Pharmacy students and foundation trainee pharmacists can explore research and academia from an early stage, whether through MPharm projects, audits or quality improvement initiatives during foundation training.
While not essential, early exposure to academia can help you develop key research skills, offer opportunities for publication and presentations and lay the groundwork for a future in clinical academia. Importantly, it is never too early or too late to build your research capabilities.
Undergraduate opportunities
While the MPharm degree primarily prepares students to practice safely and effectively as pharmacists, there are early opportunities to explore clinical academia through research. Many of these arise through final-year research projects but you can also get involved earlier through summer placements, electives or voluntary projects.
Final-year students can choose from a wide range of project types, including:
- laboratory-based projects
- systematic reviews and meta-analyses
- clinical and practice-based research
- data science and informatics projects
- public health and policy research
Engaging in research early helps you to:
- develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills
- learn how to design, conduct and analyse research studies
- gain experience in scientific writing and academic presentation
- build a professional network with academic and clinical mentors
- enhance CVs and strengthen applications for postgraduate opportunities or further research training
Projects provide a chance to work under the guidance of experienced academic staff. You may also have opportunities to submit work for peer-reviewed publication or present at conferences. Early research experience can spark interest in a clinical academic career and provide a strong foundation for advanced practice.
Undergraduate pharmacists are encouraged to discuss potential research projects and development opportunities with supervising academic staff and seek out additional experiences such as summer research placements or collaborative projects.
INSIGHT Programme: inspiring students into research
The NIHR has combined its INSIGHT and INSPIRE schemes into a single UK-wide programme, designed to engage students and newly qualified professionals from all health and care disciplines—including pharmacy—in early-stage research. The scheme gives participants hands-on experience, highlights opportunities to integrate research into practice, and supports careers in research and academia.
Host programmes in England are expected to offer research master’s degrees alongside engagement activities, open to current students and recent graduates across registered health and care disciplines (excluding doctors and dentists).
For more information, visit the NIHR website.
