“There is still so much to explore”

Raised in Jena, a city that is world-famous for being the center of the German optics and precision engineering industry, Wiebke stuck to her optics roots and found her way to In-Vision in June 2021. She joined our company as a project manager and specialist for research projects after a PhD in Dresden and a postdoc in Austria.

Wiebke will work at the interface between R&D and production and will bring her knowledge of optics and life sciences into play to ensure that In-Vision’s products keep enabling new developments in the growing field of tissue engineering.

INV: Hi Wiebke and welcome to In-Vision. It’s great to have you join our team. Can you tell us what brings your passion for Physics and Project Management together at your current position?

Wiebke: Thanks for having me. I was excited about this interview.

The work as project manager is delightfully diverse, there are a lot of surprises requiring improvisation to make sure that everything fits and is finished on time. A solid technical understanding helps to identify problems and find feasible solutions quickly. In-house, we’re designing and manufacturing the optics, mechanics and electronics.

For example, I was impressed how much manual work goes into polishing, coating and assembling the projection lenses and how much experience is required to produce high-precision optics at a consistent quality! That’s how our 4K 3D Projectors and Projection Lenses meet the quality requirements of a wide range of applications.

INV: What are the applications you are most excited about?

Wiebke: Referring to my background I am most excited about tissue engineering applications. And I know it has been an important topic of conversation in the company lately.

During my first days at In-Vision, I watched the recording on the webinar with Tufts University. I am really impressed about what these guys built with our Light Engine dlp projector and I am looking forward to doing more in that field.

INV: That’s right! We have been working with several universities on new DLP-based bioprinting technologies. What do you think is the attraction in this field?

Wiebke: It is a very fascinating field, especially for me, having worked for so long at the interface of physics, engineering and biology. Research has been conducted for decades and there is still so much to explore. It is a field where very complex structures need to be printed and where precision and reliability are going to be the key.

Generally, the medical sector requires highly reliable and precise equipment, for example for regenerative medicine, and that’s what In-Vision is really good at. So I believe we can have a great impact with our high-quality 4K UV Projectors. The Microneedles project is an excellent example of what we can do already. 4K 3D printing in general is an interesting and future-oriented industry. It’s exciting to be part of it.

INV: Can you tell us about your professional career and your first months with us?

Wiebke: Before joining In-Vision, I did a PhD and worked as a postdoctoral scientist. I was designing and building highly specialized optical microscope tailored to answer specific biological questions, for example ‘how do organs develop in a fish embryo?’

Since I started at In-Vision in June 2021 time has really been flying by fast. I feel like I’ve been working here formuch longer than two months already. I’m totally immersed in the team and in new projects! My colleagues have been great at integrating me.

What I really like about working at In-Vision is that I get to work on the technology itself. I get a much better feeling for the product by handling it and being close to the production line. I am really impressed with the in-house production. That’s why I am proud to not just administrate the research projects, but also seeing their growth with my own eyes.

INV: A big part of your job is not only the project completion, but also exploring different physical concepts to implement in our light engines. When did you realize that you are into Physics?

Wiebke: I already liked the Physics lessons in school and recognized early that it feels natural for me to learn everything around this field. I also started to study Physics and English to become a teacher but I realized that I wanted to specialize more into research. I especially enjoyed the technical experiments.

I’m so excited about product development here at In-Vision. I get to develop new concepts, try them out and implement them in new products.

INV: Here at our headquarter in the south of Vienna we are surrounded by beautiful nature and I heard about your experience in climbing via ferratas. That’s what brings me to my final question: What do you like to explore in your sparetime? Do you have a hobby you want to tell us about?

Wiebke: The Viennese balls in the classic buildings are huge fun and my partner and me started dancing three years ago! On the other hand, Vienna is a wine-growing region, and there is a whole culture around the cute and laid-back “Heurigen” (wine taverns of the local winemakers) with delicious wine and food. Finally, within two hours, you are in the nature of the beautiful Austrian Alps: hiking, climbing, swimming in the lakes, there are endless fun activities.

You asked me for photos – it wasn’t easy to find one, because I prefer to hide behind the camera.

INV: It is a great picture from you. Thank you a lot for your time! Maybe we hear from you soon in our next Webinar.

Wiebke: That would be fun!