Sam Lodge is a Senior Development Engineer in the Vacuum Technique Technology Group, working at the forefront of scientific innovation. His role focuses on designing, building, and validating new pump technologies that support advanced university, medical, and scientific research. Through a combination of modelling, experimentation, and global knowledge‑sharing, Sam offers insight into what it’s like to work at the cutting edge of vacuum technology.
Now that you’ve met Sam, let’s hear directly from him. Working as a Senior Development Engineer, Sam shares what first drew him to physics and engineering, what it’s like working on cutting-edge technology, and how curiosity and creativity drive his work every day.
So Sam, can you introduce yourself and give us an idea of what your role involves on a day-to-day basis?
I’m Sam Lodge and I work as a senior development engineer for the scientific new technology validation team in the Vacuum Technique Technology Group. That sounds very complicated but basically, I design, build and test new pump technology and inventions that helps applications in university, scientific and medical research achieve the lowest pressures possible on earth. I’m also a chartered physicist and so much of my day-to-day work tends to involve modelling and understanding fundamental systems through software and experimentation.
While it’s not part of my day to day, a smaller part of my role is helping to deliver internal training courses, publishing my work in scientific papers and journals, and speaking at conferences or events (including American Vacuum Symposium & European Vacuum conference).
What’s one breakthrough or innovation in vacuum technology that you’ve been proud to work on?
I really enjoy seeing the projects that I’ve worked on being turned into products. Recently my team and I developed a system for a quantum computer as part of a large Innovate UK Project, and due to our close work with the customer we were able to see the system being delivered and utilised.
Working on the cutting edge of technology is also very rewarding. In September I travelled to Sydney to present some of my research to the International Vacuum Congress, where I was nominated for a research prize. It was very validating for my work to be recognised in such a large event.
What skills or mindset do you think are essential for success in a role like this?
For my role I would say creativity is the most important trait, being able to think outside of the box or look at a problem in different ways is often the best way to come up with innovative solutions. Having an enquiring mindset and curiosity to learn about different topics is also quite important as I often find solutions can be found by making connections between topics in ways that no one has thought to do before
If you could give one piece of advice to someone entering this field, what would it be?
It’s said a lot but don’t be afraid to ask questions. Within this industry it helps to get a deeper understanding on what you are working on. I’ve been able to create something new from asking questions about different technologies and implementing that within my work. People in technical roles often love answering questions about their work, and more often than not its useful to you and those around you.
What’s one misconception people often have about your role?
That everything always works. Working in an R&D role it is inevitable that some things won’t work, if things worked all the time, it wouldn’t be innovation. A lot of my work is learning from the failures and stretching current state of the art with new technologies.
Are you involved in any voluntary or extra roles within the business, like mentoring, social committees, or employee networks? We’d love to hear more about what you do and what motivates you
Outside of work I hold an officer role within the Institute of Physics’ Vacuum Group, as part of which I support the organisation of UK based Vacuum conferences and symposia. Recently I have had the opportunity to lecture at the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh as part of the IOP’s Bi-annual Vacuum Course. Within Atlas Copco Group I am on the Fusion Network, our LGBTQIA+ committee helping to organisation different educational and speaking events to promote inclusivity within the business.
