Placement Student Review

My role involved working alongside several different oncology projects and the aligned staff to understand a specific mechanism of resistance. My days included time spent in cell culture, time in the lab where I would run experiments, time spent in meetings with relevant collaborators and company talks which were broadcasted across the organisation.

Upon joining the comapny, I was trained in both cell culture practice and lab techniques/using lab equipment. I am now comfortable in the lab and with several common lab practices including HTRF, Western Blots and BCAs. Regarding more general skills, I have learnt to manage my time effectively as to stick to a deadline and how to present my data to fellow collegaues.

When I joined the company, I was given the specific research question I would be investigating. Alongside my supervisor, I have been working on this and have been involved with several different projects. Day to day, I'm fully independent in carrying out experiments and analysing my data. I'm then responsible for sharing this with the team/my supervisor who give their feedback. From this, I decide with them the future steps to take.

The support I recieved from my supervisor was incredible- she was always there to develop my understanding of both project specific work but also more general industry understanding. I found the whole team welcoming and was very grateful for the placement leaders support and empathy.

Everyone seemed very excited to be working for AstraZeneca, partly for the amazing company culture but also because they felt as if they were working for a company that really made a difference to peoples lives. There were many different social events put on for early talent and I atteneded a volunteer day in which we helped the local community.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time on placement. I found the work I was doing interesting and my team supportive. AstraZeneca was an amazing company to work for and I can see why lots of people come back to work there- it's definitely something I would consider in the future.

Yes

Make sure you display the excitement you have for the industry/science. Don't be worried about knowing everything in your interview, just make sure you take the time to have a think about the questions you are being asked.