• Question: What is the most difficult project you have worked on, and how did you get through the challenging tasks?

    Asked by mudaser_S on 16 Mar 2021. This question was also asked by MiracleA.
    • Photo: Sarah-Jane Potts

      Sarah-Jane Potts answered on 16 Mar 2021:

      It’s a close call between my current one and my doctorate. I’d probably go with my doctorate as it was a four year long project on improving the scientific understanding of screen printing functional materials (mostly conductive inks). I got through the most challenging parts by not being afraid to be creative and think outside the box. That led to me coming up with a new technique that really did improve the scientific understanding of the process. The main thing was not giving up when things didn’t work, although it could be disheartening, especially on such a long project. But it paid off as I kept trying until I was successful.

    • Photo: Lia Bucks

      Lia Bucks answered on 18 Mar 2021:

      For me it is probably developing a new tool for a car production line to help the people on the line more easily assemble some small clips. Because the workers on the production line had to keep making cars, I was only able to consult with them and learn about the process (and what was needed) during their breaks when the line was stopped. I had to do a lot of people management to get them to give up their breaktime to help me, though ultimately I would be helping them! Do not underestimate the value of soft skills like communication and attributes like perseverance – I had to draw on them a lot in that project!

    • Photo: Emma Robertson

      Emma Robertson answered on 23 Mar 2021:

      I would say the one I am working on at the moment – designing the next 3D printer. There are a lot of customer requirements to meet and a lot of different systems that need to work together, and it is difficult to get everything to work properly at the same time. I am overcoming the challenge of it by making sure I ask questions and ask for help when I get stuck, and also speaking to all the othe team members involved so I can stay in the loop with what they are doing (and adjust my work if needed).

    • Photo: Anna Garcia-Teruel

      Anna Garcia-Teruel answered on 26 Mar 2021:

      The most challenging project I have worked on was my doctorate. I was stuck for 6 months with a problem I could not find the right solution for. I then took a step back, and simplified the problem I was trying to solve, to solve an easier version first. That worked, and based on that I realised what I had been doing wrong trying to solve the more complex problem. So I learned that in research it is important to do things step by step, instead of trying to solve too many problems at once.

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