Process Chemistry Intern Review

Very enjoyable 8 weeks. I was given a large amount of varied practical work to complete - solubilty tests, hydrolysis, esterification, triazole synthesis, amide formation. I found it very enjoyable to see first hand some of the things I had learnt during my first two years of university.

The other people who worked in the lab with me made a real effort to make me feel welcome. There was always somebody about who'd be willing to answer any questions I had about things. It was a very friendly place to work and I really enjoyed my time there.

During the first week of my internship I was given a large amount of safety training. I started off doing practical work in my second week. For the first couple of weeks I was under constant supervision as I got to grips with the machines and experimental techniques. Towards the end of the placement I became more independent however there was always people to ask if I had questions to ask.

The first week I was very busy with training. There was a significant amount of safety documents/videos to read through/watch. I started practical work at the start of my second week. I was always kept busy with lots of work to do. The work was fairly varied so it always remained interesting.

For the first half of the eight week placement I was under pretty much constant supervision as I got to grips with the practical work. In the second half I was fairly independent however there was always people around to help with any issues I had. Throughout the whole placement I wrote my own lab write-ups.

During the placement I learnt a lot of practical skills. I was running my own reactions under supervision after the first week. The machines I learnt how to use were - HPLC, LCMS, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, EasyMax, ReactorReady CLR, Raman spectrometer, rotary evaporator. I was given experience in interpreting 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectra. I also developed my understanding of the theory behind the chemistry I was carrying out.

The placement was very well organised. During my 8 weeks I received a significant amount of training. I was also given work to do that was varied and interesting. On a few occasions during the placement I was given the opportunity to sit in on meetings and experience that side of the job.

The company offers a range of graduate programmes. However the majority of people I worked with said that to have the best chance of progressing in process chemistry a PhD is usually required. Also the pharmaceutical industry in this country is shrinking so it is difficult to say how appealing my future employment prospects are.

I didn't live in Stevenage. Instead I lived at my university's accomodation about 45 minutes drive away and commuted in. However from what I've heard it is possible to find relatively cheap accommodation in Stevenage. For a town in the south east Stevenage seems quite cheap compared to other places nearby such as Cambridge.

There were quite a few opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work . The site has a employee sport centre which has a well equipped gym and runs regular exercise classes. There is also a site cricket team that plays regular matches against the other GSK sites in the south.