Iðunn is working to provide solutions for sleep monitoring and diagnostics

Hi Iðunn, what are you working on at the moment?

I'm working at Nox Medical, a company that provides industry standard solutions for sleep monitoring and diagnostics. Our devices and software are used in clinics and hospitals worldwide. I started working here 3.5 years ago as a Verification & Validation Engineer. That job included a lot of testing and documentation but also provided a great opportunity to get to know all of our products really well. I later transferred to the hardware development team and have been working there as a mechanical design engineer for 2.5 years now. My job includes mechanical design for all of our products and accessories such as cables and cannulas, as well as choosing suitable materials, design for manufacturing and handover to the manufacturer. I also work closely with the manufacturing team regarding the assembly methods for our devices, as well as finding subcontractors and so on.

What is a regular day like at your job?

My days are quite varied. Recently we have been working on a new generation of our devices so, for a few months, my regular days were spent drawing in Inventor. Once the drawings were “complete” my days were spent in the workshop creating prototypes. A typical day right now includes quite a lot of prototyping, minimal modifications to drawings, quite a lot of documentation and meetings, as well as hand over to the manufacturer as we reach the end point of design.

Have you worked on anything else since you graduated?

After I graduated from my programme at KTH I spent a year traveling and working in non-engineering jobs. I then went to the University of Iceland for one year and took a BSc in Computer Science. While I was working on that degree I started working at Nox Medical.

Why did you choose this programme at KTH?

I have a BSc in industrial engineering and I knew I wanted to stay on the same path. However, I also felt like I wanted something a bit more technical than industrial engineering. I was always interested in the way things were made and since I was a kid I have been ripping things apart to see how they were assembled and what components they contained. I therefore found production engineering very interesting. The addition of the various management classes offered by the programme, as well and the wide range of elective courses, made the programme very appealing.

Are there any insights or knowledge you acquired during your studies that have been particularly useful for you in your career? Naturally, there are courses that have proved more useful now than I ever thought they would. But in general terms this programme prepared me very well for the work I’m doing now. Solving various and different problems throughout the programme leaves you with excellent problem-solving skills.

What were the best aspects of your studies at KTH?

All the great people I met.

What would you want to say to a student who was thinking of applying for this programme?

Go for it and enjoy it while it lasts.