No case is like the other

Inside the Innovation Center is a 2,000 square foot state-of-the-art laboratory: Jeff’s workplace, where he analyzes the composition and makeup of products. He often has to develop tests specifically for this purpose. “When customers have problems, it’s my job to find out what the problem might be. That’s where patience comes in. We don’t always get the result on the first attempt. Where could the cause be? What's the next step?” Some projects take days, others even months. “But we try to stay under a week on average.” The lengthy, tricky tasks give Jeff the most joy: “It’s a good feeling to have solved the puzzle.”

When friends ask Jeff about his work, the trained biochemist likes to use an analogy that almost everyone is familiar with: “We investigate things down to the microscopic detail - like the investigators in the TV show CSI.” And just like in the series, no two cases are the same for Jeff: When he starts work around eight in the morning, new projects are always awaiting him. “I particularly enjoy the variety. Every week offers new challenges.” The biggest challenge, however, was moving the lab to the new Innovation Center last year. “I’ve never moved a lab before. We had to make sure, of course, that the instruments were packed securely and remained working properly. It wasn’t easy for everyone involved." But the effort was worth it: “I have rarely worked in such a beautiful lab before. We have all the resources we need to do our job.”

The team spirit of his colleagues is particularly important to Jeff. A total of 14 people work at the Innovation Center, including four other people in the lab alongside Jeff. “I have a great team - the dynamic is just right,” says Jeff. After college in Rochester, located in north-western New York, he gained much work experience, primarily in the pharmaceutical industry. But his first job after graduation was a temporary position at Evonik-an experience he was eager to build on: “I left in 2017 as a technician and now returned in 2021 as a chemist.” Jeff lives seven minutes from the Innovation Center. “I have the shortest commute in the entire department!” He lives there with his wife and two pet rabbits. He and his wife got married just before the pandemic. They are expecting their first child in early summer. In his spare time, he duels - fictitiously, of course - with magicians: Jeff is an avid player of “Magic: The Gathering,” the collectible card game.