This month, meet Thomas Magnac, Optical Engineer II in the UK office, a fan of ultralight hiking, Chinese teas, and helping find solutions to Zemax customers’ diverse challenges. 

1. Briefly describe what you do all day.  
   While drinking Chinese teas, I help, assist, and advise customers via email or phone; prepare and teach trainings for both new and advanced users; and work on exciting upcoming features. 

2. What’s the best thing about your job?
   I have to think, learn, and find solutions to customers’ diverse problems. I challenge myself daily.

3. What’s the best thing about Zemax? 
   I am passionate about optical design and I am very proud of being a Zemaxer. I have the possibility to do something I love, share my passion, and help people! Also, the team spirit is quite unique here.

4. What does your workspace look like? 
   A gaiwan, Chinese teas, and a super tiny ortholinear mechanical keyboard.

5. Who is one of your role models and why? 
   I don’t have any role model I wish to become—I just try to be honest and do the things that I like—but I do admire all the scientists who have been bold enough to genuinely revolutionize the way we see, understand, and model things happening like Aristotle, Newton, Euler, Boltzmann, Mendeleev, Einstein, Marie Curie, Bohr, Born, Planck, Bloch, Pauli…

6. What’s been one of your proudest moments working at Zemax? 
   I have just been promoted to regional manager, and it is an honor and an incredible recognition at my young age.

7. What do you like to do when you’re not at the office? 
   I love ultralight hiking, so I either make my own gear, or hike!

8. What inspires you? 
   Curiosity

9. Fill in the blank: I’d most like to have dinner with…
   My girlfriend. 

10. What is the song title that best describes your personality? 
    Concerto Grosso No1 by Alfred Schnittke

11. Greatest game in history? 
    I love card games: tarot, belote, bridge, and briscola. 

12. Favorite app? 
    I don’t use my phone much.

13. Favorite cause? 
    Ecology 

14. What are five words of advice for others in your profession? 
    Never, never, never give up! (Winston Churchill)