People of Edinburgh Instruments – Georgios Arvanitakis
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!
Let’s get into it
Meet Georgios, an Application Scientist here at Edinburgh Instruments. Application Scientists are like a bridge between the company and our clients. They conduct research, tests and samples using our products to share the best way to use them for real-world applications.
What makes you, you?
I would say my relaxed way of seeing and facing daily things, although sometimes I might be boiling internally because of stress. I try not to take myself too seriously and always focus on the bright side. Also, sometimes, I might seem like a person of few words, but that’s not the case. I love being humorous and interacting with people who know how to smile at you. Kindness is among the virtues I appreciate the most.
What has been your journey to get you to where you are now?
I was born and grew up in Athens, Greece, where I finished school. Then, I moved to Crete to study physics at the University of Crete, where I graduated with an MSc. Afterwards, I had an immense desire to work and live abroad, in a place potentially as far away as possible from Greece, and I looked for jobs in NZ and Australia. Long story short, I ended up in Glasgow in 2016, undertaking my PhD in photonics at the University of Strathclyde and have been living in Scotland since then.
What made you choose Edinburgh instruments? And how long have you been here?
I have been following EI’s blog posts on LinkedIn since my early days as a PhD student and have to admit that I always found quite satisfying the simple explanations to questions such as ‘what is Raman spectroscopy?’, what is an emission or excitation spectrum and more complex ones such as what is TCSPC and MCS etc. The high quality of the blog posts and app/tech notes made me think these guys must do a good job over there. So, although I looked occasionally for potential career opportunities with EI, I was approached by a recruiter in April 2021 for the Apps Scientist position. I’ve been a member of the Apps group since then.
What’s your favourite project you have worked on here?
I can’t really say I have a particular favourite project. One of my primary responsibilities here is performing customer test measurements, and I always strive for excellent quality results to convince customers that their research will hugely benefit from our unique products. I think a project becomes my “favourite” when the results I produce in the lab for a customer are the reason for a direct purchase of one of our spectrometers, especially when the case is demanding and challenging. I find it rewarding and keeps me motivated.
What do you do in your spare time?
When I’m not at a CrossFit gym or watching a movie, you’ll find me in a local café trying their coffee and brunch! I love food, and I struggle to set limits on the amounts I eat, so I try to work out frequently and burn at least a minimum of those extra calories – most of the time, unsuccessfully!
Do you have any fun facts about yourself?
Upon completing my studies in Greece, I had to carry out my military service, which is mandatory in Greece. I volunteered to join the elite corps of the Greek Presidential Guard, which is well known among others for its notorious training. There I was trained how to stand completely still for hours, no matter what happened around me, without even blinking my eyes! That was another level of self-discipline I didn’t imagine I could achieve at the time.
What is your favourite food?
I cannot resist the Greek spinach pie! It’s a pie consisting of hand-made phyllo pastry that sandwiches spinach, onions, leek, and any other fresh green you want, and of course, feta cheese! I’ve got beautiful memories from my childhood with me being a kid and my grandmother cooking hand-made spinach pie with fresh vegetables from her garden. The smells and tastes that come to mind are unforgettable.
What is top of your bucket list?
Definitely the triplet NZ, Tasmania, Australia! Not in a particular order. I like the quality of life these countries could offer. Needless to say, their impeccable landscapes are suitable for endless trips and hiking!
Top 5 movies:
- There Will Be Blood – Daniel Day-Lewis’s performance just blew my mind. I remember I left the cinema theatre speechless and it took me hours to recover!
- Heat – Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in the same film, no comments!
- Interstellar – extraordinary cinematographic achievement!
- The Vengeance Trilogy (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance) – pure art!
- Everything by Inarritu, but most probably Amores Perros!
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