What I Do I am a product manager for the particle system characterization product line. This means it's my job to develop the new products, maintain the current probes, as well as wind down activities when a product comes to the end of its lifetime. I spend a good amount of time with customers to understand their needs, but also get to go back to the lab to test new functions. It's a nice balance of business and technical skills, In my previous job, I worked as a process scientist/engineer in a pharmaceutical start up. I bridged the gap between science in the lab and manufacturing. Some of the activities of my daily work included process characterization, scale up, and reliability testing. This ensures that the process is well understood and stable in producing the medicine once it goes into production.
Why Engineering? Nature is complex, and we have to be clear about the fact that we can't understand everything. However, as an engineer, I try to break down complicated problem down to a level at which we can solve them and translate them into solution that change peoples' lives.
School Days I got my Bachelor's and Master's (BSc and MSc) in chemical engineering from ETH Zurich (Switzerland) as well as a second MS in biomedical engineering from Georgia Tech and Emory University.
My Day At Work Every day is different, which makes it very interesting. Usually, I will be working on the development of the next product, so that can be anything from attending planning meetings, running experiments in the lab, to doing data analysis or even working on the product webpage.
Best Part The best part of being an engineer, it that in the end you build things. Science can sometimes be very abstract, and as an engineer it's an amazing feeling to be working on something you can hold in your hands at the end and of which you can be proud.
Proud Moments I am proud to be working on projects that have the potential to have a high impact on the quality of life of many people. These technologies can change lives!
Challenges I almost flunked out of college! At that point, I was a chemistry major and nothing against chemistry, but I did not have a passion for my studies. However, when I discovered chemical engineering, I switched my major and I've never regretted it since!
My Family I come from a very academic family. My father is an organic chemistry professor and my mother is a molecular biologist. As a chemical engineer working in biomedical research, I fall right between my two parents! I also have a younger sister who is just finishing up her architecture degree.
Dreams and Goals I love working with pharmaceutical professionals. Being part of the process by which lifesaving medication is made that can change and even save lives is a huge motivation for me to continue working and striving to do my best.