Erzähl mal, Reza…

Was bewegt die Menschen hinter V-Research? In unserer Interviewreihe geben unsere MitarbeiterInnen persönliche Einblicke in ihren Forschungsalltag, ihre kulturellen Hintergründe und ihre kulinarischen Vorlieben. Sie erzählen, woran sie forschen, was sie inspiriert, was sie nach Vorarlberg gebracht hat – und wie Vielfalt, Teamgeist und Genuss bei V-Research gelebt werden.
Ob spannende Projekte, internationale Perspektiven oder Lieblingsrezepte aus aller Welt: Hier wird sichtbar, wie Innovation entsteht – mit Leidenschaft, Neugier und einem Hauch Heimatgefühl.
Die Interviews veröffentlichen wir im Originalton – oft auf Englisch –, um die persönlichen Geschichten authentisch und unverfälscht erlebbar zu machen.

„Vorarlberg ist ein Stück Himmel – beruflich wie privat. Wie eine wunderschöne Postkarte. Ich bin dankbar, hier zu leben.“
Reza Afzali, Research Engineer Power Electronics bei V-Research

What is your personal motto or slogan?
“Never give up! But if you guess you might, do it as soon as possible!”
“No stress! Everybody’s wasting their life! Who cares how you do it?”

What differences or similarities do you see between the work culture in your home country and at V-Research?
In Iran, my country, most people hardly find time to go on vacation. In V-research, local people hardly find time to work among their numerous vacations.

What do you particularly appreciate about Vorarlberg—both professionally and personally?
Vorarlberg is a piece of heaven. It’s like living in a beautiful postcard. I’m thankful to live here.
Professionally, I admire the respect people show each other at work. They try to achieve their goals with patience and consistency, without making too much noise. On a personal level, I appreciate the culture based on an abundance mindset. However, I think people sometimes take this belief to extremes in certain areas. For example, I believe the number of trees cut here each year exceeds what nature or people can sustainably replace in the long term.

Is there a dish or beverage from your home country that you particularly miss—or perhaps even cook or prepare here in Vorarlberg?
Yes, I think I miss all the dishes from my country, like Ghorme-Sabzi, Kabab Koobide, Isfahanian Beryan, Aash.

Have you discovered a favourite dish, beverage or culinary highlight in Vorarlberg that surprised you?
Here, I found the schnitzel delicious, along with some desserts. And of course, the cheese – especially Appenzeller, which I really like.

If you were to invite your team to a meal from your home country, what would you serve?
Ghorme-Sabzi, but it won’t taste as good as in my country because I have to use dried vegetables, which don’t taste like the fresh ones that aren’t available here unfortunately.

What was your most amusing or unusual culinary experience in Austria?
I cook pasta and add some unusual ingredients, like the dried Iranian vegetables I mentioned.

What is your favourite spice?
Garlic and ginger powder. I also like saffron, turmeric, black pepper, chilli, and cardamom.

What is your favourite drink or cocktail?
Red Wine.