Undergraduate Research Assistant Review

The placement experience was very enjoyable. It was great to have an insight into work within an internationally recognised research institution. The work was hard at time, especially grasping a good understanding of field of research, however lots of help and support was provided. The first few months were slightly less enjoyable due to little autonomy and a large amount of supervision (until training was completed), however this is to be expected anywhere.

I felt valued and respected by my colleagues. Staff seemed to make an active effort to include me in work and teach me new skills. Most of my work was within the laboratory which allowed me to develop a good working relationship with Technical Staff, Postdoctorate Researchers and PhD students. Staff/other students seemed to value my input.

My supervisor provided a very high level of support on all tasks. Despite being very busy, my work place supervisor always made an effort to make time for regular meetings and responded to my questions via E-mail promptly. Excellent guidance was given on project based work/written work which allowed me to achieve great results in my laboratory projects and also gain top marks in my coursework completed over my placement year.

This varied over the course of my placement, some weeks I would be very busy, completing a wide range of laboratory tasks and running several experiments at one time. This could sometimes mean coming in early or going home late as well as taking breaks at odd times of the day, however this is the nature of research science. Other times I would have very little to do, Whilst I would try to use this time productively to complete coursework, analyse data or read around topics sometimes I would run out of things to do completely which at times could be boring.

I was given a high level of responsibility during my time on placement. I felt trusted to perform tasks alone and was often left unsupervised following my initial period of training. However, at times I felt there were things I could of done myself which I missed out on due to wishes of technical staff. Later during my placement I had almost full autonomy, running my own personal projects and seeking help from technical staff/supervisors when it was needed.

I believe that during my placement I have developed a wide range of transferable skills that can be put towards not only my final year of study but also to many future job roles. The extensive training in laboratory techniques has given me a theoretical and practical understanding of how methods are used in research to produce results. Also knowledge of experimental design and problem solving will be indispensable should I progress into a research based role or further PhD level study following my degree. In addition I developed excellent communications skills which can be applied to all future job roles.

The atmosphere in my office was fairly quiet, which was good as it allowed for concentration and completion of work. However there were also a wide range of characters in the office and people from different backgrounds/cultures. Although everybody was serious about getting work completed and doing a good job, everybody got on well and the diversity led to many interesting conversations amongst members of the office.

The work placement was organised fairly well, from day 1 I had a good idea of the tasks I would be carrying out and the training I would receive in the coming few months. However after the first few months of training there was little in terms of structured work. I believe this was because tasks were always changing, with new research projects beginning and others ending which made It difficult to plan the direction of my placement in advance. A bonus however was that I was allowed to influence the direction of my placement, my Supervisor would take notice of the skills I wanted to learn, as well as my research interests and try and tailor the placement experience around me. This was a big positive as it meant that I had a very personal placement experience and was focussed on the skills I wanted to learn which would provide experience specific and relevant to my desired career direction following graduation. A downside was that due to the lack of structure I could find myself waiting long periods for my next task to be assigned, often leaving me with very little to do in the meantime.

I was given a great deal of training towards the beginning of my placement. This started from the basics and gave me a grounding in the essential laboratory and office based skills needed for a career in scientific research. As mentioned previously my Supervisor aimed to tailor the placement experience around my own interest, meaning that to some extent I was able to chose the direction of my work and training. Training was always given to a high standard and further support was always given upon request. I was also pushed to prepare and present data at laboratory group meetings which was good as it forced me to work outside my comfort zone and develop new skills. Towards the end of the placement most of my work revolved around just a few laboratory techniques which allowed me to develop proficiency but unfortunately did not allow me to learn/develop some other skills I would of been interested in had my work been more diverse.

Whilst I fully enjoyed my placement and would be keen to work within the organisation on the basis of my personal experiences as an employee, the positions offered are mainly PhD opportunities, which is not my desired career direction at this point in time. However If I was ever considering further PhD level study I would be sure to apply.

There were a number of other placement students within the organisation who I would socialise with on a daily basis, this was usually in the office or through grabbing lunch or chatting on a coffee break. PhD students and technical staff were also sociable within work and on coffee breaks and would often have extended and interesting conversations. However, most of my colleagues were older working professionals and so there was not a great deal of socialising.

I did not live within my area of work whilst on placement so cannot comment on the cost of living. However the cost of socialising was reasonable with a large number of coffee shops/sandwich shops and pubs nearby with which to meet and socialise with other placement students/friends visiting the area. Also many food outlets nearby and the staff canteen gave good discounts to employees which made food/drink more affordable.

I did not personally experience the nightlife of the area as I did not live there whilst on placement. However I am led to believe by friends/colleagues that It has a lot to offer.

There were no real opportunities to get involved with outside of work except for the Christmas party. However there were many interesting seminars hosted within the organisation where a greater understanding of the field of research could be gained.