Follow the technology that defines the future
Nupur Subhedar from India works at TNO as a junior scientist and Analytical Flow and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Engineer. She is a part of the thermal & fluid engineering group in the Nano Instrumentation Department. In India Nupur decided to follow the technology that defines the future. Now she is in a place where industrial and societal change is made possible. At TNO she has the room to experiment, all of the recourses she can think of and she can use the expertise of the people around her to do what has never been done before.
“I completed a bachelor’s study in mechanical engineering in India and worked for an Indian company called Tata Technologies for a while,” Nupur explains. “Then I found a master program at TU Delft, a technical university in the west of the Netherlands, that really appealed to me. It was called Sustainable Process and Energy Technology and it perfectly matched my interests and ambitions. When I finished my master's study two years ago, I decided to stay in the Netherlands because of the attractive job prospects and the country’s welcoming culture and excellent work-life balance. I got two job offers, one of them was at TNO. It matched my ambitions perfectly and there was a good click with the people I work with. I then moved to the Brainport Eindhoven region.”
I wanted to be in the place where change is made possible
“My main goal is to contribute to advancements in science and technology and being a part of creating something useful which brings a visible change in the world. I wanted to be in the place where that is made possible. I wanted to go to a place where change is made possible. And that is exactly where I am now. I am passionate about analyzing and designing fluid and thermal systems. I love tackling technical problems by applying various approaches, designing different models and using experimental setups. The beauty of thermal-fluid processes is that their applications are in multiple markets and the technology is limitless. It can be applied in many domains and entire business processes are involved. My work therefore requires a holistic view.”
Industry and society have to be in need of our solutions
“At TNO I both work on internal as external processes and projects. A good example of a technical problem I’ve been recently working on, concerns contamination control. In this case we needed a gas shield to ensure a surface remained clear of contamination. In order to determine the correct flow, we among others experimented with a combination of different flow parameters and geometrical configurations. We designed the experimental set-up and developed a test plan and, in this way, delivered input for the design of the system. We also used 3D-printing to manufacture some of the parts that were needed. This reduced costs and made the system more competitive. That is what I also liked about the project: the business point of view of it. Both industry and society have to need and be able to use our solutions.”
Doing what has never been done before
"I get enthusiastic about my work when I get do something that is really new, something that has never been done before. I love being in a test setting in which you make something new, something that seems impossible. You then simply want to use the theory to innovate and make things work. That is the great thing about working at TNO. TNO is always ahead of the market. At TNO you get the chance to play a role in an experimental setting. You have all the resources you can think of, there are a lot of people with a lot of knowledge you can make an appeal to and if you have an idea you can try it. People at TNO are always trying to improve. That makes the final product or solution really good and of an extremely high quality.”
Excellent work-life balance while being best in class
“Before I moved to the Netherlands, I also looked at a master program in another European country. I found the Netherlands more attractive because of the fact that the program was completely in English and the Dutch are competent in speaking English. The European work-life balance is also something that I thoroughly enjoy. You have time during which you work, and you have time off. This ensures a perfect balance without it having effect on the quality of work. The work we do here is world-class, I am among people who are best in their profession on a global scale. That also forces me to continuously raise the bar.”
Moving to and settling in the Netherlands was smooth sailing
“Moving to and settling in the Netherlands and Eindhoven region to me was smooth sailing. Integrating in the Netherlands was easy as well. I got to know fellow-students at university that now work at Philips and ASML, so when I moved to Eindhoven I already had a social network here. Moreover, TNO offers a lot of social events and people here speak English. They switch to English so that you can be part of the conversation. I am currently learning Dutch though. Speaking Dutch is not necessary, but I want to be able to understand it. Then people do not have to feel obliged to switch to English for me and I can fully integrate. Finally, I like living in Eindhoven. It is not the most beautiful city but it offers a lot of facilities. Moreover, the Netherlands has an excellent transport system and is relatively small so you can easily visit your friends in other places.”
