Post by Ela M.

What surprised me most when moving from robotics research to industry… During my PhD in robotics and additive manufacturing, I spent years solving technical problems, developing models, and exploring innovative solutions. When I moved into industry, I expected the biggest challenge to be adapting to new technologies and business environments. What surprised me the most was something else. The technical challenges were still there, but success depended just as much on communication, collaboration, project execution, and helping people adopt new ways of working. Research taught me how to solve complex problems. Industry taught me how to create impact with those solutions. Today, I see these experiences as complementary rather than separate. The combination of technical expertise and practical implementation is what makes innovation meaningful. Looking back, one of the most valuable lessons from this transition has been realizing that engineering is not only about developing solutions, it is also about making them work in the real world. What has been the biggest lesson from your own transition between academia and industry, or between different stages of your career? #Engineering #Robotics #DigitalTransformation #Manufacturing #Innovation