Science Discovery Intern Review

I mainly do general literature research and planning and execution of human effects studies. There is some wet lab work also, which has involved cell culture and compound analysis. Day to day involves meetings to discuss projects and write-ups of findings. There are collaborations within the team but also externally.

I have significantly developed my presentation skills, as the placement program has encouraged monthly presentation practice. Additionally, networking is a big thing at BAT so this has been helpful in widening connections. Other soft skills like organisation and time-management have been improved through balancing work load and ongoing projects, but also technical skills like cell culture have been developed.

Yes, I led my own end-to-end project which started from the planning stages and finished with results presentation. This was very supported by my team but overall was my responsibility at each stage to organise and set up.

So much! My manager and buddy (you receive a dedicated buddy) have been amazing with any questions and general support. My team was also super friendly and welcoming. There's also a full placement team who're there to help with anything going on, but specifically have helped me with placement-related tasks, and will find out anything you need to know, as well as help you grow a network. You also get a mentor.

Overall very friendly, there are some issues like you'd get at any big corporation, but nothing that ever affected me negatively. From personal experience everyone is lovely, and its really nice walking across site and always having people say hi and ask you how you are. The canteen and costa on site also promote a friendly, relaxed environment for when you need a break from work.

I have enjoyed my placement because I feel like I am returning to my final year of uni with valuable and applicable experience. Also, the culture is hugely important to me and here the people around me were always super friendly and made the office an enjoyable place to be. I never felt overloaded or too stressed and knew there's always help available. Also the networking (and LinkedIn growth!) has been amazing.

Yes

Just be your best self- friendly and open to having a chat (technical and non-technical) seems to be the best approach! They don't expect you to know everything because of course a lot of things are learnt on the go, but be prepared with what you've learnt from uni/past experience and any research on the company.