If you ask Rasmus Åkerlund, combining philosophy studies with applied physics makes perfect sense. He has a beautiful, philosophical way of viewing what’s most motivating with his job.
 

“What drives me is to see beyond what we can see today. To go beyond the horizon. To do things you didn’t know you were capable of before. Because if you already know how things will play out, it’s not as exciting. I want to continually move the borders forward.”

With a curiosity for nature – rock climbing and surfing the arctic waves in Sweden – he moved from the corridors of Chalmers to the coast of the US to develop X-rays. Now, he is a part of the Kollmorgen family. Initially working as a Software Developer, he has now taken on a new role as the company’s first Data Scientist, shaping a cross-functional team that will spearhead Kollmorgen's growth into Data Science.

“I wanted to work somewhere I could use my strengths in mathematics and also work with advanced technology. After a while, I realized I wanted to go more into algorithms. After debating the pros and cons of having a team dedicated solely to this, we now have a data science team at Kollmorgen who perform experiments that explore new applications and create new knowledge in the process.”  

We have worked with AI for quite some time now at Kollmorgen. Longer than most companies. Rasmus wants to point out that our experience is valuable since we have a network of partners with whom we can gather knowledge. When you develop new technology, you can spend a lot of time in the lab or at the office trying to get something really clever to work. But it isn’t until you are out in the real world that you can see if it lives up to users’ expectations. Having a strong, diverse and well-established customer base through our partners means we get that feedback all the time. Our strength is that we can continuously improve by building on our previous success, when others need to start from the bottom. It’s a proud feeling that also permeates our company.

  ” I have worked hard for the role that I have now, and I enjoy developing something I am interested in. But the best part of being at Kollmorgen is the culture. People like to experiment and try new things. We are over 100 colleagues, but it feels like a family company. Everyone knows everyone, and all of us are genuinely interested in what different departments are working on. From project manager to developer – everyone listens, regardless of how long you have been at the company.”