Meilin Else, Engr ‘18, who studied materials science and engineering at JHU and now works for a New Hampshire-based medical device company, discusses her career path and shares advice for students interested in the field.
What is your current position?
I am a control systems engineer at DEKA Research & Development, based in Manchester, New Hampshire. My work focuses on developing the algorithms that control medical devices and setting the alert thresholds that tell medical staff when something needs immediate attention or when everything is working normally. I can also collect test data from prototype and development-stage devices and analyze the data to inform the algorithm designs.
Why did you pursue this career path?
I started at DEKA as a test engineer, writing test cases for FDA submissions, analyzing test data, and developing test fixtures. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do in the medical device field, but I knew that I wanted a job that would make a positive impact. So, when DEKA offered me a position where I’d be working with medical devices that I could actually see helping people, I thought it was a great opportunity. Working on design teams at Hopkins also taught me how much room there is for medical devices to improve both patients’ and healthcare professionals’ lives.
What are the biggest challenges in your field, not just for you, but for all leaders in this area?
Asking the right questions, setting the right goals, and being flexible enough to change are challenges that are critical to my success and the company’s success. At DEKA, the algorithms I design rely on interpreting specifications set by our project and our customers. Sometimes, these specifications change, so I need to be able to adjust my expectations. Adjusting our goals is crucial to maintaining good relationships with our customers and ensuring that we’re putting the best possible device on the market.
Additionally, solving any open-ended problem requires carefully choosing the most important questions to ask. This is more of an art than it sounds and often involves a lot of trial and error. Asking good questions is crucial to getting good answers.
What role has your educational background played in your success?
The strong engineering foundation I developed at Hopkins helps me solve problems every day. I am frequently faced with complex challenges that involve mechanical, software, and biological components, and understanding the fundamentals of each of these is very important. In my career, I’ve seen that mechanical engineers try to solve problems mechanically, electrical engineers try to solve problems electrically, and so on—but materials engineers have a unique perspective that can help bridge these disciplines. It’s important to look at problems from different perspectives!
What advice would you offer students preparing for a career in your field?
The best advice I can give to students is to allow your goals and expectations to change. Your first job out of college is probably not going to be your last, and the best thing you can do is to learn from it! Learn the parts that you like the most and the parts you like the least. Sometimes, jobs that you think you’ll love, you actually don’t. Allowing yourself to pivot and change will help you find a path that suits you!