"RISE offers me the variation I need"

For as long as André can remember, he has had an interest in diverse energy issues. While studying, his focus began to shift increasingly towards biofuels, and he realised that this was what he wanted to work with. And now he does, as a researcher in pyrolysis processes at the RISE Energy Technology Unit. 

“Pyrolysis is an extremely complex and interesting process with enormous development potential. The process is already being put to industrial use, although many other possibilities and applications remain relatively unexplored,” André explains.

Variation important

After graduating, André decided to turn to the world of research. In his work at RISE, he comes into contact with many different types of companies facing various problems and challenges. Parallel to this, he also has the possibility to participate in research projects pursued at RISE. And this turned out to suit him perfectly.

One of the things André most appreciates about his role is the variation between theory and practice.

“Although my work is very theoretical and often revolves around problem solving, I have a need for practical work as well. I currently spend about three days a week working in the lab. Being able to switch between mental challenges and working hands-on, even though I’m an engineer, is the best possible solution for someone like me,” he says.

RISE has gathered many different types of energy technology expertise in Piteå. This has not only created a one-stop shop of sorts for when the industry seeks collaborations or partnerships, but also an expansive environment in which employees can cooperate and benefit from having complementary expertise close at hand.

“The strong sense of willingness to cooperate found here was immediately evident to me, and there’s a strong team spirit whether you work with solar energy, pyrolysis or gasification. This also helped make it easy to settle into the workplace when I first started here,” says André.

Challenging and stimulating

After only six months on the job, André has not yet had the opportunity to scale up a process or be involved in bringing a product to market, although he is really looking forward to doing both.

“It’s a completely different matter when a process is moved out of the lab, and that’s when this facility really shines,” he says.

Six years have now passed since André left his home in Timrå to move to Norrbotten County and the city of Luleå. Despite this, he has no plans to leave the county – quite the opposite, in fact.

“I believe that my job will continue to be both challenging and stimulating for a long time. Each project enables our knowledge and skills to grow, and energy issues will only become increasingly more important as time goes by. So, I’ll be staying,” André ends with a smile.