Employee Spotlight: Dr Michal Ryszka

As a small company, Ionoptika is very proud of its skilled and dedicated staff, who together with our loyal users make up our global community. So each month we will be putting the spotlight on one of our talented colleagues to introduce you to some of the people behind Ionoptika.

This month, continuing the theme of new hires, we introduce Dr. Michal Ryszka, who joined Ionoptika in 2019. Michal gained his experience during postdocs in both France and the USA before joining Ionoptika as Development Engineer with special responsibility for Ionoptika’s J105 SIMS instrument.

We asked Michal for some insight into the pivotal points in his career:

Why did you decide to study science when you were at school or university?

I was always interested in how things work, both in terms of science and technology, so when I was in high school and it came down to choosing what I want to study at University it was really an easy choice. I went for applied physics at Gdansk University of Technology. I got interested in atomic and molecular physics, so after getting a degree in science and engineering I went for a PhD at the Open University in the UK in Chemical Physics.

What do you enjoy most about working at Ionoptika?

One of the most exciting parts of my job is being involved in the development of a cutting-edge technology.  Knowing how many applications benefit from our products is really motivating!

Can you describe a typical day working at Ionoptika (normally, not during the lockdown!)

I spend most of my time running ion simulations and analysing results for a future development project. I am also involved in development projects run by other colleagues. I can be also found with my hands on the J’s currently being built, tweaking and tuning.

What has been your best memory or achievement in your career?

My best memory is of the day when I finally recorded first hydrated DNA base cluster ions in an experimental setup I had been developing for my PhD project.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Whenever the weather allows it, I like mounting biking. I also like reading books and playing video games.

Have you been doing anything interesting/different/new to cope with the lockdown?

I am trying to stay fit by riding on my turbo trainer. I have also been doing lots of research for a project I am looking forward to after the lockdown is over.

What are you looking forward to most once the lockdown is over?

I’m planning to buy a van and turn it into a campervan, then take it for mountain biking trips around the UK and the continent.

You can catch up with Michal and the rest of the Ionoptika team at various conferences throughout the year. Interested in becoming part of our team? Visit our Careers page.