Name: Ed Marshall
Job: Director of Research and Founder at Plaxica Ltd.
Source: Soapbox Science [original post from April 2012]
Excerpt:
I’m still very proud of my academic work but I have never regretted my decision to leave. I know there are academics who juggle both jobs – I admire them greatly but know that personally I could not devote sufficient time to either role well.
My role as Director of Research is hugely enjoyable. In particular, I have to balance the R&D management and ideas generation with commercial aspects of the Company too. Unlike academia however, I do not do this alone; Plaxica has a first rate management team, and a terrific team of scientists and engineers.
The job is difficult and arduous – I typically work a minimum of 12 hour days and, though based in London, I travel to Wilton at least once a week as we have researchers on both sites. We have numerous teleconferences and Skype calls to make sure that communication is strong, but nothing beats meeting in person.
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