Dr Russell Jurek, from ETP Ion Detect "My transition from CSIRO post-doc to Chief Technology Officer in industry"

This Friday, 21st Sep, The UQ Physics Colloquium is hosting Dr Russell Jurek from ETP Ion Detect. Dr Russell Jurek is a former PhD student at UQ. He will share his experience of transitioning from being an astrophysicist to the chief technical officer in a multi-national industry. The talk will be given at 11am in Prentice (42) Rm 115. Everyone is welcome to join.

Abstract:

Five years ago I transitioned into industry after a three year post-doc as an OCE Post-doctoral Research Fellow at CSIRO. I’m now the Chief Technology Officer for a multi-national technology company based in Sydney, ETP Ion Detect. ETP Ion Detect is the world’s leading supplier of ion detection technology. ETP’s core business is the design and manufacture of electron multipliers for mass spectrometers. This isn’t the position or industry where you might expect to find an astrophysicist. Especially as most astrophysicists tend to move into data scientist positions when they enter industry. In this talk I’m going to cover what I do today, my background as an astrophysicist, how my background prepared me for my current position and how I transitioned into industry. I’ll also briefly discuss my experiences of the differences in academic and industry culture, and the implications for collaborations between academia and industry.