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Want to solve some of the world’s biggest health challenges?
With over 300 years of innovation, we’re a science-led global healthcare company that discovers, develops and manufactures innovative medicines and vaccines. Our industrial placements are real roles with real responsibility, where you can gain experience in a purpose-led, performance-driven healthcare business. Join us and help millions of people do more, feel better, live longer.
GSK are a science-led global healthcare company that researches and develops innovative Pharmaceuticals and Vaccines products. Our challenging and inspiring mission is to enable people to do more, feel better and live longer by developing innovative products and improving access to healthcare for patients around the world.
Whatever the role, 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 (laboratory and office practices, where applicable) until confident to work independently - with a focus on GSK health and safety requirements. You will be enrolled in GSK internal courses to develop your knowledge of company policy and for your personal development including opportunities to attend seminars led by GSK scientists and networking opportunities.
The Immunology Research Unit
The Immunology Research Unit (IRU) is positioned to optimise our opportunities in this exciting area of drug discovery. The team has access to unprecedented genetic resources through GSK’s collaboration with 23andMe, FinnGen and Open Targets combined with cell specific epigenetic datasets and functional genomic screens to identify pathogenic cell types, pathways and targets.
As an Industrial Placement student, you will be based within an open-plan, state-of-the-art collaborative research lab and you will be trained and mentored by an individual supervisor. Furthermore, you will have the opportunity to work within a multidisciplinary team where the research you conduct will support an active drug discovery program. We offer an outstanding training program where you will experience a range of laboratory techniques that are applicable to modern drug discovery such as primary human cell isolation, cytokine & immune cell profiling through flow cytometry, ELISA and MSD, transcriptomic analysis by qPCR and many others. By the end of the placement you would have gained sufficient experience to be autonomous in designing and conducting experiments, documenting and reporting your scientific findings and understanding how a large multidisciplinary team interacts. You will also be able to effectively drive the direction of your project, conduct literature reviews and determine how your results fit in with the ‘big picture’. Furthermore, you will gain valuable transferable skills such as effective communication, time management and organisational skills.
Our Research Unit consists of five large groups focused on different aspects of immunology from integration of genetic and functional genomic target validation approaches through to immuno-regulation, myeloid-adaptive cell communication, tissue and adaptive immune cell interactions, and translational models.
We currently have several exciting opportunities for one-year Industrial Placement students to join our group so if you’re a highly motivated individual with a passion for immunology then please apply!
Multiple positions are available at our Research Unit and a description of the different research focus undertaken within the different biology groups a is here provided. If you are interested, during the application process you will be able to select your three top preferences. We will try to accommodate your choices whenever possible.
Role 1: Immunology Research Unit: Immunoregulation (lab -based)
Our aim is to develop medicines that re-balance the immune system, which is dysregulated in many diseases, by restoring and augmenting mechanisms that normally regulate immune function in health. Work in the group is focussed particularly on approaches to enhance the numbers and/or function of regulatory T cells (Tregs), which play a critical role in preventing autoimmunity and inflammation, through either direct targeting of T cells or by modulating the antigen-presenting cells that control Treg differentiation.
Role 2: Immunology Research Unit: Barrier and Tissue Homeostasis (lab-based)
Effective communication between the humoral and cell-mediated components of our immune system is essential to ensure effective clearance of pathogens but also to ensure homeostasis within the immune system is maintained. Additionally, maintenance of a healthy immune defence at barrier sites requires a careful balance between effectively recognizing and responding to pathogenic challenge and, at the same time, co-existing with site-specific commensal microbiota. Failure in any of these functions can lead to severe chronic immune disorders. Our research focuses on two main areas. Firstly, understanding how different components of the immune system communicate to prime an immune response as modulating these interactions allows us to develop novel therapeutics. Secondly, understanding the interaction between epithelial cells lining the barrier sites with that of immune cells and their effects in regulation of the barrier response. Integrating genetic and genomic findings, we are working on novel biology in this area to further understand barrier immunity and impact of pathogenic biology in the context of disease.
