Industrial Placement Student Review

I really enjoyed my placement, it was great spending a year in the lab and learning a load of practical and theoretical chemistry. I really enjoyed being directly involved with gsk projects rather than being given an independent project, and getting to learn about the drug discovery timeline through these projects

I felt really valued by my colleagues. Working alongside them on the same project meant I was trusted with similar tasks to full time employees: synthesising compounds of equal importance, helping progress compounds in different tests, and presenting in meetings. My opinions and suggestions in meetings were always encouraged and appreciated.

Working in the same laboratory as other chemists on the same project meant there was always someone to ask for support or advise with respect to the chemistry I was undertaking. The guidance decreased throughout the year as my understanding developed, and I was able to design routes to compounds, and suggest ideas. I was always supported in presenting and offering suggestions in meetings. I didn't have many 1-1 meetings with my supervisor which I feel would have been helpful.

Most of the year I was given a suitable level of work: we had sheets to assign compounds to your name and so the number was flexible depending on what else I had on. On times the lists were complete I would have a couple of quiet days whilst new compounds were designed or precursors ordered. As the placement progressed I got busier because I could juggle multiple experiments. Due to a company reorganisation I did have a month where I was very quiet: finishing off reactions for one project and slowly being introduced to a new project.

As my placement developed I was given just as much responsibility as other employees with regards to chemical synthesis. I was responsible for synthesising final compounds suitable for tests, scaling up key intermediates, and designing routes. In compound progression meetings I was responsible for progressing my own compounds. I was also responsible for creating slides, keeping the lab tidy, and organising events.

I built on my practical and theoretical chemistry skills from being in the lab all day and attending weekly problem sessions run by phd students. This helped me do my coursework and report for university along side placement, and will be invaluable skills for my final year and graduate career. I also gained presentation, communication, and organisational skills

In my first 10 months I was based in a 'bay' of a large laboratory. The bay atmosphere was very friendly and supportive, and we would go for tea breaks as a bay. The whole lab supported a very collaborative and organised environment, sharing lots of materials and equipment. I spent most of my time in the laboratory as it was more relaxed than working in the office. For the last 2 months I moved to a different lab which was much less collaborative; you were responsible for your own items, but equally as friendly and supportive.

Very organised. The first week all the chemistry placement students were taken to Bristol university labs for a week to develop lab skills, which was all organised for us, including accommodation. The communication between the recruitment company that employed me and GSK was good, and GSK have many placement students so have an organised system.

I attended many training sessions, or online modules, and was able to attend a conference relating to my work. On the two projects I worked on, meetings were organised to allow myself and other employees to understand the project and ideas. We were able to attend chemistry seminars held at GSK and had weekly problem sessions.

GSK offered us the opportunity for a fast track path to their future leaders project, and meetings to explain their joint Strathclyde phd scheme. A large number of the phd students had previously done a placement year with the company. Currently they are not employing graduate chemists which decreases the chance of future employment, but they took the time to show the other employment options available.

There is a placement student organised society associated with each site, called IP-Unite which arranges social events for the other placement students including a Christmas party. There are lots of placement students so lots of people to get to know. We also had several team events such as end of project meals, leaving parties, pub lunches, team breakfasts, and site bbqs.

Due to leaving finding a house quite late, our accommodation was quite expensive, but this is also due to Stevenage being a commuter town to London and Cambridge. The costs of socialising are normal and there is a mix of activities available, and it is £11 to get to London for the day.

The nightlife in Stevenage itself was not the best, with only 1 club, but there are plenty of pubs with big gardens which made up for it. It is also only 20 minutes away from London with trains running back to Stevenage until late, which opens up many other options.

There were noticeboards up around work with different activities and clubs around, and Stevenage has a broad range of activities. I organised getting involved with a girl guiding brownie unit in Stevenage. There is a sports club at work, with opportunities to join leagues and clubs or just go the gym.