Meet our European Team
Evan J. Spadafora, PhD
Service Engineer evan.spadafora@protochips.com
Czechia where I did another postdoc looking
in depth background plays a vital role in an
into the atomic/molecular interactions of single
industry where so many different scientific
Born and raised in New York City, I completed my
molecules for quantum computing purposes.
disciplines interact and combine. My love
MSc in Nanoscience and technology in Albany,
My final postdoc at the Fritz Haber Institute
of experimental physics/chemistry plus my
NY, USA and started my career at IBM T. J. Watson
in Berlin, Germany was focused on atomic
passion for the scientific apparatus makes
Center. I moved to Grenoble France to do my
studies of heterogenous catalytic reactions with
me extremely enthusiastic to help you get
PhD. There I studied atomic electronic behavior of
chiral molecules, learning German along the
your system set up to do some cutting edge
organic semiconductors and learned how to speak
way. This landed me a position as a service/
research.
French. After 4 years of enjoying the landscapes,
system engineer here in Berlin focusing on the
I went on to a postdoctoral role at Imperial
commissioning of various types of UHV scientific
College London researching copper leaching
apparatus. After 5 years of doing that, I started
using ionic liquids. Afterwards, I moved to Prague,
here at Protochips. As you can see my diverse and
Nynke A. Krans, PhD
Regional Applications and Marketing Manager nynke.krans@protochips.com
I did my PhD with the group of K. P. de Jong at
situ microscopy scientists and users around the
Utrecht University in the Netherlands, where
world that do awesome research. The amount
I am still happily living at this time. My PhD
that I learn from these chats cannot be compared
was mostly focused on liquid cell transmission
to what you can learn from a textbook. To add to
research papers. The travel that comes
electron microscopy, combined with catalysis
this, I love teaching new researchers all about the
with a job like this and getting to enjoy
research. This means that my experience with in
inns and outs of in situ (S)TEM, like in one of our
the food and culture all around Europe
situ systems runs all the way back to 2015 when
In Situ Academies. The small tips and tricks that
is an additional joy for me in my job at
Protochips was still working with single o-rings
nobody even thinks of when starting off these
Protochips. I would love to come and
and Viton! On a daily basis, I love talking with in
experiments are so important to create successfull
meet you soon at any of our events!