What did you study?
As a teenager, I’d always been interested in taking apart appliances and investigating how to fix them and put them back to together.
When I was 15, I went to an electronic, technical school in Poland where I studied for four years across a range of technical subjects such as semiconductors, different materials, robotics and automations.
After college, I decided to continue my studies at university where I studied technical applications of technical studies in education. This began as a four-year course, but it ended up being cut short. This led me to go on to study mechanical engineering. I knew after studying mechanical engineering I wanted to work in this field, so I moved to the UK to kick-start my career within engineering.
Tell us about your role at CSA Catapult
As a senior laboratory technician, I cover all of CSA Catapult’s technology areas such as power electronics, photonics, packaging, radio frequency (RF) and microwave, and electronics. There’s a lot of things to know, and I’m learning something new every day!
A key part of my role is ensuring that the labs are a safe environment and working correctly to enable the team to do their jobs. As well as overseeing the labs, I also support projects and assemble new equipment. I’m there to support the team in the lab wherever possible.
Working within the labs is very rewarding, especially when assemblies and heatsinks are working correctly and I’ve been a part of the process of making it happen. It makes me proud to see that I’ve made a difference.
What has been a career highlight for you?
My career highlight so far has been getting a job at the Catapult. Before this role, I felt like a worker. Now I feel much more than that. I feel a sense of pride from my role and that I’ve made a difference while at work.
At the Catapult, I’m learning a lot about different industries and learning a lot while working with SMEs and large organisations. It’s a great feeling when you’re appreciated for the work you do and the impact you’re making.
What type of projects are you working on at the moment?
I’ve recently been working on the Sims4CAMSens project. As part of this project, I researched and made my own SOLIDWORKS design for the target holder assembly for a lidar test samples and sent this to an external company to get it developed.
By doing this, it helped me to develop my skills and knowledge on 3D design and simulation.
What emerging technology are you most excited about?
I’d have to say AI. The speed that AI learning is developing and teaching each machine to do things, that would take humans a ridiculous amount of time, is fascinating.
As well as this, 3D printing is another exciting area which is developing rapidly. As someone who is interested in technology, it’s surreal how fast technology is moving.
What advice would you give to students who’re thinking of becoming an engineer?
Go for it! As technology develops and we have more and more tools with AI and machine learning to aid us, we need people to be able to understand future trends.
If you’re a keen problem solver I’d recommend studying engineering and electronics. I studied machine learning and now I’m working within the semiconductor field.
Being a problem solver is a great skill to have, and one that is needed to work in the engineering sector.
