Super Seven #3 Francesco Raffaelli
In the third of our new Super Seven Series we profile our Lead Integrated Photonics Engineer, Dr. Francesco Raffaelli. Francesco joined the team in 2018 and was one of KETS’ first employees.
1. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I was born in Venice and grew up in the neighbouring town Padua. I obtained my Bachelors and Masters in Padua, before moving to Bristol as a PhD student in the Quantum Engineering and Technology Labs. I met a lot of great people there, including many of my colleagues at KETS!
2. What’s your role in KETS?
I work as Lead Integrated Quantum Photonics Engineer. My role consists in developing the integrated photonics technology which is at the core of KETS systems. I spend my time designing, assembling and characterising photonic devices. It is a very challenging job where I have to tackle very practical problems as well as more conceptual issues related with Quantum Key Distribution and Quantum Random Number Generators.
3. What’s the most enjoyable part of your job?
The best part of my job is the teamwork. Constantly sharing knowledge with my colleagues enables me to learn a lot every day, particularly in disciplines which are outside my natural background. The time in the lab is always fun – it’s hard work, but there is also a lot of banter.
4. What inspires you?
I’m inspired by people that believe in their ideas and persevere to reach their goals. Those who can look at problems from a different angle and find original solutions.
5. What advice would you give someone wanting to get into your role.
The advice I would give is: build a solid technical background and always be open to learning something new. You never know if the next challenge will be a faulty photonic chip, a broken operational amplifier or a new QKD security proof to understand and implement. You will need to span a wide range of subjects with different hurdles and approaches. The variety of the challenges is what makes this job really cool.
6. What do you do when you’re not at work?
When I am not at work I love playing, watching, talking and dreaming about football, which has always been my true love (sorry Harriet). When football is not on, I also enjoy reading novels and there’s always an open book on my bedside table. Every now and then I play the guitar and I enjoy cooking (exclusively Italian food 😀 ).
7. What’s the last book you read?
The last book I read is Bill Bryson’s “Notes from a Small Island” . It is a very funny book which describes the United Kingdom seen with the eyes of someone coming from abroad. It made me laugh a lot and appreciate this country even more.
To get in touch with Francesco, drop us an email at enquiry@kets-quantum.com