Chemistry R&D Review

It was a great experience! Highly recommended. Even though I didn't enjoy the science 100% of the time (reactions can fail, repetitive sometimes etc...), the attitude of my co-workers and fellow students made the overall job really enjoyable. Also lots of things going on in & outside of work meant I was never bored.

Very valued - participated in regular group meetings, giving updates on my work (& how it related to others' work). Also had numerous socials with the team to which the students were always invited.

Manager was always on hand to give advice, along with fellow students if I wanted to ask someone less senior. It was an environment in which I felt I could ask questions and not be put down for it.

I always had something to do! So it certainly wasn't boring. However occasionally I would have liked a bit of down-time. The typical day was spent mostly in the lab - I was rarely in the office.

I was assigned to a specific programme along with my supervisor & others. I was responsible for running my reactions autonomously and doing the purifications & write-ups etc. I didn't have a huge impact on the design of target molecules but was able to present to the team on my reactions & some medicinal chemistry justifications of observed effects. Overall a good level of responsibility that didn't feel overwhelming.

Learned & refined so many laboratory techniques that will be undoubtedly useful in future synthetic work. Gained familiarity with analysis techniques and automated methods (e.g. column chromatography, LC-MS) that I didn't have access to in undergraduate labs. Also gained invaluable insight into how industry works and a typical career path in industry. Great to see what the philosophy of a big company is and test if it is right for you or not.

Good balance of students and full-time employees, with a large international presence. Meant that there were always people to talk to on coffee break/walking to the printer etc. Open-plan office with no distinction between senior and lower grades made me feel welcome from day 1. Also we were allowed to play music in the lab which was great. Overall a very lively and fun environment.

Very well-established scheme that has run for years now! I was assigned a supervisor a few months before I started whom I met in advance. We then had a week of lab training before starting work properly which allowed us to meet fellow students and re-fresh chemistry after the summer break. I had a clear role within the team and was given opportunities to go for training/seminars/visit other sites throughout the year.

I was able to go to external training events (on medicinal chemistry) and also to visit other GSK sites involved in different areas of industry. There are regular seminars on-site with internal & external speakers so lots of opportunities to learn novel chemistry & medicinal chemistry. Also was able to take on work-placement students and show them around/some them some chemistry which gave me an elevated level of responsibility.

There are so many placement students taken on every year that we are not guaranteed a future job by any means. However the insight we gained will surely be useful in future applications.

Very active social life! This was organised both by a social group responsible for the students (similar to a student union), but also between fellow students independently. Most of us flat-shared with fellow IPs so there were lots of house parties etc. Also many group holidays. The gym offered the opportunity to socialise through sport (badminton, netball, gym classes etc.) with both students and full-time colleagues.

Stevenage rent is pretty cheap (~400/450 pcm) which the salary easily covers. Lots of cheaper supermarkets (Asda, Tesco, Lidl...) and numerous charity shops in town. The bars are very reasonable if you like a drink. Good rail links to nearby towns (Cambridge, London). If you fancy a slightly posher vibe, Hitchin is a nice town only 5mins away on the train.

Two main bars/clubs in town that the IPs generally frequented. A couple of decent pubs (two Wetherspoons amongst others). Also London is only a train ride away if you want a big night out. There is a leisure complex with cinema and other activities.

The sports centre offered the opportunity to socialise through sport (badminton, netball, squash, gym classes etc.) with both students and full-time colleagues. Also we had regular pub lunches within the team, along with Christmas and summer parties or other celebrations for major promotions.