IN:CHARGE is where we introduce professional members of LG Energy Solution. Today, we will meet O-jeong Kwon of the ESS Cell Development team. What is he doing to develop cells for ESS that is relevant to higher efficiency of renewable energy?
Q. Please introduce yourself.
Hi! My name is O-jeong Kwon and I develop lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery cells at the ESS Cell Development team. Specifically, I work on LFP cell compositions, verifying various compositions and designs, and looking for issues that can erupt in the process. My goal is to make marketable LFP cells by doing so.
Q. What are the job skills you need at the ESS Cell Development team?
You need knowledge and experience in a variety of fields including physics, chemistry, material engineering, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, and industrial engineering to do this job. You should be a generalist who can understand expertise of different fields and apply it to your job.
At the same time, you should also be a specialist in your own field. Sometimes you should deal with some matters of which you cannot find even in books for majors as you continue your research. In that case, universal knowledge alone is not enough. Therefore, the members of the ESS Cell Development team are all both specialists and generalists.
Q. What do you do to improve your job skills?
I study many different fields, not just my specialty. Also, I engage in writing reports and seminars organized by the company and keep trying to identify what the experts of each field are thinking and studying.
As such, I study many different things and put together the knowledge of different fields. Sometimes, I find a new answer when I apply a solution of one field to another. This can create a unique solution and even lead to a patent.
Above all, I should keep researching my field and studying the trends. Some may believe that schools and research institutions initiate research, and companies just develop based on their research. Actually, that is not true. Corporate institutes are where researchers study hardest competing both inside and outside of the industry and harness their expertise with the highest sensitivity. As for me, I also have built my expertise further working and researching at one.
Q. What was your most satisfying experience at work?
I have a curious mind and always want to explore the field I want to know. LG Energy Solution does not put limits and encourages its members to realize their enormous potential. Every member continued pioneering new territory in the atmosphere and eventually made the company a first mover in the battery market. Becoming the first to learn about things nobody knows is really fun.
Also, I feel fulfilled as my job at the ESS Cell Development contributes to society and the environment of the earth. In particular, since LFP batteries last long and can be reused, I can play a role in bringing about a greener future by further developing LFP batteries and using the resources most efficiently.