Solange Delagenière / Software Engineer, Head of Unit

Today, I am Head of the Scientific Management Information Systems Unit. This 7-person team provides IT solutions for specialised management needs such as the user portal, submission of proposals, planning of experiments, reports or statistical tools necessary for the scientific life of the ESRF. After training as an electronics engineer, I worked in surgical robotics for 7 years before developing my skills in the field of web development. I really enjoy chewing over a problem to find a solution. I was first attracted to the ESRF because I liked the idea of working with people from different countries in a challenging scientific area. Now, 20 years later, on top of this multi-cultural environment, the career opportunities have motivated me to stay and become team leader. I like to understand how people work and I enjoy helping others reveal their potential and find their place in their team and within the company structure. I like the freedom I have here to keep on learning. I am encouraged to be curious. The flexible work culture at the ESRF means I can organise myself to work part-time, which enables me to pursue a parallel activity as an independent professional coach. I feel trusted and that’s what motivates me to keep on doing my best for the ESRF.