12 Month University Industrial Placement Student (UIPS): Analytical Chemistry Review

Item: 12 Month University Industrial Placement Student (UIPS): Analytical Chemistry at AstraZeneca
Rating: 4.4
Author: Anonymous

at AstraZeneca

Placement (10 Months+)

Chemistry, Pharmaceutical, Research

Macclesfield

Review Submitted: August 2026

Overall Rating

4.4 /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!

4/5 - Overview of Role

4.5/5 - Skills Development

5/5 - Support and Guidance

4.5/5 - Company Culture

5/5 - Overall Experience

2/5 - Future Career Prospects

Overview of Role

Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis.

Testing of drug substance to support R&D and manufacture. Day-to-day work involved sample preparation and analytical testing using NMR, LC, SFC, GC, KF, XRPD etc, writing up experimental results and completing relevant documentation.

Were you given much responsibility during your placement / internship?

Yes, work was similar to other full time team members and days were mostly occupied.

Please rate how meaningful the work you were doing was

4/5

Skills Development

Have you learnt any new skills, or developed your existing skills?

Learnt technical analytical skills and data interpretation. Lots of opportunities to develop soft skills - presentation, teamwork, communication etc. Many problem solving and technical sharing sessions are organised to further develop knowledge and learn about work beyond your scope.

How would you rate the training provided during your experience?

4/5

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?

My line manager and team was incredibly supportive througout my placement - everyone was always happy to share their expertise and help out whenever I had any issues, even on an ad hoc basis.

How would you rate the support and guidance from your line manager?

5/5

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?

Culture is very welcoming and emphasises collaboration and scientific innovation.

How would you rate the inclusiveness of the culture?

5/5

How would you rate the social opportunities?

5/5

How would you rate the diversity initiatives?

4/5

How would you rate the charity, sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives?

4/5

Overall Experience

To what extent did you enjoy your placement / internship?

I enjoyed my placement greatly - I gained a lot of skills, both technical and soft skills, and the team was very welcoming and supportive. Worth noting that some of the work is quite repetitive.

Please rate your level of enjoyment on your placement / internship

5/5

Please rate how your experience met your expectations

5/5

Recommendations & Advice

Would you recommend AstraZeneca to a friend?

Yes

What advice would you give to others applying to AstraZeneca

Make sure your application aligns with AstraZeneca's values, and speak to as many people as you can once you're here, everyone is happy to share their work and you will learn loads.