OPSYDIA

Max Cairney-Leeming, Lady Margaret Hall, Second Year Undergraduate, MMathCompSci Mathematics and Computer Science, In-person internship

Work Projects

I worked on integrating new laser control

hardware and a new laser into Opsydia’s testing rig, working with both from unboxing

through to installing and using them, as well as

writing control software for both. I took time to understand how both worked, through

testing them and emailing suppliers. I discussed the use cases for this hardware with the

rest of the R&D team, and worked out how to set up both devices to achieve this, taking

care to note details like timing requirements, and ensured throughout that this knowledge

was recorded and passed on.

I wrote control software for both devices, allowing for more effective use, as well as

enforcing safe operation, which is very important given the value of samples used. This was

an interesting and important project, as it allowed me to work across the company, on

hardware that is going to be used in systems sold to customers. I received a great deal of

support from Opsydia, ranging from informal meetings to quick chats in person or over

teams, and everyone was very helpful in answering my questions, even on very basic

questions about lasers and optics. I also had a code review with the software developers,

which was a really useful experience.

Daily Life

I worked a regular 9-5:30 throughout the

internship, taking about an hour out for

lunch. There was a regular, and free minibus

service between University Parks and the

science park Opsydia is based in, which made

my commute easy and stress-free. Further,

there was also a canteen on site, serving hot

meals like in a college dining hall, as well as sandwiches, and I took full advantage of this.

When it was warmer, we sat outside by the pond or in the garden to eat, which was a good

break from sitting at my desk. I worked late once, because we wanted to hit an internal

milestone, which was good fun, and we ordered takeaway for dinner I chose to work late,

and nobody pressured me into doing it.

Everyone was very sociable, I took the minibus with the other interns, and everyone

working in the office would eat lunch together, which was really nice to help settle in

quickly. We would also take informal breaks, which were a great opportunity to get to know

the others better, and to eat the snacks from our optics supplier. We had a couple of

company lunches and pub trips to celebrate the end of our internships, which were really

nice, and we visited a couple of different restaurants and pubs around Oxford.

Outside of work, I took the opportunity to explore Oxford better, visiting places like the

Botanic Gardens, the History of Science Museum and the University Church, and going for

walks around the city and up the canal. I also met up with a variety of friends who were

visiting Oxford, as well as my family, who came to visit for a weekend. I never felt like I was

bored outside of work.

Lasting Impressions

I really enjoyed my internship, because I did lots of different kinds of work, which allowed

me to see all aspects of the company, and gave me lots of variety in my daily work. There

was a lot of openness to the work they gave me, and I really appreciated this, as it allowed

me to explore and find my own solutions, rather than ticking off a checklist. I feel I gained

more confidence, in presenting my work, or emailing suppliers for technical discussions, for

example, and in the fact that Opsydia trust me to do work that is important to the

company’s future.

In terms of my future career plans, this internship hasn’t suggested a clear direction, but that is because I enjoyed the breadth of work that I did. It has shown me, however, that

working in a small company where I can take a project from start to completion, and work

on all the different parts of it, is very satisfying and something I would like to have in future

jobs. Certainly, I’ve really enjoyed writing software with a tangible end goal, of controlling a