A chemistry graduate training facility was launched at Monash University on 14 July.
The facility, based at Monash’s Parkville Campus, aims to give pharmaceutical science graduates a competitive edge in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.
The facility is the result of a five-year strategic partnership between the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and industry partner Shimadzu.
Students at the facility will have access to High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) facilities like those used by industry professionals.
“Our analysis has shown that to be ‘job-ready’, pharmaceutical science graduates have to be competent in analytical chemistry, specifically in HPLC. The contemporary designed lab will focus on practical, hands-on training. We are confident the new lab will give graduates an industry advantage,” said Michelle McIntosh, senior lecturer within the faculty of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences and researcher at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
“By the time they graduate, our students will be able to take responsibility for system maintenance, method development and validation in liquid chromatography. More importantly, they will be able to troubleshoot from their first day on the job,” she said.
Next semester the faculty is due to launch a practical unit in analytical methods that will aim to ensure its pharmaceutical science graduates are ready to tackle life-saving research in drug discovery.