Summary:
UCL Grand Challenges and the UNESCO Happy Schools Initiative are inviting applications from UCL doctoral students for short-term research internships. Interns will spend their placement exploring how the Global Happy Schools Initiative can advance educational equity, wellbeing, peace, and community learning across diverse global contexts.
PhD Position: UNESCO Doctoral Internships in Paris, France
Designation:
UNESCO Doctoral Research Intern
Program Overview
| Feature | Details |
| Host Institutions | UNESCO Headquarters & UCL Grand Challenges |
| Duration | 6 Months (Expected to start no later than March 2027) |
| Openings | 2 specific internships available |
| Funding | Financial assistance from UCL towards Paris accommodation and London-Paris travel. |
| Visa Support | Successful candidates receive guidance from the French Embassy to apply for a student trainee visa through the French Consulate. |
Research Area:
Educational Equity, Student Wellbeing, Pedagogies for Peace, Lifelong Learning, Human Rights, and Community Learning Hubs (aligned with the Happy Schools Framework: People, Process, Place, and Principles).
Location:
UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France.
Eligibility/Qualification:
Applicants must be doctoral students currently enrolled at University College London (UCL).
Job Description:
Interns will be based in Paris, working directly with the Global Happy Schools Initiative—a UNESCO-led program promoting learning environments grounded in values-based education.
- Internship 1: Pedagogies for Peace and the Happy Schools InitiativeThis role expands the Happy Schools approach into contexts of conflict, displacement, and deep inequality. The intern will focus on post-2030 foresight and future learning spaces, the right to lifelong learning, and the socio-economic outcomes of evidence-informed education, focusing on methodological innovation in educational research.
- Internship 2: Community Learning Hubs and the Happy Schools InitiativeThis role explores the “Community Hubs” criterion of the framework. The intern will research how schools already implementing the framework operationalize community practices daily, and how the four pillars (People, Process, Place, Principles) enable or constrain a school’s transition into an integrated multi-service community hub.
How to Apply:
Interested and eligible candidates must fill in and submit the online application form for their chosen track:
Last Date to Apply:
Friday, 28th August 2026, 17:00.
