Profile

I work as an imaging scientist at Oxford Lasers. We make machines that use a camera to take pictures of small or fast-moving things (anything from droplets of hairspray to bullets) and then measure how big they are or how fast they are moving. The sort of customers that we have tend to be scientists or engineers who want to study how a spray works, or how fast a flow of air is travelling.

I am responsible for designing and developing new machines, and then helping out our customers in case they have problems. I also visit new customers to train them how to control the machines, and attend conferences and shows to tell people about what we make.

When I’m in the office, I tend to spend 2-3 hours per day answering email and speaking with my colleagues or customers about problems that they may be having. The rest of the time is split between working in the lab testing ideas, and trying new things; transferring those ideas into computer models; specifying new software needs; writing literature for the sales people; working on the company website; or any number of other jobs that are needed to keep the company working.

If I’m travelling (which is usually about one week in six), I could be anywhere in the world visiting customers. In this case, no day is ever the same. I’ve been to all sorts of interesting places from nuclear fuel reprocessing plants to car factories, university labs, hospitals, chemical companies, aerospace test labs, firing ranges, dairies, you name it!