Protein and Cellular Sciences Industrial Placement Student Review

To develop the drug discovery pipeline, the protein and cellular reagents need to be supplied to the internal research units. Therefore, as part of the protein and cellular sciences department, this involved taking on requests for tool antibodies. Such requests involved designing the expression vector, generating the plasmid construct, transfecting the construct and expressing the desired protein to be purified and handed over. Different groups within the department handle different stages of the request, and hence requires communication throughout in order to meet the deadline. Depending on the complexity of the request, this might involve meeting with external contract research organisations to handle some of the protein production such as designing the expression vector. I was situated within the Reagent Design team, and on a daily basis, tasks included meeting with the research units requesting the reagents to determine exactly what they needed, using in-house databases to explore what reagents were currently available and could used/adapted and applying molecular biology techniques such as PCR, transformation and DNA purification to generate the required expression vectors. Furthermore, as an Industrial placement student, I had a project to work on during the year that tied into my contracted work and involved organising my own lab work and time, setting objectives and hosting meetings to discuss my data and progress.

During the placement, I have been able to develop a range of skills both within the lab and in a professional setting. In the lab, I have been able to develop a wide range of molecular biology techniques and cell culture techniques that have enabled me to conduct my own project without supervision. I feel I would not have been develop such skills by staying on at university instead due to the access to world-class equipment and funding not present in academia. Professionally, I have been able to develop my confidence through delivering presentations to a range of audiences. I have been able to further develop my organisational and time-management skills by having the independence to carry out my own research project. My communication skills have also improved by having the opportunities to partake in meeting almost daily and being involved in scientific discussion.

Due to the opportunity to carry out my own research project, I was able to take on a lot of responsibility. I had responsibility to organise my time, my lab work and meet the project objectives in the required timeframes. This involved organising my own meetings to discuss scientific challenges I was facing with colleagues and organising to shadow other colleagues to learn new techniques that I could incorporate into my work. Furthermore, outside of my project, I was given the responsibility of fulfilling tool antibody requests which involved researching in-house databases to explore what expression constructs already existed that I could utilise and planning my lab work to reach the handover date on time.

I have felt fully supported throughout my placement by both of my supervisors as well as the department as a whole. Despite having previous lab experience through university, I was not competent in the molecular biology skills required to design and generate plasmid vectors, nor express them in cell culture. Therefore, I was given full support throughout my placement to gain the necessary training to do so. I never felt that I had been 'thrown in at the deep end' at any point during the placement. Regular, weekly meetings with my supervisors enabled me to work through any problems I was encountering, and gain access to any support needed. During university assignments, I was given full support by enabling me to put time aside to work on the coursework as well as opportunities to have my work proof-read.

I feel like GSK has a great company culture and very friendly atmosphere. Regular events occurred across the site bringing people together, from seminars, to scientific marketplace events showcasing the science on site, to free ice-cream and a Christmas market! Such events helped to boost morale and also encourage great discussion discussion at the seminars and marketplaces. Upon starting at the company, I never felt out of place or isolated and was welcomed in with open arms.

I have really enjoyed my placement, it was one of the best decisions I made to come to GSK for a year. I have been able to develop so many new skills, meet some amazing people and get involved with science that has a real-world impact. Having access to state-of-the-art equipment and reagents has been very exciting, and I really enjoyed learning techniques that I would not have had the chance to otherwise. Even when I was struggling with university work, I felt fully supported and never stopped enjoying coming to work.

Yes

Always be true to yourself, there is no point lying to fit the criteria that the company is after, your personality should shine through and showcase your enthusiasm for scientific research and development. It is still important to research the company and their values thoroughly and highlight through your own experiences how you also uphold such values. There is no expectation to be fully competent in the skills that the job description details, full training will be provided so don't let lack of experience stop you from applying.