Combining PhD expertise, coding, and a desire to learn: Teemu Peltonen enjoys his versatile role at Magister

Hello, Teemu! Can you tell us about your study and work background?

For my study background; I’ve studied nanosciences with a major in theoretical physics at the University of Jyväskylä.  

I have also completed extensive minor studies in mathematics and computer science, as well as some studies in chemistry, and cell and molecular biology. 

I wrote my doctoral dissertation in physics, graduating with a PhD degree. After that I worked as an IT entrepreneur for a while, developing trading bots. There I learned the most about writing good and maintainable code. 

What initially got you interested in your field?

For the field of physics, it was that I wanted to do work that I enjoyed, because work is such a big part of life.  

At first, I wanted to become a game programmer, but then I took a physics summer course in high school. There, a researcher gave a presentation on nanophysics and was so enthusiastic about the subject that I felt I wanted to be that enthusiastic too, so I decided to apply there. 

Quite quickly, mathematics and computer science started to surpass chemistry and biology for me, because you don’t need to memorize as many things; you just need to understand them. 

How about Magister?

Magister stood out to me as an exceptional company because it does research.

There aren’t that many companies where you get to use all your skills. It’s not just about, for example, developing websites, but you get to engage in research work much like at a university. 

What interests you the most about your field of work?

At the moment, I’m most interested in continuously learning new things.  

In general, this includes e.g. learning how to make better code utilizing modern tools, and tackling new problem areas. 

What do your workdays look like?

It varies quite a lot, because projects have distinct phases that differ from one another. 

In the beginning of a project, there’s a lot of studying and planning. In this phase, I do a lot of work similar to what is done at universities. I study books and articles and try to understand new areas that others here at Magister haven’t studied. Then I write a long summary report for the team. 

Once that’s done, it’s time for code planning and deciding how everything will be implemented. The final stage consists purely of implementing and testing. 

Currently, my days are quite typical for a coder. We have meetings to see how things are going and what we’re doing – usually either implementing new features or correcting errors. 

I’m also organizing the C-DReAM simulator development group. We’re thinking more broadly of how to move things forward, not just within projects. 

What’s the best thing about your job?

The versatility; I get to work as both a programmer and a researcher.  

I’ve been given lots of responsibility, and it’s easy to drive things forward with small teams. 

What have been the most memorable or exciting moments at your job?

I’ve really enjoyed being able to do the same kind of research and studying that I also did in university and postgraduate studies.  

It’s always exciting to delve into a new topic that others don’t know about and explain it to them. That’s something you rarely get to do in the private sector. And you even get to implement it all the way to the end with code. 

What is it like to work at Magister?

It’s pleasantly easygoing. There’s a warm atmosphere and the team is great. That’s what made me choose this place over all other options when I was job searching. Right away, the atmosphere felt warm. 

What kind of projects and tasks would you like to work on in the future?

As diverse as possible; I’d always like to be learning something new. 

I don’t want to just stick with what’s familiar and comfortable all the time but keep learning all sorts of new things. 

What kinds of things do you like doing in your free time to balance out your work?

I practice different kinds of extreme sports – paragliding, mountain biking, and climbing, for example. 

Lately I’ve been into freediving and platform diving into the water. And of course, we also do a lot of things with our toddler.