R&D project manager

Testimonial of Alix Rousseaux - R&D project manager - Fractionation - Purification Department

Do you want to learn more about ARD? Meet one of our R&D project managers, who works in the fractionation-purification department.

My role at ARD

My main role is project management. I follow projects from A to Z, from the design phase to the development of the finished product and/or industrial process. This entails numerous tasks and requires me to monitor each one attentively before a process is ultimately approved. I must, for example, determine the objectives and the test phases, as well as the timeline for each step, and stay within the budget. This is crucial in order to successfully scale up processes.
In addition to my scientific expertise, I also manage a team of experts with whom I work closely to successfully complete the projects I'm entrusted with.

Finally, I'm also in charge of customer relations, another important aspect of project management in industrial biotechnology. Indeed, it is very important for customers to know what the status of their project is, and to inform them precisely of the results of each stage in order to implement corrective measures, if need be.

If I had to highlight one aspect of my job, it would be that we are always learning.

What I like about my job

Following projects from the original idea and watching them take shape on a commercial scale is very gratifying for our teams as well as our customers who we help to scale up processes. Every project is different. I work on food products, biofuels, and cosmetics.That's what makes my job so interesting and never boring!
I also enjoy building a competent team of experts for a project, and working with them on a daily basis to achieve our goals. The success of a project is the result of good teamwork.
Finally, if I had to highlight one aspect of my job, it would be that we are always learning. The projects we work on can be very different, which implies getting to know and adapting to the industrial requirements of each customer, perfecting one's skills, and setting up tests and appropriate monitoring. All this continually develops our expertise in the optimisation of processes.