From June to September 2026, I had the opportunity to undertake a placement at AstraZeneca’s Macclesfield campus, working in the Catalysis, High Throughput and Synthesis Technologies team within Chemical Development. This was highly beneficial for my development as a chemist as it allowed me to work with and learn from industry-leading scientists and to experience the workflows conducted in industrial pharmaceutical research, which are very different to in academia. I was also able to present my work in group meetings at AstraZeneca, the feedback and ideas from which will be useful as my PhD work moves forward. The unique perspectives and knowledge available to me during this placement have led me to think about my own research in new ways, including putting more stock in the relevance and suitability of my chemistry to pharmaceutical development and considering aspects such as economical viability of reactions and practical aspects of transferring my chemistry from small-scale laboratory synthesis to larger manufacturing.

My time at AstraZeneca has also helped clarify my career plans by giving me an experience of working within a large pharmaceutical company, and by discussing career paths and experiences with scientists that have come to work at AstraZeneca. As such I feel more prepared to plan out a career path undertake job searching at the end of my PhD.

I’d like to thank the CDT and my supervisor Ross Denton for their help in facilitating the placement, and Jessica Milani, Gary Noonan and Matthew Burns at AstraZeneca for their supervision and advice throughout my placement.