Mark Becomes New Team Leader of NIR & Data

In this article, we follow the career development of an ambitious professional within NIR technology, from the initial steps as a PhD student to the recent promotion to team leader. The transition to a leadership role marks a new phase, focusing on leveraging technological advancements for future market needs.

Can you tell us about your career within the organization, from your start as a PhD student to your recent promotion to Team Leader NIR & Data?

In 2017, I started here as an intern with a research project to complete my master's degree in Chemistry. After that, I joined the company and carried out my PhD research on the optimization of NIR calibration lines for 4 years at the NIR department in combination with Radboud University. During this time, I also became increasingly involved with the practical matters of the department and the commercial side of the calibration lines. After my PhD, I stayed on as an R&D analyst at NutriControl and became increasingly involved with the applied calibration line developments as well as, among other things, software developments. In this way, I actually gained a broader as well as more in-depth knowledge in everything to do with the technique and also about the (possible) applications of it.

What motivated you to take the step to team leader, has your experience as a PhD student prepared you for this role?

I find it particularly interesting to be more involved with (planning of) the strategic developments within the team. There are many potential developments we can look at and that also offers a lot of perspective for the future. Of course, I gained experience with this during my PhD research, but the perspective is quite different.

How do you view the role and importance of NIR technology and data analysis within current and future market trends?

I think there is an increasing emphasis on optimizing, making processes more efficient, and improving quality. Both NIR and the use of data can play an important role in this and we are happy to contribute to that. NIR is a fast analysis technique which allows for more and quicker insights to be obtained and adjustments to be made. In addition, it is also less costly than other analyses. Also, through more efficient use of data, new insights can be gained to adjust or optimize processes or methodologies.

Can you explain how the NIR and Data department contributes to the strategic goals of our organization?

As mentioned, both NIR and the use of data are important tools to help improve other processes. We naturally try to facilitate this as well as possible by helping our users to utilize the potential as best as possible.

In what way do you aim to promote collaboration and innovation within your team?

Our team is naturally very involved with innovation. Because we have a very open atmosphere and we naturally exchange a lot of ideas, this process actually goes very smoothly. We try to maintain this as much as possible but we are always in conversation about things we could still improve.

What short and long-term plans do you have for the NIR & Data department?

For the short term, our priority is to make our calibration line package as broad as possible for our current applications. This then concerns not only the normal predictions of nutritional values but for example also the origin of raw materials or even carbon footprint. For the longer term, we are mainly looking at further expanding into other applications of the NIR technique such as handheld (NIRGO) and inline sensors. These can offer more value in other places than the 'classic' table devices and therefore also have a very different business model."

Mark Schoot NIR & Data teamleider

I believe that especially the handheld technique will undergo the most significant growth, and that it can be applied on a much larger scale.

How do you deal with the challenges of leading a team that is responsible for both maintenance and innovation within the NIR domain?

Initially, the short, acute issues naturally have priority, but we always try to take the long term into account in all our solutions by ensuring they are as scalable and maintainable as possible. In this way, we try to use our capacity as optimally as possible and keep as much room as possible for new developments.

Are there specific new opportunities or technologies in NIR or sensor analysis that you want to explore?

We are currently busy further developing our package for the handheld NIR (NIRGO) to make the technique more accessible to everyone. In addition, we are also looking at inline process solutions, which would allow processes to be monitored in real time and thus could be adjusted directly where necessary.

How do you think NIR technology and data analysis will evolve in the coming years, and how is our organization preparing for these changes?

The handheld technique is still being developed further and becoming better and more reliable. It is likely that there will be sensors that could, for example, be built into a phone. As an organization, we are of course keeping a close eye on these developments and thinking about the potential applications this could offer.

What do you think are the biggest opportunities for the NIR and Data department in the future?

I think that especially the handheld technique will undergo the most growth, and that it can be applied on a much larger scale. This offers us very nice opportunities!

Mark Becomes New Team Leader of NIR & Data

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