Tijl Crivits

How did you find your way to Umicore?

When I was in the third year of my bachelor’s degree and missed out on an international placement that I had applied for, I asked a professor about any interesting opportunities there might be for me in Belgium. He took me along to Umicore, for a company visit and a lab trial with pyrometallurgical furnaces where I was able to throw in some e-scrap and I was sold on it right away. I’ve remained in contact with Umicore ever since. Two years later I did my master’s thesis there and finally, I got the chance via the company to go to Australia to study for my doctorate at Queensland University. Eventually it was the logical step - once I’d finally had enough of the academic world - to go and work in pyrometallurgy in the R&D department at Umicore in Olen.

Can you describe your current position at Umicore?

After three years in pyrometallurgy, I felt like doing something different. The condition was that I still wanted it to be technical. Then a job involving battery processes in the RBM department caught my eye: a number of these processes involve high temperatures, so furnaces are needed here, too. That meant my experience would be useful. That’s how I ended up in my current job.  My job involves examining the high-temperature processes to see where improvements can be made in technology and process optimization. Demand in the battery industry is rising exponentially, so we are having to scale up, but at the same time we want to keep the cost down as much as possible. So I have to prove that the ideas that we come up with will be technically feasible and also make the link to engineering to get them implemented.

What do you like about your job?

Definitely the impact that you can have. The battery sector is expanding. With every idea you implement, you are contributing not only to the company's operating result, but also to society. So the green transition that we are all working for is increasingly becoming a reality.

What do you like about working at Umicore?

For me, it’s the company’s view of the world. Many companies are jumping on the bandwagon of sustainability and the transition to the green economy at the moment, but Umicore was a pioneer in this field. It has been doing this for over 20 years. When you start your career, I personally think it’s best to opt for a job that contributes to society. That was and still is my biggest motivation in choosing a company like Umicore.

What do you look forward to when you set off to work in the morning?

Mainly talking with colleagues, chatting and having a laugh about this and that. The atmosphere in our team really feels a bit like a start-up, within a big company like Umicore. A lot of my colleagues started at the same time as me and together we have built the department into what it is today, so we have got through some difficulties together. That atmosphere, that sense of belonging is what I look forward to every day. 

What has been the highlight of your time at Umicore so far?

I’m incredibly proud of the huge impact my team has had on the operating results. As a student, I could never have imagined that I could play such a big part in projects involving investments of billions.  

Another highlight was the first time I supervised a doctoral student myself. The opportunity to guide people who are studying the same subject, at the same university and following the same path that you once took yourself is great. The fact that you can give someone else the same opportunities that you have been given, particularly when you see people growing in what they do, is amazing.  But when I see that a new colleague whom I have been supporting is starting to do things independently and contribute to the organization, that is also a very satisfying feeling.  

Any advice for newcomers?

I’d like to quote the UGent motto: ‘Dare to think’. But also: Dare to do. Dare to ask. Dare to stand up for yourself. Dare to go against the flow. Dare to challenge. As a student, you often think - naively - that people in a company like Umicore know everything already. But sometimes there can be myths in the workplace, assumptions that everyone makes. When you question those, no-one can show you where they came from. Doing that can often lead you to new or fresh insights.