Interview with Thomas Bottein, R&D Engineer, who joined the team in 2019 to work on application developments. “Thrilled to join a start-up that offers numerous challenges”
What led you to join Carbon Waters?
I arrived last February 2019 to help the team meet the growing demand from industrial companies. It fulfilled my wish to become part of a dynamic start-up that offers numerous challenges.
What training have you had?
I am a materials engineer. I graduated from the École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Montpellier (French National Graduate School of Chemistry), then went on to obtain my PhD in materials at the University of Marseille, and more specifically at the IM2NP (Institute of Microelectronic, Materials and Nanosciences of Provence, editor’s note).
During my studies, I spent a gap year at Merck, where I worked on thin-layer technologies; and I worked at IBM’s research center in the United States for three months.
I will spare you the exact title of my thesis! In a nutshell, let’s say that I worked on surface treatment and thin layers. My thesis focused on ceramic materials and, more specifically, their optical effects. I am now concentrating on graphene and, in particular, its anticorrosion properties.
What is your role at Carbon Waters?
I am working in the technical team with Julia, Héloïse and Fabien and I am in charge of surface treatments and anticorrosion application. I am starting with “Eau de Graphène” to develop different applications, first related to surface treatment and anticorrosion.
Our customers are typically highly innovative companies, mainly from the aeronautical, electronics, automotive, and space sectors. These studies answer concrete needs, that existing technologies are not fully able to meet, thus requiring cutting-edge application development.