
For businesses
Student Placements
Get the data and AI skills your business needs with our student placements
Discover new data and AI talent to benefit your business
Inject some data and AI expertise into your organisation through our range of well-respected student placement programmes.
We can link you with Scotland’s brightest data students through our well-respected placements. They provide an invaluable opportunity for your businesses to benefit from the most up-to-date thinking, technical skills and enthusiasm from highly motivated students.
Discover what is possible with an injection of data-science expertise!
Contact a member of our team to learn more.
Who can apply?
Our student placement programme is open to any Scottish organisation looking to add state-of-the-art data-driven knowledge into their organisations. Our dedicated Placement Team will work with you to find a suitable student based on your business needs.
Join the likes of Capita, Think Analytics, NatureScot, The Scottish Legal Complaints Commission, NatWest and other who have benefited first-hand from our placement students. Check out the video below to hear their story.
What types of student placements are available?
Data Lab Academy programme, which matches you with an Integrated Masters or MSc Student for 8-12 weeks.
Contact us to discuss your needs and we’ll find you the perfect match.
The Data Lab Academy Placements
You’ll be amazed at what our students can achieve for you within an 8–12-week period.
At any one time, we have over 100 students in Scotland studying a range of MSc courses in AI, data science, data analytics, data engineering and more from top university and colleges. Our students are keen for work experience to use their technical skills in the real world.
From energy market price forecasting and connecting electric vehicle drivers with nature-based tourism to machine learning for glucose prediction and reinforcement learning for herd mentality in investments; our students have had an impact across every industry.
Our team will help you shape your project and will match you with a suitable student and skill set. There is no up-front cost to participate, employers are only responsible for the 8–12-week salary of the placement student.

Examples of previous placement projects
- AI in automated human vaccination
- Blockchain-driven sustainable chemical marketplace
- Connecting electric vehicle drivers with nature-based tourism
- Energy market price forecasting
- Enhancing computer vision interpretation of vegetation photography
- Machine learning for glucose prediction in diabetes
- Reinforcement learning for herd mentality in investments
Hear first-hand from our delighted employers…
“Spyros worked on a commercial piece of work and the income for this will pay for the placement. An excellent outcome.”
Laura Anderson
Director, Sea Spyder
“We are delighted with both our placements who have delivered significant cutting edge data science solutions for us.”
Duncan Hart
Deepminer
“Ionannis went beyond what was expected by producing a new AI image classification system.”
Stephen Gerrard
NatureScot
If you would like to host a student, contact the Placements Team now.
Find out how we’ve helped some of Scotland’s business access the talent they need:
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Tricia Govindasamy: Award-winning South African data scientist sews Scottish roots
Tricia Govindasamy is an award-winning South African scientist specialising in data. She joined The Data Lab Community when she moved from Africa to the UK to undertake her MSc in Data Science for Politics and Policymaking at the University of Strathclyde. We spoke to Tricia about the value of The Data Lab Community, which recently…
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Natural Power: PhD Develops Power Forecasting Excellence
Natural Power works with a variety of clients across the globe to provide reliable data that supports project success. Its analytical services cover all stages of a project, from feasibility and development to operations, renewable energy, and re-powering. The Challenge: Accuracy in Renewable Energy Generation The ability to accurately forecast minutes and hours ahead is…
News about our business support:
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Heather Thomson named as CEO of The Data Lab
The appointment follows Thomson taking on the interim CEO role last year. Heather Thomson has today been announced as the new CEO of The Data Lab, Scotland’s innovation centre for data and AI, following a nationwide recruitment campaign. Thomson joined The Data Lab in 2018, leading the £8m data and AI skills programme before stepping…
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Seven Years with The Data Lab: Reflections by Marian Dunbar
Marian joined The Data Lab in 2018 and has been a key part of the team ever since, playing a central role in the growth of The Data Lab Academy. As we approach our tenth anniversary, she’s taking a moment to look back on the past seven years – sharing her experiences, highlights, and the…
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