MS SPIDOC

June 2022

MS SPIDOCs portrait: get to know the MS SPIDOC of the month, Florian!

What do you work on in MS-SPIDOC?

Since I started to work on the project in December 2019, my responsibilities have been steadily expanded. Originally, I was appointed to support the team in Greifswald in experimental lab work. As the project progressed, I have taken over more and more tasks in the Greifswald group. By now, this means responsibility for the design, construction and improvement of an essential part of the MS SPIDOC prototype: the digital ion filter and trap module. Furthermore, I will support the SPIDOC consortium in assembly and operation of the whole prototype after all modules will have been brought together.

What do you like most about the project?

I like to work on such an interdisciplinary project and to have always new challenges and problems to solve. It provides insights into different scientific fields outside the own and need to constantly adapted to new situations

What do you find most challenging about the project?

In such a diverse project, communication between scientists of different fields and with people from companies is always challenging. Beside the fact that we all use English, to be sure all people understand each other requires a clear communication and a considerable amount of time.

How is to work in an international network?

It’s really great! For me it is the first time to gain experience with an EU project. Here, I can increase my skills on various fields besides physics like planning, administration, communication and presentation of scientific knowledge to a wide audience.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I like to do various types of sport like swimming, windsurfing and training in the gym. Additionally, I’m interested in history (especially the middle ages), economy /stock exchange and fantasy novels.

How do your hobbies help you in your work?

Sport is always a good way to compensate mentally demanding work. This helps me to provide always 100% to the project.

Something you learned from working in MS SPIDOC that you will to carry on in your career

There are too many things I have learned in my time at the MS-SPIDOC project to list them here. For my own progression the whole project is the transition from a student with no work experience to a person who can work independently, carry responsibilities, and handle projects.

An advice to scientists who are considering setting up or joining an international project

Have always a plan and the ability to adapt it to new circumstances!

– “So that I may perceive whatever holds

 the world together in its inmost folds.” –

[”Faust” from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]

May 2022

Tech Ready:

Dipole orientation device for imaging application in mass spectrometry – Key Innovators: UU and Fasmatech

Improved IM cells for conformational separation – Key Innovators: MS Vision and UNIMAN

Digital ion trap for storage and accumulation of heavy biomolecules – Key Innovators: UG

Exploring:

X-MS-I Time of Flight Mass Spectrometer – Key Innovators: LIV, MS Vision and Fasmatech

Market Ready:

Aerolens with high efficiency and controlled desolvation – Key innovators: Fasmatech

The new MS SPIDOCs portrait series: the MS SPIDOC of the month is Jan!

What do you work on in MS SPIDOC?

Initially, my main involvement in the project was with the integration of the modules that were going to be built by all consortium partners, and the engineering of the Ion Mobility module that was designed by Manchester University. When it became apparent that a custom-built Time-of-Flight mass spectrometer was required, work at MS Vision kicked into next gear and we involved more of our team members in the project. Today, most of our efforts are on the design, assembly and testing of the ToF.

What do you like most about the project?

Besides the blue sky, high-risk/high-gain character of the project, I love the multidisciplinary aspect of it. I now find myself working with experts in the field of Mass Spectrometry which I already knew very well, but also with specialists in areas I became involved in fairly recently and areas I knew nothing about. To find that it takes all these disciplines to bring science forward is an eye-opener.

What do you find most challenging about the project?

That would have to be communication. Seeking agreement, synchronizing watches, prioritizing, adapting, cooperating, and at the same time working on groundbreaking science in an international consortium takes a lot of effort. Our monthly consortium meetings are a sheer necessity!

How is to work in an international network?

Well that’s an easy one: I love it.  I have always enjoyed working with people from different backgrounds and cultures. It was a pity that the recent travel restrictions forced us to do a lot of the consortium gatherings online, and the few face-to-face meeting that we did manage to organize immediately showed the added value of real contact.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I like to hike, read, listen to music, visit museums and work in the garden. I can also enjoy the combination of Netflix and wine.

How do your hobbies help you in your work?

I like hobbies that have little to do with my work. It helps me clear my mind; I get the best ideas when I’m pruning roses or hiking.

Something you learned from working in MS SPIDOC that you will to carry on in your career

There were a couple of things I learnt in my earlier answers already, and if I had to add one it would be that ambition needs to be balanced with patience. Sometimes you do not have the full picture, and trying to push trough is not the best way of dealing with the situation. Take a step back and try to understand what’s going on – and why!

An advice to scientists who are considering setting up or joining an international project

I’m not an academic scientist but an engineer in a commercial environment, and from that context my advice would be to realize that we need each other and can also learn from each other. With that in mind, my quote is the engineer’s t-shirt definition of an engineer:

Engineer /En juh neer/noun.

“A person who does precision guesswork based on unreliable data provided by those of questionable knowledge.”

See also: wizard, magician

MS SPIDOC retreat, 2-4.05.2022, Maritim Seehotel @Timmendorfer Strand, Germany

Science, team work, excursion @Bird park Niendorf…MS SPIDOCs @work!