Analytical and Synthetic Chemistry (Multiple Roles & Locations) Industrial Placement, UK 2026

GSK; England; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading biopharma company offers an exciting industrial placement for chemistry undergraduates. This role provides hands-on experience in key analytical techniques and the opportunity to make a significant impact in drug development. Candidates must be studying towards a degree in Chemistry or a related field and have completed at least 2 years of their course. Join the team for a year-long placement starting in September 2026 at our Stevenage site.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Annual bonus

Employee recognition programs

Access to healthcare insurance

Volunteering days

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in a UK or ROI University.
• Must have completed a minimum of 2 years of undergraduate study.
• Fluency in written and spoken English.

Responsibilities

• Experience of key analytical techniques aligned with drug development.
• Creation, review and validation of analytical methods and documentation.
• Opportunity to work alongside technical experts and supervision.

Skills

Analytical techniques

Communication

Teamwork

Problem-solving

Data analysis

Education

Currently studying an Undergraduate Degree in Chemistry or related

Job description

Overview

Choose Wisely, Apply Confidently

To maximise your opportunities at securing an Industrial Placement with us this year, we strongly advise that you apply to no more than 3 adverts. (For clarity, multiple roles within a single advert are considered one application.) We encourage you to concentrate your efforts on the roles that best align with your skills, interests and university experience, as this will strengthen your application and give you the best chance of success.

Roles Available in Location: Stevenage, Ware R&D

Education required: To apply for this placement, you must be: Currently studying an Undergraduate Degree in Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry or similar.

Other 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 must be enrolled at a UK or ROI University for the duration of your placement.

If you have already graduated with a Bachelor's Degree and are currently studying a postgraduate Masters, you are not eligible for this programme.

Language requirement: Written and spoken fluency in English

Expected Start date: September 2026

Duration: 1 year (approximately)

Salary: A salary of £25,400 plus a bonus.

Workplace Arrangements: Full time on site required

Application Closing: Early applications are encouraged as candidates will be reviewed regularly, and the advert may close at any point.

Are you looking to gain valuable real world work experience and help positively impact the lives of others?

A GSK internship offers you the opportunity to kickstart your career - to take on a real role with genuine impact. You\'ll take on challenging tasks within live projects or assignments. You\'ll also get to learn from others in your team and other parts of GSK whilst developing your skills and gaining valuable experience for wherever the future takes you.

What do we offer you?

• A competitive salary, with an annual bonus based on company performance.
• Employee recognition programs, which reward exceptional achievements.
• Access to our cutting-edge wellbeing platform: personalise your experience, help reduce stress, increase focus, build connections and resilience. You will also have access to a confidential helpline 24/7, mindfulness, health screenings and financial wellbeing support.
• Access to Private Healthcare Insurance, including 24-hour access to an online GP.
• Optional Support: Includes identity protection, long-term care insurance, home, auto, and pet insurance
• Opportunities to work with Employee Resource Groups, providing opportunities to network, gain mentorship, and develop personally and professionally.
• Access to IPUnite which is a community of Early Careers programme participants offering development, networking and social connections to help you make the best of your programme. You will also be invited to join LinkedIn groups and pre-joining webinars, to enable you to connect and network with new students.
• 2 volunteering days per year

Typical skills you can expect to learn on this placement will include:

• Teamworking through working with multidisciplinary teams
• Communication (written & verbal)
• Time management
• Problem-solving
• Networking
• Data analysis and management
• Technical skills (detailed within each role description)

The Roles (3 available)

This advert contains multiple roles. Please read each role carefully before proceeding as you will be asked to provide a preference in the application process.

Role 1 - Analytical Chemistry - Ware R&D and Stevenage

Overview of the Department

The Analytical Development department of Medicines Development and Supply in R&D performs analytical chemistry activities associated with the development and control of manufacturing processes for new drug substances and drug products. Data produced by Analytical Development is key to the supply of novel medicines to patients.

Key Placement Learnings

• Experience of key analytical techniques and processes, aligned to the characterisation of drug substances or pharmaceutical dosage forms, including HPLC, GC, dissolution, MS, NMR, vibrational spectroscopy, Karl-Fisher, automated methods and platforms, method validation, stability testing, batch analysis testing and documentation, performed in environments compliant with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).
• Creation, review and validation of analytical methods, laboratory documentation and technical reports.
• Supervision by an experienced GSK analyst who will guide you in your day-to-day activities, and the opportunity to work alongside other technical experts e.g. synthetic chemists and/or formulators.
• A personal project and/or work packages.
• The test and release of materials and products for clinical studies.
• Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs); Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
• Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and continuous project improvements

Role 2 - Physicochemical Analysis - Stevenage

Overview of the Department

The Physicochemical Analysis (Physchem) group within the Analytical Chemistry department of Molecular Modalities Capabilities in R&D employs a diverse array of analytical tools to measure and derive various physicochemical properties during the early phases of GSK\'s drug discovery projects. This data enables an early assessment of a molecule\'s absorption and distribution in the body, guiding Medicinal Chemistry campaigns in the design and selection of compounds on their journey to becoming medicines.

