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Higherin
AstraZeneca

Synthetic Organic Chemist Review

at AstraZeneca

Placement (10 Months+)

Chemistry

Cambridge

Review Submitted: July 2025

Overall Rating

4.5 /5

The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!

5/5 - Overview of Role
4.8/5 - Skills Development
4.5/5 - Support and Guidance
4.3/5 - Company Culture
5/5 - Overall Experience
3/5 - Future Career Prospects

Overview of Role

Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis.
Synthesis of target compounds on drug discovery project in oncology targeted discovery. Required to propose and execute synthetic routes towards allocated targets in a timely fashion and meeting project specific requirements (e.g. synthesise a minimum amount of material, obtain products in sufficient purity etc.).
Were you given much responsibility during your placement / internship?
Yes, but I feel I was rarely given complete responsibility for anything. There was always an element of being watched over, even, for example, in the proposal of synthetic routes.
Please rate how meaningful the work you were doing was
5/5

Skills Development

Have you learnt any new skills, or developed your existing skills?
Existing lab skills have been consolidated/improved. Breadth of knowledge of synthetic chemistry has been vastly improved. Have learnt how to manage a significant and varied workload effectively.
How would you rate the training provided during your experience?
5/5
How would you rate your development of industry-specific skills during the experience?
4/5
How would you rate your development of personal / soft skills during the experience?
5/5
Please rate how these skills have helped you in your career development
5/5

Support and Guidance

How much support and guidance did you receive during your placement / internship?
A great deal. As well as my personal supervisor I was also very well supported by the synthetic lead for my project and the wider lab community.
How would you rate the support and guidance from your line manager?
4/5
How would you rate the support and guidance from the wider team?
5/5

Company Culture

What was the company culture and general atmosphere like?
Excellent. In my department, a work hard play hard attitude seems to prevail. Work-life balance is championed. Colleagues are friendly and supportive.
How would you rate the inclusiveness of the culture?
4/5
How would you rate the social opportunities?
5/5
How would you rate the diversity initiatives?
3/5
How would you rate the charity, sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives?
5/5

Overall Experience

To what extent did you enjoy your placement / internship?
See below...
Please rate your level of enjoyment on your placement / internship
5/5
Please rate how your experience met your expectations
5/5

Future Career Prospects

Please rate the future employment prospects at AstraZeneca
3/5

Recommendations & Advice

Would you recommend AstraZeneca to a friend?
Yes
What advice would you give to others applying to AstraZeneca
Go for it
In This Review
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