Sophie Mead
BSc Sport and Exercise Science
Placement with Lucozade Sport Science Academy, UK
“Lucozade Sport is the leading sports nutrition provider in the UK, forming part of the Nutritional Healthcare department of pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).
On this placement I had the opportunity to work within the research and development department with a team of sport scientists and sports nutritionists whose focus is on generating the science behind the brand. Day to day work can involve everything from; reviewing novel ingredients, assisting with a clinical trial, conducting competitor analysis, preparing conference attendance and producing marketing material. You can also get involved with a larger project; which for me was the London Marathon. I was involved in the analysis of previous research and production of communications which were used on the website, all the way through to providing sports science advice to runners at the Marathon Expo.
This placement year has been a fantastic opportunity to enhance both my practical and theoretical understanding of sports science and gain insight into the industry. The sheer variety of work gave me a chance to experience so many aspects of sports science, helped me develop and enhance a broad range of interpersonal and transferrable skills, and well as go a long way in shaping my future career aspirations. All in all it’s been a brilliant year where I’ve learnt loads, started to really understand the opportunities that are out there when I graduate, and grown in confidence. Following my placement year, my aspirations are now to continue to study sports nutrition and look for a job applying this knowledge in a commercial setting.”
