Global pharmaceutical company rewards student excellence

Undergraduate students from the School of Chemistry have been presented with a number of prizes for the quality of their research by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).

BSc and MChem students had the opportunity to showcase their knowledge and skills to a potential employer, as Dr Afjal Miah visited the School to award GSK sponsored certificates and monetary awards.

Jake Painter won the prize for Best Performance in first year organic chemistry, and the prize for Best Performance in second year organic chemistry was awarded to three students: Robert Bolt, Mark Shuttleworth and Oliver Symes.

Matthew Williams was awarded the prize for Best Performance in an MChem Project in the Molecular Synthesis Section for his work entitled ‘Preparation of N-Allenyl Cyanamides via Deoxycyanamidation of Propargyl Alcohols’, which was supervised by Dr Louis Morrill.

On behalf of GSK, Dr Miah said: “We like to support student development and recognise excellence through our strategic University Partnerships. It is a real pleasure to be able to give these awards to young individuals with bright futures.”

Professor Damien Murphy, Head of the School of Chemistry, said: “It was a pleasure to welcome GSK to the School again this year. Celebrating excellence and hard-work amongst the student cohort is always something we like to do as a School, and with the input of external employers, students come to realise that it’s not just the School of Chemistry that is invested in their future and development.”

GSK is a global company which researches, develops and manufactures prescription medicines, vaccines and consumer healthcare products with the purpose of helping people to do more, feel better and live longer. The company has close ties with the School of Chemistry, offering industrial placement opportunities as well as internships.