Being part of the automation team provides numerous opportunities to collaborate with various teams. This aspect is incredibly rewarding, as I get to learn from and work alongside so many talented individuals. Plus, I get to play with cool robots! Doesn't get much better than that :)
Yuya Kodama
R&D Automation Engineer
Employee Spotlight
What’s your proudest accomplishment?
Developing a driver for one of our instruments was a significant challenge, especially since the manufacturer stated it wasn’t designed to support running multiple instruments in parallel. Despite this, our in-house driver can do exactly that! It certainly wasn’t easy, and I had no idea how to write drivers before this adventure, but the journey was incredibly rewarding. I’m proud of the skills I’ve picked up along the way and the fun we had tackling this problem head-on.
What or who inspires you?
My mum! She’s taught me the importance of small, everyday acts of kindness and compassion which reminds me of the importance of empathy and connection. The richness of experience and diverse perspectives continually drive me to learn, grow, and hopefully make a positive impact in my own way.
Favorite hobbies?
I generally love being outdoors, whether it be skiing, crabbing, hiking, go karting, mushroom foraging, or rock climbing. It’s hard not to enjoy the California weather and the natural beauty we’re spoiled with here! On the rare occasion that it’s raining out, I like to build terrariums that capture the essence of the locations I’ve visited – my favorite one so far is a moss/fern terrarium that’s growing on a piece of bark from a redwood tree.
