Great for a short stay. Lab Scientist with No PhD? Stay away - Scientist AstraZeneca Employee Review

4.0
Jun 4, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Very interesting work. Nice people for the most part and a lot of resources available compared with small companies. A lot of intelligent people.

Cons

If you want to be a scientist and don’t have a PhD, you’ll have a very difficult time progressing in a career here. Fresh kids out of the program start 2-3 levels higher than those who have been in industry for 10 years or more. You have to work your tail off to get to the level of fresh PhD’s. Often time, it takes 15-20 years of experience to get to the level that new PhD’s with 0 years of industry experience come in as. The reasoning being that this is an unofficial reward based system to incentivize getting your PhD. You do find some competitiveness as per most large companies that gets annoying.

Explore other reviews about AstraZeneca

5.0
Jun 25, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good products, great oncology pipeline

Cons

Global leaders moving to US that have limited understanding of US environment

5.0
Apr 22, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I imagine this is very dependent on line management but I find my team and supervisors to be true champions of a high performing and highly compassionate work culture. I find my work challenging and rewarding, and have had opportunities to learn and grow and be rewarded and recognized for my output. No job is perfect but I’m truly happy to work here and at a time when AZ is truly rising like a rocket.

Cons

Like any massive global corporate entity, things can sometimes move slowly and it can be challenging to navigate a high number of constantly evolving priorities and initiatives. That being said, AZ is very clear about its north stars and values which makes it possible to prioritize work that has the most impact and alignment with the company’s ambition and business prerogatives. 60% office attendance policy is also a bit funny when oftentimes I am on Teams calls with colleagues sitting in other areas of the world.

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