An international academic journey

Obert’s academic background is truly international. His studies in materials science and electrical engineering took him from a bachelor’s degree in Indonesia to a master’s degree in New Zealand, and ultimately a PhD at Aalto University in Finland, where his research focused on advanced bonding techniques for heterogeneous integration in microelectronics.

“I’ve always been flexible when it comes to moving to new countries for my studies,” Obert says. “After completing my bachelor’s in Indonesia and my master’s in New Zealand, a friend encouraged me to apply to Aalto University in Finland. I didn’t know much about Finland at the time, but getting accepted felt meant to be.”

Although the winter temperatures initially came as a surprise, Obert has now lived in Finland for five years and enjoys the variety of seasons and the overall environment.

Joining SemiQon

When Obert joined SemiQon, the company’s goal was to develop a 3D integration packaging solution for quantum chips. The idea of bonding quantum devices to a silicon board to enable simpler measurement immediately caught his interest.

“When I joined, our goal was to develop a 3D integration packaging solution for quantum chips,” he explains. “The idea involves bonding quantum devices to a silicon board for simpler measurement. I thought that was fascinating, and the mission to commercialize it made it even more exciting.”

Today, Obert is mainly responsible for developing the 3D integration process at SemiQon. In addition, he has taken over backend processing for quantum devices and contributes across multiple stages of development.

“The best part is getting to apply what I researched in academia to real industry work,” he says. “I also really enjoy the cleanroom work. It’s a very multidisciplinary environment, and it gives variety to my days, so I’m not always sitting behind a computer.”

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From PhD to industry

As Obert was finishing his PhD, he was unsure about what to do next. While exploring different opportunities, he came across the PoDoCo (Post Docs in Companies) program, where SemiQon was listed as a participating company.

“I was finishing my PhD on low-temperature bonding processes for heterogeneous integration in microelectronics and was unsure about what to do next,” Obert says. “I started applying for opportunities and found out about the PoDoCo program. SemiQon was on the list, so I emailed Himadri, our CEO, directly.”

He received a reply quickly, and the interview process was straightforward. Joining SemiQon right after finishing his PhD felt like a fortunate coincidence, especially since the company was looking for someone with expertise in 3D integration, which was exactly his field.

“It felt like a win-win situation.”

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Growing with the company

Although Obert has been with SemiQon for just over a year, the pace of change makes it feel much longer. When he joined, the team consisted of 13 people. Since then, SemiQon had grown to more than 25 employees by December 2025.

“It’s been great to see things getting real as we move toward the commercial phase,” Obert says. “Cool people are joining us, and we’re hitting interesting milestones.”

Watching the company grow and seeing ideas turn into tangible progress has been one of the most rewarding parts of his experience so far.

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Learning through collaboration

One of the things Obert enjoys most about working at SemiQon is the people. Everyone on the team is an expert in their own field, and the diversity of backgrounds means there is always something new to learn.

“I assumed that in a startup everyone would be extremely busy, so it might be hard to get people’s time,” he says. “But at SemiQon, when you ask something, people always have time to explain and help. That was a very pleasant surprise.”

For Obert, these everyday conversations often turn into mini lessons.

“Whenever I talk with my colleagues, I walk away feeling like I’ve just attended a really good lecture,” he says.

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Life outside the cleanroom

Outside of work, Obert enjoys cooking and playing video games. One thing he is especially good at is making bolognese sauce, which he learned from an Italian friend. As he puts it, “it is truly authentic.”

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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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