A day in the life of a Field Application Scientist
My typical day revolves around working closely with customers across Europe. I focus on establishing protocols, providing application support, and troubleshooting any challenges they encounter to make sure things are running as smoothly as possible. It's essential to ensure our customers are satisfied with their solutions and achieve the best possible outcomes.
Additionally, I work closely with scientists looking to implement automation in their lab to understand their scientific workflows and find the best way to achieve their research goals with our products.
A collaborative approach to overcoming scientific challenges
Collaboration is integral to our success at SPT Labtech. We have a team full of expert scientists and engineers who are there to provide invaluable support when we’re faced with new complex challenges to solve. Our Internal Applications team, for instance, plays a crucial role in testing and addressing new queries, enabling us to provide swift and efficient solutions to customers.
Favorite parts of the role
I find immense satisfaction in problem-solving and optimizing scientific workflows. It's incredibly rewarding to help customers overcome challenges they encounter with their applications and improve their daily life in the lab. Engaging in insightful scientific discussions with researchers to find the right solutions is something I really enjoy.
Travelling to meet customers in person gives me the opportunity to see for myself the unique and diverse challenges they face, which makes me appreciate even more the ground-breaking work they’re doing. Since moving from academia where I was solely focused on my own projects, this role allows me to broaden my scientific knowledge every day. You learn much more from talking to scientists about their work first-hand than you do from reading a paper. That’s the privilege of this role.
My journey to becoming a Field Application Scientist
My journey to becoming a Field Application Scientist involved a diverse set of experiences. As a biology tutor during my studies, I honed my communication and patience skills, which I have found crucial for engaging with customers effectively.
My previous Sales role at a healthcare service organization taught me the importance of listening to customers and understanding their needs. These skills have been seamlessly integrated into the customer-centric approach embraced by SPT Labtech. Our aim is to solve real-world challenges faced by scientists, so the insights we gain from users help us to continually improve our products and services.
I completed my PhD at Hemholtz Center in Munich where I investigated chromatin structure using various genomics and molecular biology techniques. My highlight was working with Oxford Nanopore Technologies to perform long read sequencing, which made me appreciate the rapid advancements in sequencing technology.
Continuing to develop skills and knowledge
My goal is to improve every day, so I can continue to make a positive impact to science. When researchers seek support with their work, knowing that I’ve played a part in helping them achieve their goals is very rewarding. Although my role is small compared to the huge amount of work that goes into every discovery, it remains a significant motivator for me.
How do you spend your time outside of work?
Cinema is a big passion of mine. I help to organize a Greek film week held every year in Munich, which aims to introduce and share Greek cinema with a wider audience. With all the work that goes into organizing this event, it’s amazing when it all comes together and it’s rewarding to see people enjoying lesser-known films.
Apart from that, as I spend a lot of my time travelling, I cherish the time I spend at home with family and friends.
