Welcome to the most patient crowd. It is time to learn a few things from them.

In the company of some good old web search, books, coffee, discussions, experiments, reading, writing and more coffee, you will find Riccardo taking breaks now and then in his garden, reading a copy of Calvin & Hobbes...

“It takes a lot of bright minds and creative methods to build innovative products that support digital engineering transformations and help resolve multi-disciplinary engineering challenges of today and tomorrow – which is not an easy feat” laughs Riccardo about his work at Noesis Solutions. “But most importantly, it takes patience and persistence”.

Starting the Day

“I am a morning lark, I am up before 7 AM”, says Riccardo, “I believe that one can get more things done with an early start”. What is the first thing he does? Go for a run. “It clears my mind and prepares me for the day. A clear mind always helps us approach yesterday’s problems in a new light” says Riccardo while making his to-do list for the day.

Best Research Trait

Yes, researching is a mind game – but that is only one part of it. I would say curiosity and relentlessly asking questions are the most important traits for a researcher. I have always been a curious person – my parents were surely tired of me. Seeking answers to the never-ending questions that I had led me to research.

Striking a balance

To say that my job is stressful, would be a half lie. You cannot be in research if you do not enjoy what you do. What motivates me in my team - they always listen and jump in if anyone needs help. That is why we have a catch-up call every morning – where we talk about work, an interesting article or paper and our challenges.

My favorite way to spend office downtime is reading a comic book, working out, being in my garden, or just closing my laptop and having a cup of coffee.

Starting a project

My projects are like a cycle. By the time one project ends, I will have more questions and that is the beginning of another project. For example, when we decided to create a collaborative platform to enable digital engineering transformation, we ideated a few concepts for the product. While working on those concepts and materializing them, there were more questions, ‘why not add this feature, why not add this functioning?’ to our product, and that would be the beginning of my next project.

So, in short, my projects do not end – we start with a review of the current products and solutions and assess potential updates to empower our clients not only to solve the multi-disciplinary engineering challenges of today but also of tomorrow.

Frustrating moment

We do not get that a lot. Our teams back us up even before we reach that stage. But if I get a block, I close my laptop for a while and take a break. I either go for a walk to clear my mind or get coffee with my colleagues.

Eureka moment

When I finally find the answer to the question I am struggling with, I try not to gloat, but end up gloating. But with moderation, as Murphy[1] might be lurking in the next challenge. Then, I share the results with the team – After all, it is not just my work, but ours.

If not research

I love gardening. My mother is a florist, my grandpa ran greenhouses, and I took an interest in plants since my childhood. So, if I were not a researcher, I would be doing something related to the flora industry. Hopefully, a gardener. I do love bonsai trees too, but I am not that good, and they randomly die under my care.

[1] This reference might be redundant, but just in case you are wondering - Murphy's law is an adage or epigram that is typically stated as: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." In some formulations, it is extended to "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong, and at the worst possible time."