Employee Spotlight – Peter Linton
We are excited to share the first in an “Employee Spotlight” series from Edinburgh Instruments, where we welcome new recruit and graduate, Peter Linton, who started at the beginning of August.
Fresh from the University of Strathclyde where he attained a Physics Masters Degree, Peter joins us as a Product Engineer. We catch up with Peter a month into his new role to find out how he is finding life at Edinburgh Instruments and what inspired him to enter into the world of science.
What was your motivation to follow a career in the sciences?
I have always been fascinated with science from a very young age. I have been very fortunate to have had a number of very inspirational teachers throughout primary and secondary school who helped encourage and develop my curiosity and love for science and mathematics. Following that drive into university I started to lean more towards the solid-state physics, nanoscience and optical physics side. During my final year project, I was able to get some hands-on experience using a spectrometer and was amazed with the possibilities and capabilities of these instruments. When I discovered Edinburgh Instruments it seemed like such a natural fit.
What sort of training/guidance have you had since arriving at Edinburgh Instruments?
The best guidance that I have received since starting at Edinburgh Instruments has been from within my group and it has come from just observing my colleagues as they work. The greatest challenge from coming straight from university is going from thinking in a classroom environment to a practical environment and watching my colleagues work and listening to their thought-process as they work has been a really fun and interesting way to become trained in my role.
Can you describe a typical day?
My role as a Product Engineer consists of two main branches. The first consists of the final validation procedure on our spectrometer systems and troubleshooting any issues that the system might have. The second branch consists of installing and servicing our systems for our customers, wherever they might be, which is still something I have to experience but which I am looking forward to.
As for a typical day, there is no typical day at Edinburgh Instruments (at least not yet). The diversity of my role means that a validation procedure on one of our systems can have me constantly jumping between a mechanical, an optical and an electrical engineering role.
What do you like most about your job and as you move forward, is there anything specifically you are looking forward to?
The most enjoyable part of my job for me is the problem solving. My favourite part of studying physics at university was that it could always be boiled down to this; “Here is a problem. What is the answer?” The fact that I get to implement that mentality in my day-to-day work is incredibly rewarding.
The aspect that I am most looking forward to is the travelling for installations and servicing of our systems all over the world. The opportunity to apply my skills in the field and having to think for myself to approach any problems I might encounter whilst seeing corners of the world I might not have had chance to see is exhilarating.
How do you like to relax?
In my free time I enjoy cooking, spending time with my friends and in the winter I enjoy snowboarding.
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