We are looking for an enthusiastic and proactive student to join our Physchem team at GSK R&D in Stevenage for a full-time industrial placement (Monday to Friday) in a laboratory-based role.

Key Placement Learnings

• Analytical Techniques: Hands-on experience with key processes such as solubility, lipophilicity, biomimetic binding, polar surface area, passive permeability, and pKa using various analytical techniques like HPLC-UV/MS, HPLC-Charged Aerosol Detector, spectroscopy, and automated methods.
• Automation and Liquid Handling: Use of liquid handling platforms and other automation tools to process and prepare samples for assays.
• Data Analysis and Interpretation: Skills in analysing, interpreting, and presenting data using various IT systems, in-house packages, and machine learning predictive models.
• Method Development: Participation in the evaluation and development of analytical methods for analysing diverse pharmaceutical compounds, including small and large molecules.
• Laboratory Practices: Maintaining accurate laboratory records, capturing key information for departmental reports, and adhering to health and safety regulations.
• Physicochemical Knowledge: Developing knowledge on physicochemical properties and their impact on the in vivo behaviour of molecules.
• Collaboration and Supervision: Working under the supervision and guidance of an experienced GSK scientist and alongside other technical experts, such as medicinal chemists and informaticians.
• Project Management: Opportunity to work on personal projects or work packages, enhancing organisational and time management skills.
• Interpersonal Skills: Developing interpersonal skills by working in a team environment.

Role 3 - Synthetic Chemistry - Stevenage

Overview of the Department

Synthetic Chemistry is critical to the development of new medicines and plays a major role within chemical biology and medicinal chemistry. These departments have industrial placement opportunities for highly motivated students who have a keen interest in synthetic organic chemistry and who enjoy working in a laboratory environment. These full-time placements are highly practically based.

Key Placement Learnings

• Carry out a wide range of synthetic chemistry reactions aimed at delivering molecules of interest in state-of-the-art laboratories at GSK Stevenage.
• State-of-the-art techniques for isolating and characterising compounds.
• Generating data to be used to make key project decisions.
• Supervision by an experienced GSK chemist who will guide you in your day-to-day activities, enabling you to plan & implement laboratory experiments.
• The opportunity to work alongside other technical experts.

Apply now!

These placement opportunities have the following recruitment stages - you must successfully pass each stage to be offered a placement year with GSK for 2026:

1. Eligibility Form
2. GSK Digital Assessment
3. Some technical roles may require a short technical assessment
4. Virtual Assessment Centre or Virtual Interview

You can find hints and tips on our recruitment process and get guidance from real GSK mentors on our Early Careers Hub here.

We\'re 100% open to all talent. We want to recruit the right people for GSK from the widest possible backgrounds, so we can better serve the inclusion of our patients and because it\'s the right thing to do. You can learn more about Inclusion at GSK here.

For more information about GSK and our careers please visit our website here.

Need help with your application? Please email us at [e-mail] or call us on 01582 692870 and let us know how we can help you.

#Internships #UKEarlyCareers #GSKIndustrialPlacements #GSKSciencePlacements #GSKChemistryPlacements #GSKResearch&Development #GSKStevenage

Why GSK?

Uniting science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together.

GSK is a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together. We aim to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade, as a successful, growing company where people can thrive. We get ahead of disease by preventing and treating it with innovation in specialty medicines and vaccines. We focus on four therapeutic areas: respiratory, immunology and inflammation; oncology; HIV; and infectious diseases - to impact health at scale.

People and patients around the world count on the medicines and vaccines we make, so we\'re committed to creating an environment where our people can thrive and focus on what matters most. Our culture of being ambitious for patients, accountable for impact and doing the right thing is the foundation for how, together, we deliver for patients, shareholders and our people.

GSK is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This ensures that all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), military service or any basis prohibited under federal, state or local law.

We believe in an agile working culture for all our roles. If flexibility is important to you, we encourage you to explore with our hiring team what the opportunities are.

Please don\'t hesitate to contact us if you\'d like to discuss any reasonable adjustments to our process which might help you demonstrate your strengths and capabilities.

For UK Intern roles (including Industrial Placements) you can either call us on 01582 692870, or send an email [e-mail]

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