Immuno-inflammation, Experimental Medicine Unit Industrial Placement Review

I have really enjoyed my years work placement at GlaxoSmithKline. I have spent my year based within the Immunoinflammation Therapy Area Unit (iiTAU), specifically within the Experimental Medicine Unit (EMU) and have had one of the best working years of my life. I was involved in a variety of projects within my department from the get go and learnt a great deal about the pharmaceutical research industry and drug development process. I was also able to use my placement to network and gain advice from researchers and medical doctors within industry, which was particularly useful as I am considering applying for PhD's in Immunology. I was given my own research project for the year, allowed to design my own experiments whilst being able to receive help and feedback on my work which was really useful for my personal development. I would thoroughly recommend this placement to anyone who has a strong interest in immunology, immuno-pharmacology and biomarker based biology.

The work I performed whilst on placement is used to directly support and drive research and development projects. You really feel a part of the team, the data you generate is valuable and helps solve real problems. Your views on projects are listened to in an extremely friendly open environment. It also helps that there is a buzzing student population within GSK and that IP years have been running for a long time which makes integration amongst colleagues within GSK very easy.

I was assigned a personal supervisor when I arrived, they were a senior scientist based full time within my Lab. They were always around to answer any questions I had regarding my experimental work, GSK systems and procedures and various other work related queries e.g pay, holidays etc. I felt fully supported by my supervisor, she introduced me into the lab, taught me techniques and helped me review and analyse my data in an constructive and informative way which has helped my development as a young scientist.

The job is variable on a day to day basis and really depends on the project you've been assigned, Some days you'll be based in the office either reading research papers aligned with your GSK project, designing your experiments or analysing experimental data. You are also expected to present your work and write a report so you may also spend a lot of office time doing this. Other days you'll be running around in the Lab doing your experiments and generating data. It's a real mix and varies on a day to day basis so your not just stuck doing one thing all of the time.

I was in charge of my GSK project and was able to design my experiments & report results independently. Once you are fully inducted and competent in the lab (a process which usually takes 3 months) you can often be left to your own devices - they trust in the work you do.

The skills I learned in particular cell culture, immuno-assay techniques (ELISA, MSD, Flow Cytometry etc) will assist me in my final year project and beyond e.g PhD. I also have improved in my scientific writing, presentation and data analysis skills which will come in handy in my thrid year of university and for a future PhD. My placement year has built up my confidence and confirmed that I would like to pursue a career as a researcher. The skills I have learned will stay with me for the rest of my scientific career and has been a hugely rewarding experience.

The general atmosphere in the office was very friendly and relaxed, however this varied department to department from my experience. The offices are in a smart working layout so no one has an assigned desk, allowing people to interact between different teams. As long as you aren't too loud and engage in general chit chat it's a nice place to work!

The work placement is organised via SRG, a personnel company who GSK employs to manage IP students with regards to pay, holidays and absence etc. They are easy to contact vi E-mail whilst on placement and were good at explaining how things work within GSK and how to get accommodation in Stevenage when we started out placement. GSK themselves organise the placement year excellently and embed you within the heart of the R&D organisation

GSK are very focussed in providing an excellent environment for learning and development. When I started I had a two week induction course where I was taught basic lab calculations, how to use various lab equipment and it's applications, we were also taught Biology and Immunology by various staff in a seminar format. Once we were trained, you generally have a meeting once a week with your supervisor to check your progress and any queries you may have. On occasion you'll have a meeting with the medicine development managers for your project or your departmental head to see how things are going and to ask for advice for future development. GSK invest a lot in IP students in both supporting time spent with you by staff and also with things like lab bench costs. They heavily invest in your placement year.

GSK has a variety of future employment opportunities through their Future Leaders Programme which has a variety of different graduate schemes embedded in all business areas, not just in R&D e.g Marketing, Procurement, Finance, Production, IT and HR. However if you want to pursue a career in Research and Development you will need a relevant PhD, so I will not be applying for any Grad Schemes as I only want to work within R&D.

There is an annual intake of around 100 IP students every year at GSK in stevenage R&D plus more in other GSK sites e.g Ware, Harlow etc. IP's are all in a similar position and regular socials are often organised either departmentally or as a part of an IP union 'IP Unite' which is GSK wide. Key highlights of events include Christmas Parties and a Summer Boat Party along the River Thames! Most students live together in private accommodation, it's a very sociable place and really not much different to life at university apart from the mandatory working hours. I have managed to make some new friends in the process of my placement which I am pleased about!

In Stevenage rent varies between £300-450/500 pcm with bills around £25/30 pcm on top of rent. If you live in stevenage you should have some disposable income for socialising in the leisure park, old town pubs or london (30min train journey away) in evenings and weekends. Cost for leisure expenditure is down to personal preference.

The night life isn't fantastic in Stevenage, but has adequate pubs and restaurants. Many IP's just have small house parties or travel into London for nightlife which again is only 20/30 min train journey away.

Yes. GSK push for employees to take part in fundraising events for various charities, they also hold 'Orange Days' where your department go offsite to volunteer for a day at a charitable organisation.