Dr. Stefan Seifried

– a technology enthusiast and nature lover

Dr. Stefan Seifried been the new Managing Director at OptoTech, since January 2023. Prior to that, the material scientist worked in various senior management positions in a high technological environment. The 52 year old grew up and studied in Germany. In his leisure time he loves jogging, cooking and nature.

What does a perfect day at work look like to you?

When you have plan in mind what the day should look like, it gets distorted by unforeseen things and back on track you still have time for colleagues and after work for family and friends.

Which profession did your parents have in mind for you?

Something technical, maybe an engineer – because I tried to fix everything when I was young (and also learned to fail with it).

If you didn´t do your current job, what else would you do?

A surgeon.

What is the best thing about your job?

Dealing with different people of different cultures with different mind-sets in a great technological environment.

When was the last time you were fed up with your job?

About two years ago, when a management colleague made a decision based only on his own principles against the best assessment of the situation.

What does a new customer mean to you?

A new relationship that needs to be built up and maintained – maybe similar as in private life an acquaintance who turns into a friend.

In your opinion: which thing is completely overrated?

People who think they are the only ones who contribute to a success.

What would you do differently in your next life?

Think about sustainability and environment much earlier. ◆

Did you know that researchers use 3D bioprin ting to create eye tissue?

Scientists use patient stem cells and 3D bioprinting to produce eye tissue that will advance understanding of the mechanisms of blinding diseases. The research team from the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), printed a combination of cells that form the outer blood-retina barrier – an eye tissue that supports the retina's light-sensing photoreceptors. The technique provides a theoretically unlimited supply of patient-derived tissue to study degenerative retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

The research was published in the journal Nature Methods DOI: 10.1038/s41592-022-01701-1 Picture: National Eye Institute