International internships for SIIL students in cooperation with CERN

Swiss International Institute Lausanne, together with the CLEAR at CERN is running a research program for students in information technology and applied accelerator physics.

CERN is the largest international research center in Switzerland, developing advanced technologies in science, engineering, data analysis and programming. The program allows SIIL students to gain hands-on experience in an international research environment while still studying.

The internship is entirely online. Students work on real research tasks, interact with academic supervisors and receive regular feedback within ongoing projects.

One participant was Anna, a student of the Information Systems and Technology program, who completed an internship on a research project related to the CLEAR experiment and the application of machine learning methods.

During the internship Anna refined and optimized existing code, developed new features and improved the system's algorithms. She also independently built a graphical user interface, from designing the structure and visual design to integrating it with the project's software.

The internship was structured as real engineering and research work: the student received long-term tasks and regular feedback, and worked in constant communication with her academic supervisor.

The academic side of the program is supervised by Alexander Malizhenkov, who heads SIIL's research program in accelerator physics.

Students are selected through a personal interview. Basic programming skills, understanding of how to work with code, readiness for independent work and engagement in the research process are all assessed.

Internships at SIIL are arranged individually, depending on the field of study, the student's level and the research tasks. Besides taking part in partner programs, students can also propose their own initiatives and projects for further academic and practical development.