Rod Madsen,
LI-COR Biosciences Environmental Senior Product Manager
Life Pathway
From a young age, Madsen was interested in the natural world; a likely result from growing up on a farm in the Midwest. He continued his education at the University of Nebraska at Kearney and majored in Biology and Criminal Justice. Initially, he believed his dream was to pursue conservation with his degree; however, his professor realized his potential in continuing his education. Madsen’s connection to his mentor shifted his mindset and began a job opportunity in a lab setting. Little did he know that this gateway would later present his future career.
By the end of his undergraduate studies, Madsen decided to further his education by working for a professor he had met through his previous mentor. As a result of his exposure in environmental science, he obtained his master's in Entomology, with a specialty in Integrated Pest Management, at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. During his years of graduate work, he spent a lot of time in the field and primarily used LI-COR products. After his master's, he applied to LI-COR and was well received into their technical support team. His expertise and knowledge about the products made him a valuable candidate for the company. For five years he traveled and began to understand the environmental market. Ten years later, Rod Madsen moved through five different positions and is currently a Sr. Product Manager. He states that after many years of experience, he understands the market’s movements and fluctuations- ultimately, recognizing where he should look to in the future in terms of products. He is content with his company and enjoys the presence of his colleagues. During Madsen's time off work, he prefers to spend time with his family.
Career Pathway
Madsen’s career pathway began when he was a graduate student, working on his Master of Science degree in Entomology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He would work 20 hours a week for his professor, as part of his assistant-ship, and then the remaining 20+ hours would be spent furthering his own research. During his experiments, he constantly used LI-COR products to complete the data collection for his experiments. Due to technical difficulties that would arise, Madsen would occasionally call the company’s technical support, leading to his increased knowledge in LI-COR instruments. When he completed his Master of Science degree, he applied for a job in the company, where he became a part of the technical support team. Under this title, Madsen would answer questions about products, help customers find what instrument they need, and much more. Due to his increased knowledge in the products that LI-COR produced, he was soon promoted to a Senior Applications Analyst, which is a position that he held for 5 years until he was promoted to Senior Product Specialist. From there, Madsen became a Product Manager, which is a position he held for 8 years. As a Product Manager, Madsen had the opportunity to travel constantly, helping customers with their needs, as well as furthering his knowledge on products that his customers would be needing due to their research. As a Product Manager, Madsen also improved his knowledge and skills in marketing and finances. After those 8 years, Madsen was promoted to Senior Product Manager. As a Senior Product Manager, since Madsen had already become an expert on the products that LI-COR sold, as well as having gained the knowledge on marketing and finances, he was able to cover his position well. Currently, Madsen does not have plans to move to a different company because he enjoys working at LI-COR Biosciences.
Advice
His advice to his past self is to not sell yourself short and to recognize your limits, but not to limit yourself to solely one specific field, because that may lead to vulnerability in improving yourself. Personally, he now understands that business and engineering are important skills to have in a fast-paced, growing technological society. He regrets not focusing more on these fields as a student.
From a young age, Madsen was interested in the natural world; a likely result from growing up on a farm in the Midwest. He continued his education at the University of Nebraska at Kearney and majored in Biology and Criminal Justice. Initially, he believed his dream was to pursue conservation with his degree; however, his professor realized his potential in continuing his education. Madsen’s connection to his mentor shifted his mindset and began a job opportunity in a lab setting. Little did he know that this gateway would later present his future career.
By the end of his undergraduate studies, Madsen decided to further his education by working for a professor he had met through his previous mentor. As a result of his exposure in environmental science, he obtained his master's in Entomology, with a specialty in Integrated Pest Management, at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. During his years of graduate work, he spent a lot of time in the field and primarily used LI-COR products. After his master's, he applied to LI-COR and was well received into their technical support team. His expertise and knowledge about the products made him a valuable candidate for the company. For five years he traveled and began to understand the environmental market. Ten years later, Rod Madsen moved through five different positions and is currently a Sr. Product Manager. He states that after many years of experience, he understands the market’s movements and fluctuations- ultimately, recognizing where he should look to in the future in terms of products. He is content with his company and enjoys the presence of his colleagues. During Madsen's time off work, he prefers to spend time with his family.
Career Pathway
Madsen’s career pathway began when he was a graduate student, working on his Master of Science degree in Entomology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He would work 20 hours a week for his professor, as part of his assistant-ship, and then the remaining 20+ hours would be spent furthering his own research. During his experiments, he constantly used LI-COR products to complete the data collection for his experiments. Due to technical difficulties that would arise, Madsen would occasionally call the company’s technical support, leading to his increased knowledge in LI-COR instruments. When he completed his Master of Science degree, he applied for a job in the company, where he became a part of the technical support team. Under this title, Madsen would answer questions about products, help customers find what instrument they need, and much more. Due to his increased knowledge in the products that LI-COR produced, he was soon promoted to a Senior Applications Analyst, which is a position that he held for 5 years until he was promoted to Senior Product Specialist. From there, Madsen became a Product Manager, which is a position he held for 8 years. As a Product Manager, Madsen had the opportunity to travel constantly, helping customers with their needs, as well as furthering his knowledge on products that his customers would be needing due to their research. As a Product Manager, Madsen also improved his knowledge and skills in marketing and finances. After those 8 years, Madsen was promoted to Senior Product Manager. As a Senior Product Manager, since Madsen had already become an expert on the products that LI-COR sold, as well as having gained the knowledge on marketing and finances, he was able to cover his position well. Currently, Madsen does not have plans to move to a different company because he enjoys working at LI-COR Biosciences.
Advice
His advice to his past self is to not sell yourself short and to recognize your limits, but not to limit yourself to solely one specific field, because that may lead to vulnerability in improving yourself. Personally, he now understands that business and engineering are important skills to have in a fast-paced, growing technological society. He regrets not focusing more on these fields as a student.
Authors: Raquel Dieffenbacher and Stephanie Martinez