WORKING at Sharp - real lives
Lesley - Optical Imaging and Display Systems
I studied Physics at Oxford University simply because of the A-levels I did (Maths, Physics and Chemistry), I preferred Physics to Chemistry and thought it would be more useful career-wise than Maths. I was advised that it would not be limiting to study Physics rather than Engineering as I could always train as an engineer afterwards. During my course, I wanted to spend a summer in Oxford so I applied to all the companies of the Oxford Science Park, and ended up doing a summer project at Sharp (which I ended up using as part of my University degree!). There, I learnt about liquid crystal physics and really enjoyed my project. So when it came to choosing a topic to study for my PhD, I decided to work on liquid crystals with a contact that I had met during my project at Sharp, this time in the Engineering Science department at Oxford.
After completing my PhD and a further 5 years of postdoctoral research, I was attracted back to Sharp because working for them would allow me to use my knowledge of liquid crystals in a commercial environment. Since starting at Sharp 3 years ago, I have indeed had many opportunities to use my experience in liquid crystal physics, but have had even more chances to learn about other technologies, and develop a new range of skills. In fact, one of the things that impressed me about Sharp when I arrived first as a student was that nobody seemed to mind if you didn.t know about something: either someone would be happy to explain it to you, or you would be given the opportunity to find out for yourself. The same remains just as true today: experts are respected, but apprentices are welcomed!
Whilst my time at Sharp has taught me much about display technology, I have also had some impact on the lab myself. As a keen sports woman, I wondered whether the already sporty workforce would join me in a triathlon or two (with sponsorship from the lab) and I was overwhelmed with the response! In the past 2 years, over 30 different people from SLE have taken part in the local Blenheim Triathlon as part of the Sharp team, with the trend set to continue next year. The cycle-to-work scheme has been used to excellent effect with the number of shiny road-bikes ever increasing in the bike shed!
