100 expats: Research & Technology

Troy Bankhead came to Luxembourg from the US in 1999. In his industrious career, he has gone from being a media entrepreneur to becoming a marketing and communications guru, business consultant, TedX talker and currently representing US biotech company Techcyte, which opened its EU headquarter in the grand duchy in 2017. Techcyte uses artificial intelligence to create digital diagnostic tests. “What I appreciate most about working in Luxembourg is the quality of life and the location; it’s a hub for Europe, surrounded by--and filled with--so much culture,” he says.

A 2019 National Research Fund (FNR) award winner, Eva Lagunas’ research at the University of Luxembourg focuses on optimising wireless communication networks, for example, how satellite and terrestrial systems can work together more efficiently as countries are expanding their 5G networks. “Satellites will play a key part in extending 5G connectivity to air, sea and other remote areas not covered by conventional terrestrial networks,” she says. Lagunas arrived in Luxembourg in 2014 after receiving her PhD from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia in her native Spain.

After more than a decade spent living in Luxembourg, Madhumalti Sharma says she is now “a proud Luxembourger and Indian.” With more than 20 years’ experience in ICT, she founded not-for-profit Workshop4Me, which teaches children how to code, from junior computing for children as young as 5 to app development for teenagers aged 12 and over. Her passion for coding earned her the title EU Code Week ambassador, as she promotes this initiative in the grand duchy. She is also a girls and women in tech mentor and active in the Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

German national Ulf Nehrbass gained more visibility during the coronavirus pandemic as the spokesman of Luxembourg’s covid-19 task force. Although he grew up in nearby Rhineland-Palatinate, his career has taken him to France, the UK, US and Republic of Korea, before coming to Luxembourg in 2017 as the CEO of the Luxembourg Institute of Health. “I thought I was coming home,” he said about moving so close to Germany, “but I do find Luxembourg more distinct, different than I had expected.”

A specialist in medieval French and Occitan literature, Catherine Léglu became vice-rector for academic affairs at the University of Luxembourg in September 2019. Before moving to the grand duchy, she worked at the universities of Reading and Bristol, and Queen’s University Belfast. “I really like the fact that Luxembourg has embraced multiculturalism in many ways,” she says. “It’s one of the fastest-growing countries in Europe. All of that makes for a very interesting and very dynamic environment.”

From researcher to entrepreneur, Alberto Noronha arrived in the grand duchy in 2014 and founded Nium after completing his PhD and post-doctoral studies at the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine in 2019. Originally from Portugal, Noronha’s background in computational biology helped create the food technology startup, which is developing a personalised nutrition app. The aim is to use individual metabolic data and combine it with a range of other user preferences to deliver custom advice.

Thomas Kallstenius became CEO of the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology in February 2019 after previously working in senior positions at Imec and Iminds, two research organisations in Belgium. He lived in Luxembourg briefly before moving to Brussels in 2004, saying the innovation potential already impressed him back then. The engineer now leads public research institute List, which specialises in the fields of IT, materials and the environment, and recently branched out into space.

A repeat expat, Glorieux lived just across the border in Belgium during the 2010s. She left for San Francisco and founded TA-DA! Language Productions in Silicon Valley to develop sound books, which allow children to hear words in the books read out loud to improve learning. Glorieux, a Nashville native with a background in teaching and journalism, moved the education technology startup herein 2020. “Luxembourg fits us like a glove; the perfect ‘siège’ for a company whose mission is all about language and culture for children.”