Nasser, Mechatronics engineer in the Life Science industry at MCA Germany

On the blog today we discover the career path of Nasser, Mechatronics engineer for a major pharmaceutical company, in Germany.

Hello Nasser, can you introduce yourself in a few words?

Hi everyone! My name is Nasser, I am 27-year-old, and was born in Lebanon. I moved to Germany in order to start my university course. I specialized in Mechatronics and Technical systems. Basically, it is a mix of mechanics, electrics, and informatic.

I enjoyed my time at university a lot. There I was able to expand my skills, and I got a job as a tutor. At that time, I also got a recognition from the University for my hard work and the way I integrated being non-German. It was a big honor for me.

During my tutoring, I worked in a Sensor and measurement laboratory. I was at the same time mentoring students through their projects and technical works. It was a very interesting and rewarding time in my life.

How did you get in touch with MCA Germany? How did the recruitment process go?

I was contacted by MCA right after my university degree. The team was looking for an electrical engineer specialized in building remotely controlled test-benches for an important client in the health industry. The MCA project manager reached out to me, telling me I could be a very good match for this mission.

I made my decision very quickly as it was a very nice offer and an amazing opportunity to boost my engineer career.

What is your current project, and in which industry?

I work for a major company specialized in medical equipment and machines. It is nice because at the end it was very much linked to the project I was studying at university and with projects I had as a working student and tutor.

In practical terms, I mostly build test benches to test out subsystems of the heart-lung machines the company produces. It is an impressive machine used in heart operations at hospitals. To sum up, this amazing machine replaces the heart and the lungs of the patient during surgery.

The first HML machine was launched by the company in 2005; We are now working actively to launch a new one in 2022.  
My colleague from MCA and I are currently in the phase of building, testing, validating and qualifying 7 test benches for 7 new subsystems for the company. This is a big challenge!

As far as the functioning of the machine is concerned, does it mimic the heart, i.e. does it act as a pump? Or does it provide continuous blood flow?

The heart-lung machine itself is always referred to as a CPB (Cardiopulmonary bypass) pump. The CPB incorporates an extracorporeal circuit to provide physiological support in which venous blood is drained to a reservoir, oxygenated and returned to the body by means of a pump.

What do you appreciate the most about working at MCA?

Without a doubt, the quality of the management and the support from the team. It is very important in term of having a good follow-up of the project and be sure that everything is going well. I appreciate this aspect a lot.

Any advice for some new engineer stepping into his career?

Have no fear for new experiences! Try out things yourself and get out of your comfort zone.

Take the chance, and do not let pessimistic people influence you.