Meet our pioneer: Gilles Bonné

Who are you? 

My name is Gilles Bonné and I am 23 years old. I am originally from Einighausen, a village near Sittard, and I live in an apartment in Eindhoven. 

What do you study? 

I did the bachelor of Applied Physics (with a specialization in Computational Physics) at the TU/e. Now I am doing a master in Nanotechnology and Biophysics. In Eindhoven, this bachelor's degree is very focused on industry, so you quickly see good applications of the field. In addition, I also did a lot of Computational Physics, in which you learn how to solve physics on the computer with simulations. The master is about photonics, solar cells, but also biophysics. I'm doing a graduation project on that now. This is about biosensors, with which you can measure certain substances. For example, a few months ago we did a corona antibody test on the platform of the start-up where I work. 

Why did you choose this study? 

What attracted me to the bachelor's degree is that it’s a very broad technical education. You can still go either way with it. I'm very technical and I wanted to know how things worked. So it was a pretty logical choice. In retrospect, I think I could have done a lot of studies and found myself in the right place there, such as in Mechanical Engineering, Computer Sciences or Data Sciences. Whichever I chose, I think it would have turned out fine. The choice for the master was a fairly natural next step from the bachelor. 

Why did you choose TU/e? 

I don't have a very clear reason for it. I did think about TU Delft, but I didn't even visit it. It just happened that way. 

What does your graduation project entail? 

I now work at the Delta Diagnostics start-up. It is a spin-off of TNO. It has been around since 2018 and we are now with about 10 people. I am mainly concerned with improving the platform. It is a generic platform that can read out different types of biomolecules. They want to collaborate with other companies and then develop point-of-care tests. I'm working on improving the detection limit. You want to be able to detect concentrations as low as possible and that is very dependent on the signal-to-noise ratio. It is not a business-critical step, as is often the case with a graduation project, but with this, I can make quite a lot of improvements to detect more relevant concentrations of biomolecules. The nice thing about this is that I have a lot of impact because I'm the only one working on this. 

Why do you work in this team? 

The team's inspiration was a TED talk by David Eagleman. I saw that in high school too. I have always found that subject very interesting. Victor Brouwers, a good friend of mine, had started the team at the time and through him, I got involved. 

I initially joined the team because I found the concept so interesting. Afterwards, I started to appreciate being part of a student team more. I get the most satisfaction when you work towards a certain goal together with others. During your studies, you do have your study friends, but within the team, you notice that everyone is extremely motivated. They are very interesting people who do all kinds of things besides their studies. Joining a student team has been one of my best decisions of the past year. 

What have you learned from this student team? 

I have learned to work with people differently. Everyone is highly motivated and that also creates a special working atmosphere. So you have to be very motivated to do something like this. I also learned how to deal with business connections and what to do to get them. 

Do you stay connected to the team after you graduate? 

I happened to be talking about that recently. At this point, I would like to stay connected to the team. If you're doing a PhD, that's what is easier, because then you are still affiliated with the university. It is not yet entirely clear to me whether it is allowed to go to university after your studies. 

I would certainly like to because it is very nice to work with such a group of highly motivated people. When you work, there’s often a different motivator. 

Do you want to do a PhD after your master's? 

During my bachelor final project, I did a fairly theoretical project. I liked that. But then I didn't see myself working in academia after my master's. I wanted to work in a start-up. But a few months ago I noticed that the people I look up to are all in academia. In addition, they are also popularizing it; they write books, they do podcasts and they start companies. That's how the thought came up. Where I first thought I didn't want to go into academia, I now think differently. 

And maybe doing a PhD is also a delay in starting your career. That's how it feels. After that everything is still open. Maybe that's where it comes from. 

What do you eventually want to do? 

There's a lot more than I imagined in high school. I'm thinking about it right now. But it does feel like I have to plan my whole life now. I'm thinking about maybe getting a PhD. But maybe I'll go to work right away. I can also develop further in the direction of Computer Sciences. Or I'll stay more in biosensing, whatever I'm doing now for my graduation. But the neuro world is also very interesting. I still have a lot of options open. 

In 2018 I did a study trip to the US and Canada. Then we also visited many companies. Also to a few start-ups. That’s where my interest in a start-up began. The way of working appeals to me, that you are not so specialized in one subject. Then you have a broader range of tasks. I then see myself in the role of system architect, zoomed out over all disciplines. 

What do you eventually want to do? 

There's a lot more than I imagined in high school. I'm thinking about it right now. But it does feel like I have to plan my whole life now. I'm thinking about maybe getting a PhD. But maybe I'll go to work right away. I can also develop further in the direction of Computer Sciences. Or I'll stay more in biosensing, whatever I'm doing now for my graduation. But the neuro world is also very interesting. I still have a lot of options open. 

In 2018 I did a study trip to the US and Canada. Then we also visited many companies. Also to a few start-ups. That’s where my interest in a start-up began. The way of working appeals to me, that you are not so specialized in one subject. Then you have a broader range of tasks. I then see myself in the role of system architect, zoomed out over all disciplines. 

What do you find important about a later job? 

I have to believe in the mission very much. That’s one of the most important things for me. I want to improve the world with my work. And I want to be able to do that quite directly. I think I want to work in healthcare. 

Would you like to continue working in Brainport Eindhoven? 

I do think I want to stay here. Going abroad is an option, but if I look realistically, I expect that is not the case. Maybe for a shorter period, because then you will be away from your friends and family for a long time. 

What do you think about studying and living in Brainport Eindhoven? 

I have always found it very pleasant here. I have been involved a lot in the study associations and I enjoyed that. There is also a lot of connection between the university and industry, so your study projects and research groups are closer to the actual applications and that is certainly what appeals to me. 

What else would you like to tell future students in Brainport Eindhoven? 

Think especially about expanding your network. Do things that interest you. Join a student team and do projects you enjoy. Be involved in self-development as much as possible in addition to your studies. You will only appreciate that later that you have done that. It will bring you a lot. This greatly increases your career opportunities.