Gwenaelle Lefeuvre

"Gwenaelle is a Research and Development Manager.She is the Coordinator, Developer and Innovator types. It is crucial that Gwenaelle understands what her customers want because otherwise it can have very expensive implications, which she believes represents the Coordinator. Being the Developer and Innovator types helps her to have new ideas and decide what to do if something doesn't work. She finds that talking with her colleagues is invaluable, they are very experienced and able to give good advice."

"Gwenaelle is a Research and Development Manager at a company that uses diamonds to make silicon sensors for university researchers and companies that make medical scanners.Gwenaelle often works in collaboration with university researchers as there is still a lot to understand about using diamonds as a radiation-sensing material. She meets with customers to learn exactly what they need and then works in a clean room using complex equipment to manufacture and test products. She regularly works with suppliers to make sure she has enough stock to do this.Even though Gwenaelle’s job is scientific, she believes it is not that different from being a craftswoman. She can hold a finished sensor in her hand and have the satisfaction of seeing the result of her work. "

"Gwenaelle studied Physics at university in France and did a PhD because she wanted to keep learning. She then worked as a university researcher in the United States, which pays on average $23,000 a year, or £18,000. After spending 4 years at the University of Sussex, she decided to leave academia but when she was hired by her current company she ended up in a role that was actually quite similar. She created a new department so that the company could expand and use another material to create a new product line. That’s how she ended up working with diamonds!"

"Gwenaelle would describe herself as a bit of an introvert and so she likes to get a bit of quiet time reading, going for a walk, learning a new language, or spending time with family or close friends.She really enjoys the variety that her job brings and the fact that she gets to make something that people can really see, touch and use. This makes her very proud of herself and at times she almost feels more like a craftswoman than a physicist. "