From academia to industry

Before joining SemiQon, Niko has earned a PhD in Applied Physics with a focus on Quantum Nanoscience from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, and gained years of experience in semiconductor process technology, nanoelectronics, and quantum technologies in the industry.

In 2023, Niko received a call from Janne Lehtinen, a former colleague from VTT and now co-founder and Chief Science Officer of SemiQon.

“SemiQon’s technology was really interesting to me, of course,” Niko says. “And I knew Janne was a super nice guy and would be great to work with. I also knew I thrived in an environment with a growth attitude.”

He was also drawn to the opportunity to join at an early stage.

“I liked the chance to do things right from the beginning,” he says. “I had seen inefficiencies elsewhere and knew we could avoid them and learn from past mistakes.”

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Building from the ground up

Niko’s role at SemiQon has evolved alongside the company. He started by helping to build up the infrastructure and later transitioned into a technical lead role.

His responsibilities span a wide range of areas, including qubit verification, development of ultra-low-power cryogenic CMOS circuits, novel cryogenic packaging methods, and even full-stack software development.

What he enjoys most is how different disciplines come together.

“At SemiQon, we have this trinity of design, manufacturing, and measurement,” he says. “My responsibility is the measurement and engineering of devices, but I need to understand the interfaces between all three and translate knowledge across different areas.”

There is a constant back-and-forth between engineering and science.

“We use feedback from experiments to grow our understanding and then feed it back into our innovation work,” he says. “Doing this, we can arrive at new discoveries and technologies, and already have.”

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Working in a small, committed team

For Niko, one of the key aspects of working at SemiQon is being able to see the impact of individual contributions.

“I like being able to see the impact of individual contributions and knowing that the team can grow together,” he says. “It’s not always easy to bring together a small team of experts with different views and experiences, but there’s never any doubt about how committed and willing to perform everyone here is.”

He values the working culture and how ideas are treated.

“Here you are given trust and freedom,” he says. “Ideas are measured as ideas, not based on who comes up with them.”

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What it takes to thrive

When asked what kind of people thrive at SemiQon, Niko points to a combination of independence and reflection.

“The people who thrive here are those who don’t just follow, but are ready to try the unusual ways,” he says. “Experts who can articulate their ideas while also being self-critical.”

That mindset, combined with trust and openness, is what keeps him motivated.

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Qurious to join a team of Qurious minds? Information about our open positions and how to apply is available on our careers page.

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