What is your current task at BÜCHI Labortechnik?

I am in the product management team for laboratory evaporation, and I am currently involved in three different development projects. All of them are in very different stages of the development process. My main responsibility in the project teams is to represent the "first customer" perspective on the new product. Moreover, I coordinate on-site testing activities as well as prototype demonstrations for pilot customers. For the development project that is still in an early stage, I evaluate new technologies, e.g. with external partners in academia.

Which advice would you give to ETH graduates who are looking for a job outside academia?

Often soft skills are equally important as technical competence and sometimes it is worth to apply for a job, even if your profile does not fully fit the job advertisement.

How does a typical day for you look like and what are the main challenges that arise?

On a typical workday, I have a discussion with the lab technician in our testing lab about the ongoing activities. Then, I attend project meetings, review, or write technical documents or hold online meetings with external partners. The main challenges are to prioritize well and to keep a clear overview over all the different activities.

What makes your job as a development chemist so unique and which strengths does one need for this job in particular?

As development chemist I have a lot of interaction with various stakeholders. There is the direct exchange with the product manager, project managers, various representatives in the development department and the technology team, with production, the market organizations, external partners, patent attorneys and customers. This makes this job very diverse, and it is beneficial to appreciate the regular exchange with other people with different backgrounds.

How did your studies prepare you for your current job and which aspects did you mainly learn on the way?

A good foundation in thermodynamics, the use of scientific methods as well as writing scientific reports are things that I learned during my studies and that I can use for my current job. Working in an interdisciplinary team and the ability to communicate concise are things that I rather learned on the way.