Junior R&D Engineer

Born in Marburg, Fabian Weller studied physics at the University of Konstanz and began an internship in R&D at Sensirion about a year ago. During his six-month internship on the Sensor Innovation team, Fabian worked on creation of a new sensor for measuring CO₂ content in the air. As a lab technician, he is now responsible for test measurements for the same sensor; he has since been employed as a Junior R&D Engineer at the company.

When my internship at Sensirion began, the CO₂ sensor hat just been successfully developed. Meanwhile, the initial samples have come out. Being able to experience and be a part of the full development of a product is extremely rewarding.

In order to guarantee that our sensors provide precise measurements, work over long periods of time and comply with the given specifications, they undergo extensive and demanding testing during the initial phase. In addition to the planning, execution, analysis and documentation of these measurements, Fabian is also responsible for further development of the corresponding measurement devices, which were specifically designed by Sensirion for this purpose. This includes programming and troubleshooting of the evaluation software with Python in order to constantly improve the measurement technology.

This broad scope of responsibility means his tasks are very varied, and enables him to work largely independently and plan his day flexibly. “While I always receive a specific target, I can choose for myself the path I use to get there and implement a lot of my own ideas along the way.”

A typical workday for Fabian begins in the test laboratory, where he evaluates data from measurements that have been performed overnight. These assignments are sometimes internal, but also frequently come from customers that have carried out extensive stress tests on our sensors and would like precisely documented evaluation about whether they still comply with the required specifications. He spends about half of the workday at his computer, where he programs, prepares tests and performs follow-up analyses of their results.

When Fabian applied for an internship at Sensirion, his primary goal was to find out if he liked working in an industrial setting or whether he would prefer to get his doctorate. “As a student, it was difficult to figure out what to expect as a physicist in industry. The work at Sensirion has turned out to be just as exciting as I’d hoped, which is why I quickly decided to leave academia behind.”

Towards the end of his six-month internship, he was offered the opportunity of a permanent position at Sensirion. “Sensirion has succeeded in maintaining a dynamic and innovative startup spirit despite being around for nearly 20 years. Even with about 600 employees, the atmosphere is very collegiate and non-hierarchical, which means it’s easy to chat even with the CEO at the coffee machine.” By the way, the coffee here is free – as are the various sports on offer, ice cream on the roof terrace in summer and the weekly post-work beer on Fridays.

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