The latest episode of The Leaders’ Room podcast season four features Rathnait Long, distinguished fellow of technology at Macom Technology Solutions. This series is created in partnership with IDA Ireland.
Once again in season four of The Leaders’ Room podcast, we get to know the leaders of some of the most influential multinationals in tech, life sciences and innovation, as well as getting insights into their leadership styles and the high-tech trends they see coming down the line.
In this latest episode, we speak to Rathnait Long, distinguished fellow of technology at Macom Technology Solutions, about her distinguished career in engineering, and now in leadership at the Lowell, Massachusetts-based semiconductor company with operations in Cork, Ireland. It’s a fascinating and wide-ranging chat about the transition from academia to industry, the imperfect but developing tool that is AI, and the future of technology.
Macom designs and manufactures semiconductors for a wide range of different sectors – including telecommunications, data centres, industrial and defence – so Rathnait has a bird’s eye perspective on how technology companies keep innovating amid rapid technological shifts.
Macom has an important hub in Cork, which has a strong focus on design, but is also core to other aspects of Macom’s international operations, so we discuss how Ireland fits into the larger multinational story for Macom.
Long shared her quandary at various stages of her career, whether to stick with academia or get out into industry – she clearly thrived in both. She tells us how she ultimately felt that draw to be involved in the application of the research in an industry setting.
She clearly gained enormously from the opportunity she had to spend her postdoc years in Stanford, and it struck me listening to her that many of today’s engineering students may not feel as welcomed to the US in the current climate, which is unfortunate.
It is also a reminder of how vital it is that Ireland is building even more superb postdoc opportunities and experiences here at home and in Europe. Having spoken recently to Minister James Lawless, TD and the new head of Research Ireland Diarmuid O’Brien on this subject, that is certainly Ireland’s ambition.
Long’s identity as an engineer is clearly central to everything she does. She is focused on problem-solving, and seeing her ideas and research translated into real-world applications. What is clear throughout the discussion is how neatly that translates into her pragmatic approach to leadership.
We’re grateful to all our interviewees again this season, for taking the time out of busy schedules to come into the studio and share their insights and their intelligence with us. And a big thanks as ever to our partners IDA Ireland who make this series possible.
The Leaders’ Room podcast is released fortnightly and can be found by searching for ‘The Leaders’ Room’ wherever you get your podcasts. For those who prefer their audio with visuals, filmed versions of the podcast interviews are all available here on SiliconRepublic.com.
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