A conversation with Mike Kaszuba, Technical Support Manager at Malvern Panalytical
Mike obtained his PhD from The Polytechnic of Wales (now the University of Glamorgan) where he studied the physical biochemistry of liposomes using NMR techniques, specifically looking at the interaction of a series of n-alcohols with phospholipid membranes to investigate mechanisms of anaesthesia.
Mike followed this with postdoctoral research at the University of Manchester, studying the specific targeting of bactericides to oral and skin-associated bacteria using liposomal-based systems.
In 1996, Mike joined Malvern Panalytical as a Product Technical Specialist for the Zetasizer range of instruments, directly supporting Zetasizer users. In 2010, Mike was appointed Technical Support Manager responsible for the Product Technical Specialist group based in the UK. This is a team of 11 people who provide technical support to users of instruments from Malvern’s side of the Malvern Panalytical business.
BRW: How did you get into the industry?
As my postdoctoral research period was coming to an end, I saw an advertisement in New Scientist (this is how you found a job back then – before recruitment agencies existed!) for a Product Technical Specialist role with colloidal science experience at what was then known as Malvern Instruments. I was aware of Malvern because I had used one of their dynamic light scattering instruments for characterising the size distributions of liposome samples I had been synthesizing at the University of Manchester.
The more I learned about what the Product Technical Specialist role entailed, the more interested I became. Fortunately, my interview went well and I was offered the position. The rest, as they say, is history!
BRW: What do you enjoy most about your role?
The most enjoyable aspect of the role is its variability– no two days are the same. Interactions with people, learning about new applications of the products I support and solving new problems all make the role hugely enjoyable. The role involves a lot of travel both within the UK and globally, and I have been very fortunate to visit several countries I would not otherwise have had the opportunity to experience.
BRW: Where is your favourite place in the world and why?
It has to be the Wirral, because that’s where I live with my wife and son. It’s a perfect location as we are only 15 minutes from beaches (ideal for walking our dog), close to major cities, a short drive to the beauty of North Wales and close to both Manchester and John Lennon (Liverpool) Airports, for when I need to travel overseas on business.
BRW: What do you hope the audience will learn from this webinar?
I hope they will learn how fantastic the new Zetasizer is and how it can help them get great results and better understand their samples. The new instruments contain some great new features and functionality and I hope that current Zetasizer users in the audience will be pleased to see how the performance of the instrument has been significantly improved compared to its predecessor. Hopefully those new to light scattering will be equally impressed with how powerful, flexible and easy to use the new instruments are.
BRW: What discussions do you look forward to having with the audience?
It would be great to understand the audience’s first impressions of the new instruments and how the new features and capability could be beneficial to them. It would also be good to find out what current Zetasizer Nano users think of the new product – hopefully they will love what they see!
Join Mike Kaszuba on 23rd May for a webinar entitled ‘The live launch of the new Zetasizer Pro and Zetasizer Ultra‘ at 3PM London/10AM New York.