Student Placements

Placements and Internships

Placement and internship opportunities for students are available within medical research and are commonly advertised directly on company websites. For inspiration we have compiled a list below of companies who offer placement schemes. Please note this list is not exhaustive. 

Companies offering student placements or internships often establish strong links with Universities in the UK and opt to communicate details of upcoming placements to university students directly, for example Bath and Cardiff Universities.

Applications for full year placements usually open in November and often involve an assessment day typically including a competency interview, technical interview and a group exercise.

If you are interested in undertaking a placement and have any questions, or are an organisation that offers placements and would like to add your details to our website then please contact us.

In 2019, CALC did a series of podcasts talking about the career opportunities available in the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare industry – you can listen to them here

2023/24 Student Testimonials

Please find below the video testimonials from both placement students and managers of the 2023/24 intake:

 

 

 

 

Previous Years

 

Where to apply

Many companies will advertise their placements and internships on job websites or via mailing lists such as ALLSTAT, and some contact universities directly. You can explore a number of specific placement and internship opportunities below.


Abbott

Type of Placement: Statistics

Length: 13 months

Pre-Requisite: Applicants should be studying for a degree related to mathematics or statistics.  Placements are advertised at universities and on the Abbott careers website www.jobs.abbott.  For more information about Abbott Diabetes Care, please visit the website.

Amgen

Type of Placement: Statistics, Programming, Data Science

Length: 12 months

Amgen offers placements in the Centre for Design and Analysis and the Centre for Observational Research. Placements are for students who have completed the first two years of their undergraduate degree in Mathematics, Statistics, or a related subject. Placements are advertised via Hays and ratemyplacement – visit the website to find out more.

AstraZeneca

Type of Placement: Data Science

 

Length: 12 months

AstraZeneca offers placements for students currently undertaking a numerate degree including Maths, Statistics, Data Science, Computer Science or similar. Applications usually close in October, visit the Research & Development Undergraduate Industrial Placement Programme page on the AZ website and sign-up for job updates at the bottom of that page.

Fortrea

Type of Placement: Programming

 

Length: 12 months

Placements occurring between the second and final year of an undergraduate degree in a Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, Data Science, or other relevant mathematical/scientific discipline. Each year the applications are usually live by the end of October (closing in November), with interviews in December and a start date in July the following summer.

Visit Early Careers and Internships | Fortrea for more information.

GSK 

Type of Placement: Statistics, Programming

Length: 12 months

GSK offer placements for both programmers and statisticians. Applicants should be studying for a degree related to Mathematics or Statistics. Visit the Work experience, placements and internships page on their website to find out more.

Imperial

Type of Placement: Statistics, Trial Operations, Data Systems/Programming

Length: 8 weeks (July to September)

Imperial offers fully funded placements in the Clinical Trials Unit for students undertaking statistics, mathematics or related quantitative subject (statistics position); health or life sciences subjects (operations position); or computer science or related quantitative subject (data systems/programming position). These opportunities are typically advertised on the Imperial Clinical Trials Unit Website from late March/ early April and close late April/early May.

IQVIA 

Type of Placement: Statistics, Programming

Length: 12 months

IQVIA offer one-year placements to BSc students on sandwich courses who have completed two years of their degree. IQVIA usually contact universities within an hour or so of Reading but are open to any applicants. Visit their website for further information. 

Janssen

Type of Placement: Programming

Length: 12 months

Pre-requisite:  Janssen offer Statistical Programming Placement opportunities within the Statistical Programming & Analysis group based in High Wycombe, UK. Positions are advertised during the autumn semester for placements starting the following summer.

Placements are open to undergraduate students studying Computer Science, Mathematics, Data Science, or another relevant scientific field. Visit their careers website to find out more.

Lilly

Type of Placement: Statistics, Programming

Length: 12 months

Lilly provides placement opportunities for undergraduates studying Mathematics or Statistics. Visit the Lilly website and scroll down to “Our Student Placement Program”. 

       NHS

Type of Placement: Statistics in healthcare

Length: 12 months (starting in July or August

Pre-requisite: 

This post is for undergraduate students studying for a degree with placement in industry in a statistical / numerate subject.

 

This post is an opportunity to join our committed team of statisticians for a year and become involved in extremely rewarding work, developing a broad range of statistical and other skills. The post will involve collaborative work with clinicians and others working in organ transplantation, blood donation and haematology. Placements are advertised on the nhs blood and transplant careers page.

Parexel

Type of Placement: Programming

Length: 12 -14 months

Pre-requisite: Placements offered to undergraduates studying Mathematics, Statistics or Computer Science (other courses with high numerical content considered). Each year the recruitment process starts during September and October for placement years starting the following summer.

Apply directly here: Find Jobs and Careers With Parexel, a Pharmaceutical Services Leader and search for Student Placement, Location = Sheffield, England.

 Roche 

Type of Placement: Industrial Placement (Statistics, Programming, Data Science)

Length: 12 months

Pre-requisite: Placement opportunities are available to anyone studying a data oriented subject (e.g. Mathematics, Statistics, Data Science, Computer Science, Biological Sciences, Technology, Bioengineering, or any other STEM subject). Opportunities are advertised during September and October for placement years starting the following summer. Visit the Roche Careers website and search for Associate Statistical Programmer / Associate Statistician - Industrial Placement.

 

Type of Placement: Summer internship for PhD students  


Length: 8-10 weeks

Pre-requisite: Anyone currently studying for a PhD in a data oriented subject (e.g., Mathematics, Statistics, Data Science, or any other STEM subject). Applications typically open in November each year. Please visit the Roche Careers website for details.

 UCB 

Type of Placement: Statistics Industrial Placement

Length: 13 months (August to August)

Pre-requisite: 

Placements offered to undergraduates studying Mathematics or Statistics (other courses with high statistical content considered). Opportunities are advertised around September/October for placement years starting the following summer. 

 

Upcoming Events

Open-Source Lunch Bites

Our monthly webinar will allow attendees to gain practical knowledge and skills in Open-Source coding and tools, with a focus on applications in the pharmaceutical industry. The sessions will provide starting points in a number of areas, correct any common misconceptions and provide valuable resources for further learning.