university industrial placement student biopharmaceuticals and oncology R&D Review

Generally my schedule is relatively flexible. I am able to set my own work hours and have jobs I need to achieve. I have specific project work set by my line manager but I am able to choose how I complete those tasks. I have time to read around my therapy area and network with others. I have some university assignments as well that I needed to complete during my placement.

I have manged to work on my presenting skills which is something I wanted to develop during my placement year. I have become a lot more confident in lab skills and ability to conduct independent research. I have been given the opportunity to network within my team and the wider company and learn of job opportunities and possible career paths I could take in the future.

My project is a key piece of research to support existing evidence from literature and my project team. I feel like I am playing a key role in generating more evidence in an relatively unknown topic. I have been able to have discussions with my line manager and have been able to steer my research in an interesting direction based on papers I found when reading around the topic. I have thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere of pushing innovation and I feel encouraged to suggest new ideas I think are useful.

Initially we were given a lot of training on general operations to better learn procedures within AstraZeneca. My line manager was very helpful scheduling in 1:1 meetings to get me up to speed with the project and supervising me in the lab to teach me various techniques I will be using. I quickly became independent in my lab work however if I need support I find it easy to reach out. There are other learning opportunities such as access to degreed to learn additional soft skills such as presenting, coding and self development.

Everyone I have met so far has been friendly and happy to offer advice. As someone new to my career it has been very beneficial to talk to more senior members of my team and ask for advice. Having a large cohort of other placement students brings a great social atmosphere.

I had a great experience with my placement. I have met some great people with a similar mindset to mine and also those with differing opinions I had never considered before. I have developed my skillset significantly over the past year and am looking forward to taking those into the next step of my career. I have a much clearer view on what goes on within the pharmaceuticals industry and to learn in depth about one topic over the past year has been a positive experience. I would encourage others to apply even if they are tentative on whether that is what they want to do for their career because i guarantee they will learn something useful.

Yes

I would say just to apply. I had course mates who were considering it but were discouraged by the daunting applications. However it is an amazing opportunity and helps boost your knowledge and develop your skills. I have learnt more in the past year than my previous years at University. I would recommend having an idea of what department you would like to end up in. There are so many therapy areas within AZ all with great opportunities so even if you aren't placed exactly where you want to be it will still be a good experience. Come into your placement year with an open mind and you will learn a lot.