Pieter Tack Email & Phone Number

I am a flexible, kind person with a mind for analytical chemistry and a nose for optimising routine jobs and optimising data evaluation routines, and prefer to work in a goal-oriented atmosphere in close collaboration with a strong and efficient team. After studying in order to become a Master of Science: Chemistry at Ghent University, I followed up my academic career with a PhD in chemistry. My field of research was located in analytical chemistry, more specifically in the development of X-ray fluorescence and absorption spectroscopy methodologies. During my PhD I developed multiple data evaluation skills, and got used to goal and deadline oriented project work in the form of so-called "beam times": experiments scheduled at high performance and competitive radiation facilities all over Europe, during which typically experiments are performed non-stop over a week's time in order to provide data that can be processed over the following 6 or 12 month period. It was soon clear I had a good knack for handling both the practical, technical and theoretical sides of these experiments. Due to the methodological nature of my research I also often collaborated with other research groups whose field of research is oriented more towards material research; a collaboration that was often very fruitful due to our complementary fields of expertise.Following my PhD I decided to prolongue my academic career to further develop myself as a scientist, taking on more responsibilities such as guiding other (PhD)students and developing my own projects from the start (e.g. designing an instrument, proposing for funds, acquiring the components, assembly and finally making it operational). Additionally, during this time I further developed my programming skills (Python, IDL, C), allowing me to greatly facilitate my own but also my team members' data evaluation tasks.During this period in time I was also a key member in the Hayabusa2 space mission preliminary analysis team, during which samples were collected from asteroid Ryugu in space and returned to Earth. These unique samples were then analysed with several analytical methods, where myself and my surrounding team were responsible for the non-destructive elemental analysis of heavy elements within the large grains using X-ray based methods.