Chemistry Industrial Placement 2024

Are you looking to gain valuable real world work experience and help positively impact the lives of others?

A GSK internship offers you the opportunity to kickstart your career – to take on a real role with genuine impact. You’ll take on challenging tasks within live projects or assignments. You’ll also get to learn from others in your team and other parts of GSK whilst developing your skills and gaining valuable experience for wherever the future takes you.

About the role

Whatever the role in Pharma R&D, you will experience working in a fast-paced research environment with access to cutting edge technology, whilst interacting with industry-leading scientists across multiple disciplines and sharing different experiences. During the internship, you will be supported and given training (whether laboratory or office practices) daily where applicable until confident to work independently and within GSK health and safety requirements. In addition, GSK also provides personal development courses and networking opportunities throughout the year in which the IP student can enrol. The IP student will also have the opportunity to attend seminars by GSK scientists, which run throughout the year and comprise a wide range of areas within drug discovery.

Please read below about the 6 different positions we are recruiting for across our various Chemistry Industrial Placements. Please note, these are distinct placements and so when you apply you will be able to select preferences of where you would like to be placed if successful. We will accommodate your preference where possible.

Role 1: Synthetic Chemist

• We have industrial placement opportunities for highly motivated students with a keen interest in synthetic chemistry.
• The placement is highly practically based. What makes this role exciting is that you will carry out a wide range of synthetic organic chemistry reactions aimed at delivering molecules of interest. You will also be introduced to state-of-the-art techniques for isolating and characterising compounds.
• You will work closely with your GSK supervisor in the planning and implementation of all aspects of your role.
• The data you generate may be used to make key project decisions.
• To fulfil this role, we are looking for someone who has a strong interest in synthetic chemistry, is a good team worker with effective communication skills and has keen attention to detail.
• What is more, The GSK Chemistry Industrial Placement programme is independently accredited by The National Council for Work Experience.

Role 2: Synthetic Biochemistry

The Synthetic Biochemistry group discovers, develops and delivers engineered enzyme biocatalysts supporting several business areas within R&D and Global Supply Chain (manufacturing). Using biocatalysts in the synthesis of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) can offer a number of advantages over traditional synthetic processes with increased selectivity and mild operating conditions leading to reduced environmental impact and more efficient routes. The group employs a range of state of the art biochemistry, molecular biology and analytical techniques to identify and engineer enzymes for this purpose.

A successful candidate will work with a range of these techniques and will have the opportunity to contribute to enzyme panel builds, using molecular biology techniques to clone and engineer enzyme candidates, develop and optimise expression of recombinant enzymes on a variety of scales, and develop assays to assess the activity of enzymes using UPLC/GC/LCMS and other techniques. Many of these tasks will involve the use of automated liquid handling to facilitate high-throughput experimentation. Large volumes of multi-dimensional data are generated requiring the use of data analytic tools to interpret.

Role 3: Process Chemistry, Chemistry Development

This is a practical role where you will be working in the R&D laboratories to generate new synthetic routes and process understanding that underpins the successful scale-up and commercial industrialisation of GSK’s future manufacturing processes. Your focus will be to combine the information generated in laboratory studies with your knowledge of synthetic organic chemistry to develop sustainable pharmaceutical manufacturing routes and processes. You may also be working in one of our technology areas to develop and implement new ways of working such as exploring novel AI applications within process chemistry, evaluating new approaches to commercial oligonucleotide synthesis, or working with high throughput automated chemistry.

As projects advance through development you will be performing experiments in our R&D labs to support the transfer of projects to pilot plant facilities, and ultimately commercial manufacturing facilities around the globe. The role is highly technical and dynamic as you will be working in multi-disciplinary project teams.

In this role you will:

• Design and perform experiments in a laboratory setting to meet project timelines and objectives
• Think creatively to generate original ideas for new synthetic routes and simplifying process problems.
• Ensure that experimental work is communicated effectively at internal R&D meetings.

As part of this placement, you will be supervised by an experienced chemist as well as receiving support from your project team. The role will also provide you the opportunity to network with people from various disciplines and learn more about how pharmaceutical manufacturing processes are developed.

