Here at Edinburgh Instruments, we are proud of all our employees for all they do behind the scenes, so we thought it was time to put them in the spotlight. This series does exactly that; you get a sneak peek into what drives, excites and enamours our team. We hope you enjoy it!
Meet Elvira Williams, Project Manager – FTIR here at Edinburgh Instruments. Elvira’s work is all about making sure our new FTIR products don’t just happen—they happen brilliantly! She’s the one who provides project oversight and hands-on implementation. This means she’s constantly managing cross-functional communication to nail down those crucial product specifications and, just as important, she’s the team’s go-to subject matter expert for all those tricky FTIR technical questions.
It has been quite a long journey, but I enjoyed most of it.
I’m originally from Germany and studied Chemistry at the University of Kaiserslautern where I achieved my Masters in Chemistry (called Diplom Chemie back then). During my studies I spend 3 months working at the University of Glasgow as part of an Erasmus project, which I really enjoyed, so I decided to apply for PhD programmes in Scotland. I was lucky enough to secure a PhD position to study the electronic structure of fullerenes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at the University of Edinburgh in the Chemistry Department. I enjoyed the work, learnt a lot and had the opportunity to travel around the world.
After I completed my PhD successfully, I gained industrial experience in laser manufacturing expanding my grip on industrial processes. Further on I expanded my professional experience within several interdisciplinary and collaborative projects across multiple universities to develop innovative optical medical devices and translate these systems into clinical trials. I enjoyed the project management side of my work, so when I found out about the opportunity for FTIR Project manager at Edinburgh Instruments, it seemed like the perfect fit for me. I knew about Edinburgh Instruments from my previous studies and work and was excited to be able to contribute to the company. I was fortunate to secure the post and have been here ever since.
As a project manager for FTIR, I oversee the development of new FTIR products as a whole, but also implement the project plans. I communicate across departments to refine specifications for the new product and to advise on any FTIR queries. To translate the project plan into action, I formulate and assign tasks to the team and support the development where needed. This often means that I’m working in the lab on the system with my team: building, adjusting or modifying subassemblies, aligning or optimising optics, testing subsystems etc. However, it is my responsibility to keep the overview of the project, too, and report to the management team about progress, timelines and any issues on the project.
All together my working weeks can be quite varied which I enjoy as I get the chance to actually work in the lab with a great team and communicate across departments.
I spend the weekend out and about with my family. I have 2 children and we love to go out exploring different activities and places reachable by car for a day out. However, we also like to travel by plane, especially as my youngest loves aeroplanes. Currently, my oldest is practising riding her bike and my youngest enjoys “driving his car”.
My first job was being a waitress at the swimming pool restaurant. I mainly took up the job, so I could get the employee discount on the swimming pool entry!
I used to do a lot of horse riding when I was younger, more recently it has been harder to find time with a young family and busy job, but I would like to get back into it before I get too old!
My top 5 movies, in no particular order are:
If you enjoyed getting to know Elvira, check out the rest of our People of EI series!
