Industrial placement student (BioPharmaceuticals in Discovery Sciences) Review

My role consists of primarily wet lab activities where I expand and maintain immune cells. I also, treat these cells with cytokines and antibody staining. I then keep the cells for a set period of time before analysing them using advanced high-throughput flow cytometry. These protocols require the use of automation which has allowed me to become well established at using them. Wet lab activities take up 60-70% of my time.

- Using automated machinery (BioTek, MultiDrop, flow cytometry, ECHO, BRAVO) - Expanding and maintaining immune cells - Antibody staining - Cell pipetting and mixing techniques - Cell counting (viability) - Cell calculation like dilution factors - Reagent production - Health and Safety in the lab - Flow cytometry analysis software - Using Prism for data analysis - Presenting skills (Presenting to internal and external teams) - Communication skills - Research skills - Understanding company goals and research pipeline - Networking skills

I was given lots of responsibility after the first month of training and shadowing. My supervisor repeatedly made an effort to put me in situations where I had to think practically and logically. I was able to develop habits of asking for help and also offering help to other teams working on projects outside of my own.

I received a large amount of support throughout my placement. I was able to speak with many people within and outside of my team which exposed me to new research and skills. There was always someone that I could ask for help and others repeatedly took an interest in my work and my own goals. There was a culture of offering help and also promoting the mindset of not being afraid to ask for help.

The company culture was perfect for me. There is a constant push to help others achieve there future goals and ambitions. Everyone took an interest in what I wanted to do in the future and were constantly offering me opportunities that could assist me in working towards achieving my own goals. The culture is very accepting and provides a peaceful working environment.

I think that my placement at AstraZeneca was one of the best experiences that I've had to date. I found myself not wanting to leave at the end of the placement and I forgot that I was still a student by the end of it. Everyone treated me like a long-term employee and really pushed me to be the best that I could be.

Yes

- Try everything and anything that is offered to you - Don't be afraid to ask questions as you're not expected to know as much as the current scientists working there do - Regularly ask for informal chats within the office to discuss your own career and the career of others - Make networking a priority - Ask for more responsibilities - Dive deeper into your project - Get to know others outside of your team