An R&D Scientist Intern’s Journey at The Electrospinning Company

Maria is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry at the University of Bath. During her year in industry, she has been working as an R&D Scientist Intern at The Electrospinning Company, with a focus on our Caladrix® Technology coatings platform.

Maria holding a hollow electrospun tube designed for vascular applications

Maria’s Role

Maria has been part of the team in developing novel methods in covering stents and implants for the development of our Caladrix® Technology platform. Principally, she has been working on prototyping and feasibility projects. Along with this, her responsibilities have included compiling project results and communicating this to the wider team, as well as customers; analysis of coated devices; and literature reviews on polymers and device applications.

Other Opportunities

In addition to the technology development side of her placement, Maria has also led various other in-house actions, that have aided her personal and professional development. These actions include compiling slide decks for wider company use; production of demonstration stents to be displayed at conferences; and writing an article about woven and non-woven textiles and the capabilities of the Caladrix® technology platform for the Electrospinning newsletter. Maria has also been an integral member of our Kaizen team, striving for continual improvement. As a member of this team, she headed two projects the first of which involved streamlining and optimising production of a part that is integral to our electrospinning processes, and the other centred on the design of informative lab posters.

Maria’s Projects

Maria has worked on a multitude of coatings projects over her year with Electrospinning, however, there are three that she is especially proud of. The first was a project on coated coronary stents, which she was extensively involved in over the year and was integral in standardising the process for. The second  was a project on electrospun-covered atrial defect occluders. This project was highly challenging due to the complex shape of the device, but the customer feedback was very positive and as such, Maria deems the success of this project as one of her biggest achievements at the company.

Maria using one of our scanning electron microscopes

 

“As I move forward into the next chapter of my career,  I will always look back on this invaluable experience at The Electrospinning Company – where my fellow colleagues, their expertise, and the cutting-edge technology made every day and project exciting. I felt a part of the team from the get-go, and I look forward to implementing the huge range of skills and knowledge developed from this year-in-industry into the final year of my degree.”

Download the full article here: An R&D Scientist Intern’s Journey at The Electrospinning Company