Internship Application Letter Academic Researcher in Spain Barcelona – Free Word Template Download with AI

[Your Full Name]
[Your Address]
[City, Postal Code]
[Email Address]
[Phone Number]
[Date]

Hiring Committee
Institute of Advanced Studies in Barcelona (IASB)
Passeig de Gràcia, 106
08007 Barcelona, Spain

Dear Hiring Committee,

I am writing with profound enthusiasm to submit my application for the Academic Researcher internship position at the Institute of Advanced Studies in Barcelona (IASB), as advertised on the Universitat de Barcelona Careers Portal. As a dedicated scholar currently pursuing my Master's degree in Computational Linguistics at The University of Edinburgh, I have long admired Barcelona’s unique position as a global hub for interdisciplinary academic innovation—a vision that aligns perfectly with my professional trajectory and passion for cutting-edge research. This Internship Application Letter serves as the formal expression of my commitment to contribute meaningfully to your institution’s mission while immersing myself in the vibrant intellectual ecosystem of Spain Barcelona.

My academic foundation has been meticulously cultivated through rigorous coursework and hands-on research experience directly relevant to IASB’s focus areas. During my undergraduate studies at King's College London, I completed a thesis on "Neural Language Models for Low-Resource Languages," which involved developing NLP pipelines using PyTorch and collaborating with researchers from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). This project resulted in a co-authored paper accepted for presentation at the International Conference on Computational Linguistics (COLING), where I presented findings on optimizing transformer architectures for Romance languages—a skill set highly transferable to Barcelona’s research landscape. More recently, as a research assistant at Edinburgh's Centre for Data, Digital & Society, I managed a dataset of 500K+ multilingual social media posts across Iberian languages, applying statistical analysis and ethical AI frameworks. These experiences have honed my ability to conduct independent academic inquiry while navigating complex multicultural research environments—a prerequisite for success as an Academic Researcher within the diverse context of Spain Barcelona.

The decision to seek this internship in Spain Barcelona, rather than elsewhere in Europe, stems from a profound appreciation for the city’s unparalleled academic infrastructure. Barcelona is not merely a location but a living laboratory for humanities and digital research, home to world-class institutions like the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), BSC-CNS (Barcelona Supercomputing Center), and the Institute of Catalan Studies—each fostering collaborations between AI, social sciences, and cultural studies. I am particularly inspired by IASB’s ongoing project on "Digital Heritage in Mediterranean Societies," which integrates computational methods with historical linguistics—an approach that resonates deeply with my background in cross-lingual NLP. Barcelona’s unique position at the intersection of Mediterranean cultures and technological innovation creates an irreplaceable environment for research that transcends traditional academic silos. Having visited Barcelona twice to attend conferences and explore its historic libraries, I witnessed firsthand how the city’s intellectual energy—evident in its bustling university districts like Diagonal Mar and Poble Sec—fuels creative synergy between scholars, technologists, and cultural custodians.

My motivation extends beyond technical skill acquisition. I am driven by a commitment to ethical academic practice—a value central to Spain’s research ethos as enshrined in the 2023 National Strategy for Research and Innovation. In Barcelona specifically, the emphasis on "research for social good" (evident in initiatives like the Barcelona Supercomputing Center's Sustainable AI project) aligns with my own research ethics framework developed during my work with marginalized language communities in Spain’s Basque Country. As a fluent Catalan speaker (with B2 certification) and a cultural ambassador who organized an international symposium on "Language Diversity in Southern Europe," I am equipped to engage meaningfully with local academic networks while contributing fresh perspectives. This internship represents the critical bridge between my theoretical knowledge and practical application as a future Academic Researcher, enabling me to learn from Barcelona’s leading scholars while enriching their work through my multilingual and interdisciplinary approach.

I am confident that my proactive research methodology—evidenced by five academic publications, including two peer-reviewed journal articles on computational linguistics—and my capacity for collaborative innovation make me an ideal candidate. I thrive in environments that demand both intellectual rigor and cultural adaptability, having successfully managed cross-border teams for projects spanning the UK, France, and Spain. Moreover, my fluency in Spanish (C1 level), Catalan (B2), English (native), and basic French positions me to seamlessly integrate into IASB’s international community while respecting local academic traditions. In Barcelona specifically, where language is inseparable from cultural identity, this linguistic versatility will allow me to contribute authentically to discussions on Mediterranean digital humanities—a theme I plan to explore further during my internship.

What excites me most about this opportunity is the chance to grow alongside IASB’s mission of "transforming knowledge into societal impact." Barcelona’s reputation as a city that values research as a cornerstone of civic life—evident in its UNESCO City of Literature status and innovative policies like the Barcelona Supercomputing Center’s open-access computing initiatives—creates an unparalleled setting for this growth. I envision myself not only supporting your ongoing projects but also proposing new collaborative frameworks between computational linguistics and Mediterranean heritage studies, potentially leading to joint publications or community engagement programs. The prospect of working in a city where research permeates daily life—from the university campuses lining Avinguda Diagonal to the digital archives housed in the National Library—fuels my dedication to becoming a lifelong Academic Researcher rooted in both scholarly excellence and social relevance.

I have attached my CV, academic transcripts, and letters of recommendation from Professor Elena Martínez (Director of Data Humanities at University Pompeu Fabra) and Dr. Antonio Rossi (Head of NLP at CSIC). I would be honored to discuss how my background in computational linguistics, multilingual research experience, and deep appreciation for Barcelona’s academic culture can support IASB’s strategic goals. Thank you for considering this Internship Application Letter and my application. I look forward to the possibility of contributing to the intellectual legacy of Spain Barcelona as an emerging Academic Researcher.

Sincerely,
[Your Full Name]