UCB are seeking a motivated and enthusiastic individual to join our team as an Apprentice in Immune Memory.

This role will provide you with hands-on experience in the laboratory with exposure to cutting-edge technologies, and the chance to work closely to support the progression of projects to drug candidate selection.

What you'll do at work

The Immune Memory Group is a dynamic and innovative team dedicated to advancing research, and treatments, in the field of immunology, autoimmunity and immune mediated inflammatory diseases. As an apprentice, you’ll have the opportunity to learn from experienced professionals, contribute to the development of patient therapeutics, and grow essential skills in the pharmaceutical industry.

The candidate will learn about the progression of drug molecules in research development. The role will involve building an understanding and implementation of experimental design and laboratory techniques required to generate and analyse data in the drug discovery process.

You will work to support a variety of projects, utilising a range of in vitro, and ex vivo assays. These skills enable the development of novel therapeutics, investigating mechanisms of action and identifying novel therapeutic axes.

The role will expand the apprentice’s knowledge in human biology, pathological mechanistic modelling, with focus on dermatology and immunology in health and disease. Alongside the development of academic knowledge, the candidate will learn, optimise and apply key techniques involved in the drug discovery process including, but not limited to; experimental design, histology, cell and tissue culture, flow cytometry, gene and imaging analysis and data interpretation.

Experimental analysis will utilise relevant statistical analysis when required and, where necessary, will be presented and disseminated in meetings. All work will comply within legal and ethical framework maintaining compliance to record keeping, data integrity, traceability and confidentiality.

As well as working with colleagues in the Immune Memory department, the role will also allow close collaboration with colleagues in different departments, allowing you to gain wider industry knowledge.

You will receive training in all techniques and data analysis with your own supervisor and a mentor to provide help and advice during your time at UCB. You will receive support to complete this training. This represents a great opportunity to work in laboratories in the pharmaceutical industry at the forefront of drug discovery.

Where you'll work

208 Bath Rd
Slough
SL1 3WE

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

THE UNIVERSITY OF KENT

Training course

Scientist (level 6)

What you'll learn

Course contents

• Identify and apply scientific approaches to solve problems, support investigations and recommend any follow-up experiments.
• Evaluate scientific experiments using an appropriate level of qualitative and quantitative numerical analysis.
• Critically analyse data, relevant literature and input from colleagues to inform investigations.
• Analyse, interpret and evaluate scientific data and present the results in written and oral form.
• Manage record keeping to ensure data integrity, traceability, confidentiality and adherence with appropriate regulatory requirements.
• Promote, enact, document, and monitor the application of quality standards, safe working practices and compliance with risk management systems relevant to the role.
• Identify opportunities to challenge assumptions and apply influencing skills to make improvements, make new proposals and build on existing ideas.
• Manage work plan, prioritise tasks and evaluate progress against objectives.
• Contribute to the development of technical projects across multi-skilled teams and share best practice across the wider business.
• Conduct complex (chemical, or physical, or biological) scientific investigations in accordance with defined company procedures and legislative requirements.
• Identify and implement continuous performance improvement using appropriate techniques.
• Ensure work meets environmental, risk management and sustainability requirements and regulations of the business sector.
• Evaluate own performance and knowledge, and set personal development goals.
• Troubleshoot equipment selection and implement sustainable solutions.
• Identify and collaborate with key stakeholders and provide technical support and advice where required.
• Identify how other roles in the organisation can contribute to achieving sustainability goals.
• Select and apply equipment, techniques, and methods to ensure reliable and accurate results.
• Undertake practical analyses and measurement and communicate the outcomes using appropriate terminology and mathematical and graphical notation.
• Use appropriate digital solutions for the collection and analysis of data, and the retrieval of appropriate information.
• Use communication methods suited to objective and audience.
• Use theoretical models, often involving approximations, to make quantitative predictions.
• Apply chemical concepts and theories to investigations.
• Design, develop and carry out chemical science investigations.
• Recommend synthetic pathways to target-compounds and design experimental activities to test predictions.
• Design and deploy purification, isolation and characterisation strategies, taking account of physicochemical properties of elements and compounds.
• Design, develop and carry out qualitative and quantitative sample preparation, chemical measurement, and analysis.
• Critically compare the results of theoretical or computational modelling with those from experiment and observation.
• Apply physics theories to solve problems that cross scientific discipline boundaries.
• Apply computational techniques to analysis and model physical behaviour.
• Apply physics concepts and theories to investigations.
• Design, develop and carry out physics based investigations.
• Use mathematical techniques and theories to solve physics problems.
• Use computer programming software to solve physics based problems.
• Critically analyse current and emerging developments in the biosciences and the contribution of Biosciences to the wider industry.
• Apply Biological concepts and theories to investigations.
• Design, develop and carry out biological investigations
• Perform tasks related to sample preparation and culturing techniques.
• Use of laboratory automation systems.
• Perform sampling with consideration for sample variation.