GSK Australia continues bridging skills gap between academic and industry with new cohort of Graduate Researchers
GSK Australia is delighted to announce the second year of its Graduate Researcher Program.
The 2022 program welcomes a new cohort of six PhD graduates who are working across GSK projects, following the success of the inaugural program last year. All six Graduate Researchers from 2021 have now been employed in industry or received industry placements after the completion of their program.
The GSK Australia Graduate Researcher Program, supported by the REDI initiative and MTPConnect, looks to bridge the skills gap between academia and the pharmaceutical industry.
Over the course of a 12-month placement, the Graduate Researchers will gain hands-on experience in the medicines and vaccines industry. In their roles, they will have the opportunity to make meaningful contributions to key GSK business units including regulatory and medical affairs in oncology, respiratory, vaccines and more.
Dr Alan Paul, Country Medical Director at GSK Australia and the Australian leadership team’s program sponsor, is excited to build on the success of the program’s first year. He says the 2022 program will help a new set of Graduate Researchers expand their horizons as future leaders and facilitate the transition to industry.
“Our GSK Australia Graduate Researcher Program aims to expand the capacity and capability of the research community by creating opportunities to gain experience and skills in the pharmaceutical industry. Greater collaboration between these industries can strengthen Australia’s success, in terms of translation and commercialisation of health and medical research that has the potential to beneficially impact society,” said Dr Paul.
The program has been developed in partnership with industry growth centre MTPConnect, as part of its $32 million Researcher Exchange and Development Within Industry (REDI) initiative – funded through the Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund, and designed to facilitate the cross pollination of scientific, academic research expertise with that of the pharmaceutical industry.
MTPConnect Chief Executive Officer Stuart Dignam says the REDI partnership with GSK Australia will continue to provide valuable industry experience for researchers.
“We are very pleased to partner with GSK Australia on its Graduate Researcher Program through our REDI initiative which is supporting the development of our future workforce. GSK is offering our brightest minds the opportunity for industry experience and it’s exciting to see the impact this collaboration will continue to have in its second year and the new connections being made on both sides,” Mr Dignam said.
Dr. Anushi Rajapaksa, a GSK Graduate Researcher, is confident the 2022 program will provide her with valuable experience in the pharmaceutical industry and will allow her to leverage her existing expertise to improve outcomes for Australian patients.
“Finding new and innovative ways we can apply scientific rigour to drive improved access to treatments for Australian patients is something I am very passionate about. The GSK Graduate Researcher Program offers an excellent opportunity and the unique environment to do exactly that,” she says.
“I’m looking forward to drawing on my expertise in scientific and clinical engineering, and applying it to my new role in the Regulatory Affairs Team as I gain hands-on experience in treatment development processes,” said Anushi.
GSK Australia is committed to working closely with leading local researchers and clinicians to ensure Australian patients can access the latest global innovations. The contributions of this new cohort of Graduate Researchers to our projects and operations will be important in driving innovation for Australian patients living with serious diseases.
The GSK Australia Graduate Researcher Program is set to run for a three-year timeframe, with recruitment for its final intake for 2023 intake opening later this year in October.
Express your interest for the 2023 intake here
