SP Jain Essay #5

Give a detailed description of the roles, responsibilities and achievements at your current/last place of employment (300 words max.)

I work as a Research Engineer for 3M Company, USA. The unit I work in falls under the Health Care Business and is engaged in producing a device that can capture 3D models of teeth. My role in the R&D team at this company is to research and develop algorithms that enable this mechanism, and to develop the software that makes them user-accessible. These algorithms are usually based on mathematical, physics and engineering concepts and address various parameters of the product such as accuracy, usability, stability etc.

My responsibilities include perusing prior literature for relevant academic research, evaluating their suitability to our application using simulations and mathematical models, modifying those methods to fit the specific context, and implementing them in software to be integrated into the product. As such, I am involved in the full product development cycle including feasibility study, design, implementation, testing and verification. Main projects I have worked on include tracking the motion of an object over a video sequence, retrieving a particular image from a large image database by analysing its content, and obtaining accuracy estimates for the 3D models generated by the device.

Socially, I have been instrumental in organizing an informal tennis club at the workplace, arranging evening games for interested players every summer. In recognition of my contributions to R&D, I was twice nominated to receive the Circle of Technical Excellence and Innovation award for 2007 and 2008 in the individual innovator category. I was also nominated for the team award in 2007. These awards are conferred only to a handful among 3M's nearly-70000 employees. In terms of overall significance, these innovations have helped in developing a novel medical product that has been enthusiastically embraced by dental customers.