A Queen’s University Belfast student has won the top spot in global healthcare diagnostics company Randox Laboratories’ annual Student Placement Awards.

Pearce Allingham from Andersonstown, who is studying Medicinal Chemistry, was not only placed first in the Science category but was also crowned Best Overall Placement Student.

Since September 2018, Pearce had been working alongside the scientific team in the New Technology Evaluation department, taking part in the development of Randox’s newest and most classified innovations.

Speaking at the awards ceremony at Randox Laboratories HQ in Crumlin on Friday 14^th June 2019, Pearce commented,

“I’m so pleased to have won this award. I couldn’t recommend a placement at Randox highly enough and it has allowed me to see what I’m capable of when I apply myself to a field I’m passionate about. From day one I was made to feel like a scientist within the team – not just a placement student – and it’s amazing that some of my contributions are helping to advance Randox’s diagnostic capabilities further. I look forward to applying my new knowledge and skills in final year and to forging a career in research – maybe even back here at Randox.”

Randox Laboratories welcomes over 60 placement students through its doors each year across Science, Engineering and Business-related disciplines, including Sales and Marketing. The company is keen to continue to maintain its reputation as a key placement provider in Northern Ireland, as explained by Linda Magee, Operations Director at Randox Laboratories.

Linda commented;

“We host many high calibre placement students at Randox each year and the Randox Placement Awards is the pinnacle in highlighting the fantastic contribution that these students make. Pearce, in particular, impressed us with his work ethic and initiative in one of Randox’s most cutting-edge R&D teams. Gaining industry experience is vital for young people and that is why we pride ourselves on the range of placement opportunities we provide here, especially through the Randox APEX programme which offers students a paid summer placement between first and second year, a paid placement year in third year and, finally, a graduate position on completion of their degree with a 2:1 classification. It really is the complete career package for any aspiring student.”

David Boyd, a QUB Engineering student from Belfast, won in the Engineering category of the Randox Placement Awards while Andrew Wilson, an Ulster University student from Bangor, was placed first in the Business category.

David Boyd, Engineering Placement Award winner, commented,

“As part of the Engineering team, the opportunities I’ve been given here have been second-to-none and I look forward to completing my Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. I used to think I would go on to work in the energy sector with renewables and nuclear but my time in Randox has shown me a different industry which I would love to return to.”

Andrew Wilson, Business Placement Award winner, also said,

“Being given the same responsibilities as the rest of your colleagues is a great way to learn quickly as you get immersed in live projects and real business. One of the most interesting aspects for me was the opportunity to travel to Hamburg and Chicago for customer visits and conferences. Dealing with different departments such as manufacturing, finance and logistics, along with my own sales and marketing team, has given me an insight in to the workings of an international company which has been an invaluable experience.”

Randox Placement Awards 2019 results

Business category

1 Andrew Wilson (Marketing, Randox Food Diagnostics), an Ulster University student from Bangor

2 Kathryn Wilson (Sales, Randox Biosciences), an Aberystwyth University student from Larne

3 Adam Donnelly – (Marketing, Randox Corporate), an Ulster University student from Bellaghy

Science category

1 Pearce Allingham (Chemistry), a Queen’s University Belfast student from Andersonstown

2 Rachel McCloy (Biotechnology), a Liverpool John Moore’s University student from Ballymena

3 Thomas Smith-Zaitlik (Molecular), a Nottingham Trent University student from Henley-on-Thames.

Engineering category

1 David Boyd (Engineering Design, Mechanical), a Queen’s University Belfast student from Belfast

2 Reuben Cotton (Engineering Design, Mechanical), an Ulster University student from Lisburn

3 Niall Devlin (Engineering Design, Software)

Overall Randox Placement Awards winner: Pearce Allingham

For further information please contact the Randox PR team by emailing randoxpr@randox.com or phoning 028 9442 2413