Before joining ABB Corporate Research Center, I completed my PhD on multifunctional spintronic interfaces at SOLEIL synchrotron and performed research on single molecule magnets at Xtreme beamline of SLS as a PSI-fellow postdoc.
How did you find your job?
As I was approaching my final postdoc year, I started to browse through technological companies around and I set up alerts on LinkedIn with keywords such as “physicist”, “researcher”, etc. My goal was just to explore the field, but I happen to find soon after that the ABB Corporate Research Center is interested in scientists with skills I had. I applied for a position of applied scientist for medium voltage protection systems. After 4 years of working on both applied and fundamental aspects of electric arcs formation in gases (mostly plasma physics) and dielectric breakdown phenomena, I was happy to get an opportunity to step up as a research team manager.
What does your typical working day at ABB look like?
The ABB Corporate Research is for me a sweet spot between academic world and what is typically meant behind “industrial R&D” term. We execute variety of projects, from deeply fundamental (e.g. dielectric breakdown modeling) to more applied (e.g. investigations of sustainable polymer materials). Now, as a research team manager, I am overlooking a team of 8 researchers. I am supporting them in reaching their research goals, I manage projects portfolio of the team and bridge research with our internal business receivers.
What do you particularly like about your job?
What I find particularly exciting about scientist role in ABB is to have possibility to apply the fundamental research to real life applications. During my career in ABB, I happen to see my idea, being brought up from scientific concept through patent, and to finally end up in a product sold today. From manager’s perspective, it gives a lot of satisfaction to be in position to empower those talented scientists and support them towards bringing innovation to life.
What would you like to pass on to younger PSI junior researchers?
Stay open and keep checking what’s out there, because many innovative companies are interested in you. Just keep looking (join events, reach out to friends) as this information is not easily accessible from within academia.