | Prof. Salvatore Carlucci |
| Other CyI staff involved | N/A |
| Background requirements | 1. Advanced university degree in relevant field.
2. Study or working experience on international cooperation. 3. Fluent in English speaking and writing. 4. Be able to travel if necessary and if possible based on the pandemic. |
| Financial aid available | No |
| Thematic domain | Modelling Infectious Disease Epidemiology |
| Project title | Developing a Comprehensive Geoinformatics Platform for the Modelling and Visualization of COVID-19 Epidemiology |
| Remote option | If necessary, this project can be offered remotely, depending on the developments relating to the current pandemic |
| Start date | June 1 ideally but project dates are flexible |
| Duration | 10 weeks |
| Project objectives | The project aims to develop a scalable, interactive and stratifiable geoinformatics resource that enables fast browsing and enhanced visualisation and meta-analysis of Covid-19 big data. It is based on an already available tool for big data we developed in the context of the NIH/NIAID-funded VectorBase and VEuPathDB projects. The new resource, including its enhanced visualisation and meta-analysis tools, will also serve the vector and pathogen communities and can be used in future epidemics; therefore, it will have a long-lasting impact.
The resource will be enriched with the development of mathematical models and computational tools that would aid the understanding of COVID-19 spread and epidemiological impacts in countries of the Eastern Mediterranean region. The toolkit will further guide the design of interventions and decision taking. |
| Expected results | The intern(s) will be involved in different aspects of the development of the COVID-19 geoinformatics resource, which will lead to valuable experience in mathematical modelling, data analysis, software engineering, and web design. |
| Project mentor | Dr Kamil Erguler |
| Other CyI staff involved | Prof. George Christophides, Dr. George Tsouloupas, Asst. Prof. Mihalis Nicolaou |
| Background requirements | Background in computer programming, software engineering, web designer, or a related field. Excellent command of several programming languages including JavaScript Frameworks, Python, and C. Experience in database management and cyber security. |
| Financial aid available | No |
| Thematic domain | Health and Safety Focus on Chemicals |
| Project title | Occupational Health and Safety: Risk assessment of a set of chemicals used in specific procedures |
| Remote option | If necessary, this project can be offered remotely, depending on the developments relating to the current pandemic with the exception of a small portion of the program which has to be on site |
| Start date | Preferrably July 10 for 4 weeks (however it can begin later, provided the 4 weeks end by September 20) |
| Duration | 4 weeks |
| Project objectives |
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| Expected results |
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| Project Mentor | Natascia Manderioli |
| Other CyI staff involved | Dr. Brunella Santarelli and/or Dr. Iosif Hafez |
| Background requirements | University student, knowledge in chemicals or health and safety interest. |
| Financial aid available | No |
| Thematic domain | Health and Safety focus on Emergencies |
| Project title | Occupational Health and Safety at the workplace: Emergency evacuation plan |
| Remote option | If necessary, this project can be offered remotely depending on the developments relating to the current pandemic with the exception of a small portion of the program which has to be on site |
| Start date | Ideally July 13 for 6 weeks (if the program begins later it must end by Sept 20) |
| Duration | 6 weeks |
| Project objectives |
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| Expected results |
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| Project mentor | Natascia Manderioli |
| Other CyI staff involved | Michalis Philippou |
| Background requirements | Undergraduate student in engineering or architecture, interested in health and safety matters, capable of using AutoCad and/or Revit. |
| Financial aid available | No |
Additional projects may be added to the above table periodically
Please note that if some of the projects may need to be offered remotely due to the developments related to the pandemic, there may be some additional background requirements that will be discussed with the mentor.
Program Length
The internships will be of approximately 8 weeks duration and must take place between June 1 and September 30, 2020. Students may have the option to change the duration of the program in consultation with the project mentor. Students whose programs include the week of August 10-14 will have that week off as the institute will be closed.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must:
| Be undergraduate or graduate students or recent graduates with an excellent academic background and a strong interest in research (prior lab or modelling experience is considered an advantage) |
| Have strong communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to adapt to a multicultural/multinational environment |
| Have good knowledge of oral and written English |
| See possible additional requirements under each project |
Application Process
Applications should be submitted through the online internship application. The following supporting documents must be uploaded when filling out the online application:| Copy of national ID or passport |
| Curriculum Vitae |
| University transcripts. All transcripts to date should be included. |
| English Language Proficiency Certificate. This may either be a letter from the student’s university verifying that their degree program is offered in English, or if the degree is not offered at an English- medium institution, students should provide a certificate verifying English language proficiency (e.g. TOEFL, IELTS, GCSE/IGCSE etc.). If applicants have not taken any tests demonstrating English language proficiency and have not studied/ are not studying at an English- medium institution, they may state it on the application. |
Students will need to write a 300- word statement in the online application justifying their choice of project selected by stating why their background and qualifications are a good match for the project they are applying for. Students will be assigned to one project.
If, for any serious reason, the applicant needs to attend a shorter or longer program, they should explain why in the justification.
Application Deadline
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. Projects will be listed as closed once spaces are filled.
Application Form
Click here to access the Summer Internship Application Form
Financial Aid
The Cyprus Institute Graduate School Summer Internship program focuses on providing students a unique training experience through bespoke projects related to applicant’s field of study and research interests thus are not considered to be job placements and do not come with compensation.
A limited number of the projects may provide a small stipend based on merit and availability of funds. This information is available under each project listing.
Contact
For more information, please contact the Office of Graduate Studies at tel: +357 22 208614 or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
For information on professional internships that may be offered year-round, please contact The Cyprus Institute Human Resources Office.
