Josephine Maria
Professional Placement Year at Astra Zeneca in Cambridge
Josephine Maria
Hi, everyone! I’m Josephine and I did my placement year with AstraZeneca in Cambridge. I was given a technical development project which – briefly speaking – involved generating a dataset which can be used to develop an internal peptide hit finding platform.
At first, I felt unprepared. I felt like I did not know enough to ever be able to work independently in the lab. But, after being taught and guided by my supervisor, I was able to do experiments without supervision after about 2 months. There were lots of chances for me to learn how to utilise varying types of machineries and apparatus. As time went by, I gained more understanding and grasp of the project and how the results I generated could be applied to AstraZeneca’s live projects.
My normal day comprised of doing experiments in the lab, analysing sequencing results, sending samples off to be sequenced, writing lab reports, liaising with different scientists, and preparing presentations.
I am glad I decided to take a leap and take a year in industry. Even though it was daunting initially, this experience has benefitted me greatly. I have gained so much confidence in executing and troubleshooting experiments on my own. I’ve also noticed that I can wrap my head around new scientific concepts easier. I’ve also developed my presentation & public speaking skills, interpersonal skills, and project management skills in a professional setting.