Even physicists should be able to communicate clearly and explain their work to co-workers and laymen.

This was one of the main messages students and staff from the Department of Physics took home after a talk by SU alumnus and laser physicist Dr Torsten Scheidt on working as a physicist in high-tech industry. Dr Scheidt, who holds two PhDs from SU and the University of Jena in Germany, is currently technical director of Carl Zeiss Optics in Hungary.

"While the technical skills of a physicist is highly recommended, that alone doesn't do the trick. You need other skills," he said, "especially social skills".

This is because, in industry, you have to define what other people, with different degrees of experience, have to do. And often that has to happen in shifts, he added. At university, you do your own experiments and mostly talk to your supervisor or fellow students.

Therefore, in order to work in and with a team of different people, from engineers to marketing and production teams, skills in building relationships and trust, as well as the ability to compromise and negotiate, are key success factors.

"In other words, non-technical problems can be just as complex!" he said.

He expanded on his experience in the technology and development environment when he had to develop the optics process technology for the stable production of laser equipment at Carl Zeiss in Germany, as well as his time in South Africa when he was responsible for "fixing the optics production line" after the merger of Denel Optics with Carl Zeiss.

"Here we had the pride of the South African Defence Industry in trouble, with the Germans on their doorstep! It was a case of 'boer maak 'n plan' versus German precision," he quipped.

In this instance he needed skills in change management and working well in teams, as well as knowing when to ask for the right kind of help when things didn't work out according to plan.

Dr Scheidt also expanded on the value of doing a PhD: "It is well worth to do a PhD and experience that depth of expertise even if it is only for this one time in your life. You will always be able to use the analytical and problem-solving skills you've acquired, but it is also important to be able to recognise when you need that type of specialist knowledge to solve problems and to find the right people to do it."

He said students should guard against the stereotype "that physicists only solve problems of eternity, living in their own world with no sense of urgency".

"Adapt and be open, but still use your technical skills. Come out of your corner and communicate and you will make a difference," he concluded.

On the photo, in front and in the middle, Dr Torsten Scheidt surrounded by postgraduate students and staff from the Department of Physics at SU.