Medicinal Chemistry IP Review

I really enjoyed my placement in the medicinal chemistry department at GSK. I was treated as a respected member of the team doing valuable research. I was constantly learning whilst doing practical work, and my lab skills improved massively over the year. The company culture made the environment very enjoyable, and I got along really well with my team.

My colleagues accepted me into the team straight away and were approachable and friendly so I felt comfortable in asking any questions. They gave the most interesting pieces of chemistry to me to carry out and listened to my thoughts and ideas. They also taught me lots of theoretical chemistry to enhance my studies.

My supervisor supported me thoroughly throughout the whole year, especially when writing my uni project. He read through my report many times giving me lots of helpful suggestions. Other members of my team also supported me with my uni project. Members of the team gave me lots of information about the area of research which was very helpful.

Due to the nature of the placement I could be as busy as I choose to be. At first I would synthesise one final compound at once, but when I got more used to the work and wanted more to do I was given more compound to make, so was undergoing 3 or 4 synthetic routes at once.

I was responsible for designing my own experiments and risk assessments, which my supervisor would check over before starting each experiment. I was then responsible for carrying out each experiment, and purifying and analysing the final compounds. If I required help my supervisor was happy to assist but as the placement went on I was given more independence.

My placement was invaluable for assisting me in my degree. I applied material taught at uni to my role and was taught more by my team, giving me an understanding beyond the scope of the university syllabus. The placement taught me about the industry and how organic chemistry is applied in industrial labs.

My team were passionate about chemistry and open about sharing chemistry with the team, creating a dynamic environment of sharing new methods and techniques. The people at the company were a pleasure to work with and had the right balance of work and fun, making it a really enjoyable experience.

GSK have lots of placement students across a range of departments and the programme is run very well. The students in my department make up approximately a third of the workers, meaning we are respected as chemists and seen as valuable to the running of the department. There were also lots of opportunities for IP students to get involved across the company.

Not only did my direct supervisor invest lots of time in my development, but the whole team did. Team members often taught me chemistry and mechanisms in the lab, and interesting synthetic routes. The PhD students also ran problem sessions for us to aid our development. Our employing company also ran careers and cv building workshops.

As I have enjoyed my placement year so much I am thinking of returning to so a PhD at GSK. My manager has also written a recommendation for me to assist in my application for GSK grad schemes. There are lots of graduate employment opportunities, although they are very competitive.

As GSK have so many placement students there was a great social life, with the evenings and weekends quite similar to university life. I lived with other placement students and made friends with students across a range of departments. There was also a good social scene with colleagues- the team got on really well so we had a bonus Christmas party in London on top of the department party.

Stevenage is quite close to London however things like rent were much cheaper than London prices. There are a few things to do staying in Stevenage which can make socialising cheaper but the train into London was only about £15, including unlimited use on the underground too. The train journey is only about half an hour.

There were a few pubs however were quite expensive, so students tended to go to Wetherspoons. There are a couple of bars/ clubs in Stevenage, but about a 20 minute taxi journey would allow us to go to Hitchin, with much nicer pubs and bars. There was also the option of going into London, however the last train was at half 12.

The on site gym had many activities including organised games and equipment so that you could go along with friends. The company gives everyone a day each year from work to be able to go and do charity work for a day. There was also a range of clubs and activities in the local area.