I Am a Physicist in Biomedical Industry
Why Do They Call Me an Engineer?

Dr. Mohac Tekmen
Senior R&D Engineer at Medtronic

One of the greatest skills one can acquire through a physics education is knowing how to approach any variety of problems. These problem-solving techniques can translate well when applied in industry. Similar to academic research, money, time, and resources create constraints on innovation. However, industry has a different attitude to tackle these obstacles when generating new technologies. For the industry the ultimate goal is to create new products and it may often be hard to understand where science and research fit into the picture. I will try to demonstrate these concepts with lessons I have learned. Also, I would like to share my experience both from academia and industry and give you specific examples on how I use my physics training on a day-to-day basis while doing my job. Finally, I will describe the physics of a specific implantable medical device and the show how, without an understanding of basic physics, it would be nearly impossible for these devices to exist.