Project Leader - IKA Works, San Diego, CA, USA
Nov 2016 - Aug 2019
IKA is a Germany-based world leader in laboratory, analytical, and processing equipment and technology. 

​Our primary work focused on the development of the ElectraSyn 2.0 and accessories line, a first-of-its-kind device for organic chemists to perform electrochemical synthesis (in particular, generation of organic molecules using electricity as a in lieu of a catalyst). It combines a potentiostat/galvanostat, an analytical instrument, and a stirring plate. This project was developed in collaboration with Professor Phil Baran and his team from the Scripps Research Institute. 
​- I developed the IKA e-Hive, the GOGO Module, the entire electrode series (20+ different elements), and the stirring plate. My main work involved design, which I did with Autodesk Inventor; and prototyping, where I used a Stratasys FDM 3D printer. I was in charge of the project from conception to release, which required interacting with Industrial Design, Industrial Engineering, Supply Chain, Marketing, and Sales. ​

- I have been in charge of the Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) feature of the device; it is the second pillar of the product. This is an analytical function that measures the redox peaks of a compound of interest by applying a voltage linearly and measuring the current flow through the electrode. I used Python to lay out the code architecture of the filters for data handling and supervised the senior electronics engineer to implement the code into the device on embedded-C. As the technical point of contact for CV related questions, I interacted on a frequent basis with our applications support team to provide solutions to customers queries.

​An additional electrochemistry project we developed is the IKA Screening System. This is a platform for electrochemical screening developed in collaboration with Professor Sigi Waldvogel from the University of Mainz. 

- I was the project leader for this product line. This project was based on our Headquarters in Staufen, Germany. During development I prepared technical drawings and organized material for assembly and quality analysis. ​
Awards
Achema Innovation Award 2018 for ElectraSyn 2.0 (company award)
Red Dot Award for ElectraSyn 2.0 (company award)
Acknowledgements
Yan, M; Kawamata, Y; Baran, P. S. Synthetic Organic Electrochemistry: Calling All Engineers. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, pp. 4149 - 4155. [Link]  (personal acknowledgement)

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