“Thanks to the Swiss education system, there are no closed doors”
Martin Seydoux pictured hiking the Annapurna circuit after attending a conference in Nepal. © Martin Seydoux
Recent EPFL graduate Martin Seydoux took an unconventional career path to a PhD, having discovered his passion for engineering as an apprentice in a campus mechanics workshop.
When Swiss students complete mandatory schooling at age 15, they already have a life-changing career decision to make: they must choose between a secondary school path in preparation for a university education, and a vocational path as an apprentice. Growing up just a few kilometers from EPFL, Martin Seydoux was fascinated by how things work, and enjoyed disassembling things like radios to examine their components before reassembling them (“Not always successfully,” he remembers, laughing). So when he turned 15, an apprenticeship in an EPFL Technical Workshop seemed like the perfect path to a career in mechanics. Seydoux joined the School of Engineering’s mechanical engineering workshop in 2009, helping researchers build and test components for their experiments.
“Thanks to the Swiss education system, there are no closed doors,” Seydoux says. “I had good grades and was on track to go to high school, but I ended up being one of only two students out of 25 to opt for an apprenticeship…and I am so glad I did. It was harder than straight studies, but it gave me the skills to design and build mechanical parts – something that engineering graduates usually need to spend some time in industry to learn.”
Forging a unique path
The apprenticeship gave Seydoux an overview of mechanics, from design and blueprints to modeling and construction. Working with PhD students from various labs, he had the chance to contribute to diverse projects like rehabilitative prosthetics and combustion engines. He went on to take classes at the Swiss university of applied sciences HEIG-VD. After earning a bachelor’s degree, he decided he wanted to learn more about engineering. “I had enjoyed my studies, so, I thought: let’s try EPFL and see how far we can go.”
Leaping from a vocational path and back on track to one of Switzerland’s Federal Institutes of Technology was easier said than done, requiring a year of intensive EPFL coursework in math and physics. But once he joined the Mechanical Engineering Master program, he was able to take his interest in hands-on engineering to new heights – and speeds.
“I went to Mario Paolone, head of the Distributed Electrical Systems Lab, looking for an opportunity to build something with my own hands that would work at the end. He suggested I join the EPFLoop team, which he managed.”
EPFLoop develops solutions for ultra-high-speed transportation systems inspired by Elon Musk’s hyperloop concept. As EPFLoop team captain in 2019, Seydoux led the team to third place at the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition 2019 in Los Angeles. For this event, he coordinated the production of a carbon fiber pod prototype containing a propulsion system called a linear induction motor. The pod remained intact after reaching speeds of 238 km/hr, demonstrating a reliable potential design for a larger-scale prototype.
“The hyperloop team was one of the most fascinating parts of my EPFL master. We had to design something real, and Professor Paolone was there, among others, working day and night – not teaching, but figuring things out alongside us,” Seydoux says.
The perfect mix
As part of the EPFLoop project, Seydoux again spent a lot of time working with PhD students, and the the depth of their knowledge on a specific subject inspired him to pursue a PhD himself. Under Paolone’s co-supervision, Seydoux did his thesis research as part of the EU Horizon 2020 project XFLEX HYDRO, which aims to upgrade hydropower plants to more efficiently and flexibly integrate renewable energy sources like solar and wind.
The findings from Seydoux’s thesis, which he defended in June, will be implemented at several demonstration sites across Europe – a culmination that perfectly unites his thirst for knowledge with his passion for practice. It’s a combination that he is excited to continue in his new role as an engineer for HYDRO Exploitation SA in Sion, Switzerland.
“I still get to lead research as part of another European project, do computational work, and take on-site measurements at hydropower plants. It’s the perfect mix,” he says.
Although at times more challenging than a more conventional career path, Seydoux says he wouldn’t change a thing
“I am proud of my path. I think it’s one of the best ways to become an engineer, because starting with the practical side is valuable when you want to apply what you learn as you get more into theory. At every step along the way, I was inspired by the knowledge of the people I met, and I wanted to be just as knowledeable about something I love, which is engineering machines. But the more you learn, the more you discover that you don’t know so much!”