Max Scherer

Highlights along the way include:

• Adventures with the Mountaineering Club - every second weekend we packed into a minibus to explore Scotland's wild and remote landscapes. Learning to climb has since taken me to incredible places around the world.
• A year in industry secondment to a national lab in the United States, where I built laser optics systems for Brillouin spectroscopy instrumentation and ran atomistic simulations. This was my first real taste of independent scientific research.
• My Master’s project with the Eleanor Campbell group, where I developed a technique to isolate nanoparticles in the gas phase by ablating metal surfaces with nanosecond and ultra-short femtosecond laser pulses. 

Your Experiences Since Leaving the University

Since graduating, I have been working in the space sector, contributing to scientific missions to Mars, Lagrange Point 2, and Earth orbit. My roles in systems engineering, AIT, and project management have given me valuable insight into the breadth and complexity of the space industry.

A recent highlight was my time in French Guiana on the launch campaign for Microcarb, an Earth observation satellite measuring carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. Helping launch a spacecraft from the jungle in South America has been one of the most exciting moments of my career so far.

Alumni Wisdom

Take full advantage of your time at university: meet people from different backgrounds, try new activities, and embrace opportunities to grow both academically and personally.

There will inevitably be moments when things feel overwhelming. Don't hesitate to reach out to family, friends, and the support networks available at the University. Most importantly, give yourself rest - both physically and mentally.