Emerging Y Program
Thanks for joining the interview. Could you briefly introduce yourself?
My name is Gilberto Barcellos. I was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, but moved to the United States to study Chemical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. I graduated in May of 2022 and joined Yokogawa as part of the Emerging Y program. I worked in four teams: Manufacturing Engineering, Life Science, Product Marketing, and Advanced System Integration. This was an opportunity for me to get relevant experience in different sectors of the company, and at the end of the program, I chose to join the Life Science team to work with its new product, the Single Cellome™ System SS2000.
As a Product Specialist, what are your main tasks?
My main task is identifying relevant and feasible applications for our newest product, the SS2000, a high-content imager capable of performing automated single-cell and intracellular sampling. The goal is to identify clear workflows around this system, facilitating future marketing and sales efforts. One of the main ways I do this is by interfacing with current users and potential customers through virtual meetings, site visits, or large-scale events. These are opportunities for me to learn about their experiences or perspectives on the product, and I can use this information to help direct the product and business development.
Why should customers decide to buy SS2000?
Researchers interested in isolating single cells or intracellular materials, such as individual nuclei or mitochondria, should look to the SS2000. The SS2000 is the only system in the market capable of intracellular sampling. Moreover, it is a 2-in-1 system, as it is a sampler and a capable high-content imager. Because of its imaging capabilities, the SS2000 provides the user with morphological and spatial information about every sample, which can be very valuable. To exemplify, one of the users of this system has employed it to sample individual nuclei of cells, which are subsequently analyzed to compare their genetic information using state-of-the-art sequencing technologies.
Learn from Customers
What do you like most about your job?
What I like most about my job is interacting with customers who are performing exciting research in some of the brightest academic institutions or innovative companies. It is great to learn about their experiences and even better when I find that the SS2000 can create new possibilities in their project. I always enjoy it when I get the chance to visit the laboratories they work in and witness first-hand the cutting-edge of biological research. For example, I recently had the opportunity to visit a medical school with some of my colleagues, and it was incredible to learn from the school’s researchers about their unique projects and how they are finding answers to relevant scientific questions.
You worked at a university research institute before. If you compare, what is the biggest difference between an academic and a corporate job?
I have only worked for a short period in a university research institute, but my experience has been that my corporate job has given me exposure to many different research projects, while in university, I was only involved in one. This wider range of projects certainly makes things more interesting!
Working at Yokogawa
So far, what do you like most about working at Yokogawa?
I love that at Yokogawa, I could take on responsibility early in my career and that my colleagues support me in my professional journey. I have been given opportunities to represent the SS2000 in internal and external events; through these experiences, I have learned a lot. I am very grateful for all the opportunities Yokogawa has provided me. For example, even before I had completed my first year at the company, I was chosen to host a presentation to the entire North American workforce about the SS2000. This was during a yearly presentations week organized by Yokogawa, and it was a very daunting task that motivated me to improve my public speaking and presentation skills. With the support of my Life Science teammates, I gave a very effective presentation that excited employees from various company sectors about the work that the Life Science team is doing and about the SS2000. It was gratifying to raise awareness inside the company of just how important our work is.
Is there something you’d like to share with our blog readers?
I thank the blog readers for reading this interview and letting them know I am always available to connect! I always love sharing my professional experience with work colleagues or people outside the company.