Role 3: Immunology Research Unit: Immuno-epigenetics and B cell Biology (lab-based)
Altered epigenetic mechanisms are associated with the pathogenesis of complex diseases such as autoimmune diseases. Our focus in this exciting and fast-moving field is to target resetting of immune cell dysfunction and transcriptional dysregulation, with the ultimate goal of developing new medicines for immune mediated diseases.
In addition, we are also focusing our research on identifying and targeting dysregulated B cell function. The role of B cells in autoimmune diseases involves different cellular functions, including the well-established secretion of autoantibodies, autoantigen presentation and ensuing reciprocal interactions with T cells, secretion of inflammatory cytokines, and the generation of ectopic germinal centres. Through these mechanisms, B cells are involved both in autoimmune diseases that are traditionally viewed as antibody mediated, and also in autoimmune diseases that are commonly classified as T cell mediated.
These projects will be lab based, applying a wide range of techniques which are currently utilised in our research unit. Depending on your research project, the roles on offer may be involved in investigating the molecular function of human immune cells, including B cells as primary focus, but also T cells, dendritic cells and macrophages.
Role 4: Immunology Research Unit: Experimental Quantitative Pharmacology (lab- based positions with the potential for in vivo experience available)
Experimental Quantitative Pharmacology is responsible for organising and carrying out in vivo and ex vivo work, including translating data to inform clinical progression. We apply an integrated multi-disciplinary and quantitative approach to evaluate the efficacy of novel therapies in rodent systems. The group is formed of scientists with a wide range of backgrounds including immunology and cell and molecular biology who work closely with bioanalytic and modelling scientists, in vitro scientists from other research groups, and many more to support the adoption and advancement of drug discovery programs.
Role 5: Immunology Research Unit: Genomic Immunology (in silico position available)
The Genomic Immunology group is harnessing genetics, functional genomics and immunophenotyping to identify and validate novel therapeutic targets. We have access to unprecedented genetic resources through GSK’s collaboration with 23andMe, FinnGen and UK biobank and use single cell expression analyses and gene editing screens to identify pathogenic immune cell types and relevant molecular pathways. Based on our genetic and mechanistic understanding we seek to discover novel therapeutic opportunities for the unmet medical need across multiple immune driven diseases. As a placement student in the genomic immunology group, you can expect exposure to a mixture of in silico and laboratory based techniques where you will contribute to both identification of new drug targets, as well as working to validate targets we have already identified through our genetic data sources
If you are interested in this role, you may also be interested in our Immunological Toxicology placement. Please search “In Vitro In Vivo Translation Industrial Placement Programme” on jobs.gsk.com for more information.
We also offer a range of other Industrial Placement programmes, including within R&D, at GSK. Please search #IndustrialPlacements or #SciencePlacements on jobs.gsk.com for the full list of available roles.
Multiple roles available. Please read below about the positions we are recruiting for, when you apply you will be able to select 3 preferences. We will accommodate your preference where possible.
Degree requirements
You will have completed a minimum of 2 years of your undergraduate degree, but will not have graduated at the start of your placement. You may be expected to provide evidence from your university to show you will be an undergraduate student for the duration of the placement year and they are supportive of your placement.
Must be studying a Life Science undergraduate degree for example (but not limited to) Biochemistry, Biological Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, Immunology, Pharmacology, Genetics or Computational Biology.
Benefits
- A salary of £21,000, plus a bonus
- Access to GSK resources such as employee assistance programmes, private healthcare, and training and development.
We’re 100% open to all talent
We’re 100% open to all talent – whatever your gender, marital status, religion, age, colour, race, sexual orientation, nationality or disability. We want to recruit the right people for GSK from the widest possible backgrounds, so we can better serve the diversity of our patients and consumers. And also because it’s the right thing to do.
You can learn more about Inclusion and diversity at GSK here.
Need help with your application?
Please email us at gskplacements@srgtalent.com and let us know how we can help you. Or email us your number and we’ll call you back. We’ll make all reasonable modifications to support you throughout the recruitment process and we’ll treat all information you give us in confidence. Please get in touch to help us process your application as soon as possible.
