Anna Kroner - Industrial Liaison Scientist

What’s your professional background and how did you come to work at Diamond?

I studied for an MSc in Chemistry at University of Wroclaw, Poland. During this course I gained lots of experience in synthesis of complex organic compounds. To challenge myself I have always wanted to continue my studies abroad, that’s why I started my PhD project based on a collaboration between two institutes: the University of Southampton, and European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble.

I had a great opportunity to learn lots of interesting things about the beamline, use complex set ups and especially solve many complicated problems that arose during the experiment. Working in the synchrotron environment I was involved in the many experimental techniques on the beamline and gained lots of experience in the investigation and characterisation of catalysts. After finishing my PhD I joined Diamond in January 2009 as Industrial Liaison Scientist.

What do you do here and how does your experience help you do your job?

Work in the industrial liaison office is based on collaboration with industrial companies that are intending to apply their research in the synchrotron facility. My main tasks are to promote the research activities developed at Diamond, while participating at conferences, visiting the companies, and assisting in the operation of the beamlines for the industrial users during their experiment.

As I had gained lots of experience at ESRF building the catalytic reactor, I am also responsible for designing and developing the micro reactor for catalyst characterisation. During my PhD, I experienced a number of industrial applications for the scientific research, as well as participating in numerous meetings and conferences where I have considerably developed my communication skills. All these skills are very helpful to effectively do my job.

What’s your favourite thing about working at Diamond?

There are many things I like about my job. I really enjoy the diversity of the tasks and challenges which I come across in my everyday working life. I participate in many different projects and experiments, which gives me the opportunity to use almost all the beamlines at Diamond. By liaising between the beamline scientists, Diamond staff and industrial partners I get to know lots of people. I am involved in the commissioning of the beamline and building the catalytic reactor, where I can constantly learn about new technological innovations. At the same time my participation in the industrial projects allows me to follow what is currently happening in many industrial sectors.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to get involved in your field?

I would say that it's important to get involved in as many different aspects of the technology as you can. Work experience in both an industrial and academic environment would give you a great understanding of how these two areas interact.