Organic Synthetic Chemist Review

I really enjoyed my Chemistry Organic synthesis placement with AstraZeneca. I worked in Gothenburg, Sweden in the iLab and was given a lot of support during the course of my placement. When I began, I was given a lot of advice and felt comfortable asking my supervisor for help if uncertain. My placement has really taught me a lot about working in the pharmaceutical industry and provided a good work-life balance.

I really felt like part of the team on my placement. I went to biweekly lab meetings and was asked to present my work occassionally in an informal way. My colleagues were always willing to help when I had questions and treated me as an equal. The lab is a very collabrative environment so I often worked with a variety of people on a given project.

My supervisor very much had an open-door policy during my placement. I was always comfortable asking quesitons if I wasn't sure about something but also felt I was given enough direction to get the job done. After a few months of starting, I was more independent and had weekly meetings to update my supervisor on my progress.

I worked on a lot of different projects during my placement, so I had a lot of variety on my day-to-day work. On days where I wasn't carrying out an experiment, I was able to analyse results and plan for future work. I found that there was a good ease into work at the beginning. As time went on, I was more comfortable taking on new tasks as I became more organised.

I was given a lot of responsibility for my project during my placement. My supervisor was really great at guiding me but I felt like I had some independence during my experiments. I was really proud to have the responsibility of my project and felt this enhanced my decision-making skills. I was often worried about getting negative results but also learnt that this is part of the process and will often benefit the direction of your project.

I've learnt so much during my placement. Undergraduate Chemistry can teach you a lot about synthesis from lectures and teaching labs but my placement really took things beyond. I used HPLC-MS analysis basically everyday for my experiments. I also used NMR analysis, QTOF-MS and echo acoustic dispensing. I was given training for each of these instrumentts and always felt I could ask someone if I wasn't sure. Working in the iLab also meant that I could use automated dispensing equiptment, such as the TECAN, which showed me modern lab techniques. This placement really developed my team work skills, my assurance and organisation.

There was a really friendly atmosphere in the office. My lab group had a lot of social events like lunches out, crazy golf and lazer tag. It really made me feel comfortable in the team. Everyone was always willing to help me with anything. I really felt like the group had a good balance of socialising and working. The group was really made up of the best people.

I felt the placement was really well organised. My placement was in Sweden so I was quite nervous about the prospect of moving/how this would be arranged. In June before we started the placement, we were flown out to Sweden to tour the lab and meet with members of the team. We were helped with relocation and setting up bank accounts.

I think the AZ really invests in their placement students. We have been given talks about the different research areas in the company and encouraged to network. There has also been talks about how to steer your career and what employers are looking for. I've gained a lot of confidence from when I've had to present my work in meetings.

AZ also has a graduate programme. I would be very interested in applying to the graduate programme after my placement experience. AZ is a great place to work and has a really collobarative atmosphere. There seems to be alot of opportunities for early career scientists to join the company which I think is really encouraging. The graduate programme also seems like a really valuable stepping-stone if you are considering a PhD.

AZInspire is a network for placement students/early career scientists that provides social events, lectures/seminars and career advice. I've met a diverse group of people through AZInspire and it was a great way to make new friends when I first started my placment. You are also able to join the committee during your placement which would really help build your network and valuable soft-skills.

Living in Sweden was quite expensive. But, I never felt like I had to limit myself if I went out for socials. There are a lot of nice in Gothenburg and restaurants/bars for lower prices. It's a really vibrant city. After the price of rent and a few socials, I still had money left each month for saving.

Gothenburg is a really lovely city. There were plenty of bars to go to in the evenings. Some clubs have only +23 years old entry but there were a lot of other options. The city is really vibrant and there always seems to be something on. There are a lot of students living in the city because of the university so there were often student themed nights which you could go to.

AZ has a lot of societies, including AZInspire, which do things outide of work. I joined the hiking group and went for hikes on the islands around Gothenburg. There were also socials with AZInspire like going out for meals, quizes or seeing some shows. My lab group also arranged socials after work which were really fun.