Dr Aboubacar Chaehoi, the Institute for System Level Integration (ISLI)

Dr Aboubacar Chaehoi joined the Institute for System Level Integration (ISLI) based at the Alba Centre in Livingston in February 2006 as a Micro-ElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) Designer.

ISLI is a research institute, with a strong focus on the transfer of developing academic technology into commercial products.

The 29-year-old Frenchman’s introduction to ISLI came at a summer school in Montpellier in summer 2005 when he met Mark Begbie, nanotechnology group manager at ISLI.

Where did you grow up?

I was born on the island of Grande Comore (now renamed Ngazidja) in the channel between mainland Africa and Madagascar, and moved with my parents to Réunion when I was three years old.

Réunion was ruled as a colony until 1946 when it was granted the status of an Overseas Department of France, under which it is an integral part of the French State. As part of France, Réunion is part of the European Union, and was the first region in the world to use the euro!

The first ever purchase using the euro occurred at 12.01 am on 1 January 2002, when regional council president Paul Vergés bought a bag of lychees at a market in the island capital, Saint-Denis.

By that time, however, I was thousands of miles away, living in Montpellier in southern France where I was at university. After completing my high school diploma at Lycee Louis Payen, I applied to Montpellier and studied for a total of nine years there, gaining first a BSc honours degree in mathematics and computer science and an MSc in electronic engineering. My work for the MSc involved the development of a new test method for MEMS and led to a PhD studentship, which was jointly supervised by Montpellier and the University of Catania in Italy, allowing me to graduate from both universities.

My successful microelectronics thesis followed design and modelling of CMOS monolithic MEMS using FSBM technology: application to inertial sensors and demonstrated the feasibility of a 3-axis accelerometer in CMOS-FSBM.

What made you move to Scotland and when?

After I completed my thesis, I decided I wanted to broaden my experience and explore other cultures and at a summer school in Montpellier last year I met Mark Begbie, from ISLI in Livingston.

What he told me about ISLI’s work in nanotechnology and MEMS made me think that Scotland would be a good place to develop my career, and I applied and was appointed here in February. I’m not married, so the move was straightforward.

Has Scotland lived up to your expectations?

To be honest, it was the work rather than the country that attracted me here. I didn’t know much about Scotland before I arrived, and I have to admit I found arriving in winter a bit of a shock to the system, after the South of France. But Scotland has its compensations. The scenery in Scotland is very beautiful. Already I have been able to visit the highlands and I look forward to seeing other places too.”

Have you now settled in?

My new home is in Edinburgh, and over the past few months I have been getting to know the city.

Everyone should feel happy when they come to Edinburgh. It has everything from art, to history and architecture – and the castle, right in the heart of the city, is magnifique.

I have also enjoyed the festivals that have made Edinburgh so famous all over the world. With comedy, films, dance and music events going on all over the city and there is something for everyone to enjoy.

How does life and work differ from Montpellier?

Working at ISLI suits me very well. I enjoy academic research and am interested in industrial R&D and technology transfer. ISLI is a research, education and technology transfer institute, with a strong focus on the transfer of developing technology into the commercial sector. We work closely with Edinburgh, Glasgow, Heriot Watt, Paisley and Strathclyde universities, as well as the Institute of Photonics.

At the present time I’m working on the development of optical silicon based MEMS devices that lead to applications like micro-scanner structures for display and imaging applications, a microscope on a chip and an optical micro-tweezer for optical manipulation of nano-particles.

I have made some friends among my colleagues at ISLI, and I love going to the cinema but I find the language here a bit confusing. I am still trying to find a cinema that shows French films!

What would you tell other people thinking of moving to Scotland?

I’d encourage them to come. The country is very beautiful and they will have plenty of things to see.

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