About laurariggallblog
I am a third year BSc Medical Sciences student at the University of Leeds, currently on my industrial placement year at the global pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline. I have a strong interest in scientific research, particularly in the field of neuroscience, and aspire to complete a PhD and continue a career as a research scientist. During my time at Leeds I have participated in a wide range of opportunities, including scientific and medical placements, a scientific internship, a summer research studentship, three society committees, as well as currently completing industrial placement. I am also a University Ambassador, where I act as a speaker on open days and address students about the Leeds experience, and a charity trustee.
Laura Riggall recently completed an industrial placement year with GSK. In this post she outlines how the placement helped her to develop many key employability skills and experiences.
Having recently completed an industrial placement year, I can honestly say it was a fantastic year for personal and professional development. I was based on a laboratory placement at GlaxoSmithKline within the Investigative Preclinical Toxicology (IPT) department in Safety Assessment, at GSK’s Ware R&D site in Hertfordshire, and in this post I hope to highlight to you the benefits of completing a placement year based on my own experiences Continue reading →
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Are you considering a career in the medical profession? Finding it difficult to take the first step and get relevant work experience? In this blog post, Laura Riggall gives her top tips for jumping the hurdles, and securing medical placements.

Obtaining placements in the medical profession can be challenging. Often, there are numerous hurdles such as practitioner availability, non-medical students being allowed in theatre, as well as a huge over-subscription. However, there are a number of things which helped me when I was looking for work experience, which I’ve outlined below.
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Ever wondered what is the difference between a Research Internship and a Summer Studentship? In this post, Laura Riggall answers this question highlighting her experiences of both.
Both internships and studentships within the Faculty of Biological Sciences are fantastic opportunities to participate in; by completing either (or both) you can gain and improve a wide range of key skills, absorb new knowledge, push yourself to do things you haven’t done before, and overall boost your employability and credibility. So what exactly are the differences between internships and studentships, and what can each add to your CV? This article will define both internships and studentships, discuss what is available, and give examples of both by describing the projects I participated in. Continue reading →
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Laura Riggall is a Medical Sciences student who is currently undertaking an industrial placement year. Here Laura explains how she secured her summer studentship and how it has helped her get where she is today!

My name is Laura. I am a second year BSc Medical Sciences student and have just completed a laboratory-based neuroscience research summer studentship, under the supervision of Professor Jim Deuchars. Any summer studentship or internship across the university is a fantastic opportunity to participate in, and I hope by reading this post you will have a greater understanding of studentships, the application process, and what there is to gain from undertaking a studentship. Continue reading →
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Introduction
My name is Laura and I am a BSc Medical Sciences student here at the university. Shortly I will begin an industrial placement year at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), where I will be based in the Investigative Preclinical Toxicology Department (IPT), and will be researching drug toxicity in relation to cancer development Continue reading →
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