Role 4 –Analytical Chemistry, High-Throughput Automation

The High-Throughput Automation Team is currently seeking a highly motivated student with a strong interest in analytical chemistry, coupled with a deep passion for technology and innovation. In this exciting placement year opportunity, you will have the chance to operate cutting-edge automated equipment, including liquid handlers, solid dispensers, multifunctional platforms, and analytical instruments.

As a member of our team, you will play a vital role in employing, optimizing, and even developing automated workflows to enhance and expedite drug development processes. Collaborating closely with scientists from diverse departments, you will gain invaluable exposure to a multidisciplinary environment.

Working closely with your supervisor, you will contribute to the planning, design, and execution of experiments. Through data collection and analysis, you will derive meaningful insights that will be shared with the team and key stakeholders. Moreover, this role offers comprehensive training in essential analytical techniques and processes, providing you with a solid foundation to extract valuable information from large datasets.

We are looking for an individual who thrives in a dynamic and fast-paced environment, where adaptability and problem-solving skills are highly valued. This position offers a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience with state-of-the-art technology while contributing to impactful drug development initiatives. If you are eager to push the boundaries of scientific automation and make a real difference in the field, we invite you to join our team.

Role 5 – Analytical Chemist

We have industrial placement opportunities for highly motivated students with a keen interest in analytical chemistry

• You will work in a either a GMP regulated environment or a non-GxP environment for specific development activities and gain experience of key analytical techniques and processes aligned to the characterisation of drug substances or pharmaceutical dosage forms
• You will be supervised by an experienced GSK analyst who will guide you in your day-to-day activities.
• You will learn to utilise key practical skills and techniques that may include HPLC, GC, dissolution, MS, NMR, automated methods and platforms, method validation, stability testing, batch analysis testing and documentation.
• The data you generate may be used to make key project decisions and could be reported in submissions to external regulatory authorities.
• You will have the opportunity to learn some the key aspects of analytical activities that are involved in the development of medicines.
• To fulfil this role, we are looking for someone who has a strong interest in analytical chemistry, is a good team worker with effective communication skills and has keen attention to detail.

Role 6 - Bioanalysis and Biomarkers

LCMS Bioanalysis & Biomarkers is a worldwide group within the In vivo/In vitro Translation (IVIVT) division, delivering high-quality data to support preclinical and clinical studies for both NCEs and biopharmaceuticals. Our group develops robust and precise analytical assays to measure drugs and metabolites in a variety of sample types e.g., serum, plasma, whole blood and tissue. The data we generate contributes to key decisions that enable the progression of drug candidates through the development pipeline and into the clinic.

We have one position for Industrial Placement students starting in 2023, offering an exciting opportunity for you to gain laboratory experience in a key area of drug development. We offer extensive training and the opportunity to work with state-of-the-art technologies, including liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. Our group already uses a variety of automation, and we are in the process of further expanding our automated sample handling capabilities.

During your placement you will:

• Work across multiple disease areas, such as oncology, respiratory and immuno-inflammation
• Develop and validate methods for the measurement/characterization of drug and metabolites in biological samples (pre-clinical or clinical)
• Perform routine analysis of drugs (bioanalysis/pharmacokinetics) and metabolites (biomarkers/pharmacodynamics) in biological matrices to applicable standards using defined analytical methods
• Use and maintain multiple instrument platforms
• Process and evaluate data using appropriate software
• Author reports summarising data generated during routine analysis Ensure that work is conducted in compliance with the relevant GCP regulations

What do we offer you?

• Salary of £21,400, plus a bonus
• Access to GSK resources, including employee assistance programmes, private healthcare and well-being programs.
• On-the-job experience, training and development, delivered through a mixture of coaching and mentoring
• A GSK placement which gives you the opportunity to take on a real role with genuine impact
• You will join IPUnite, GSK’s community of over 250 students across all UK sites and business areas, run by the Industrial Placement students committee
• Once you accept your offer you will be invited to join LinkedIn groups and pre-joining webinars, to enable you to connect and network with new students