At Scribner, innovation starts with the people behind the instruments. Our team is made up of scientists and engineers who share a passion for empowering electrochemical research and for supporting the researchers who make breakthroughs possible. In this series, Inside Scribner, we’re excited to introduce the people you’ll work with when you partner with Scribner.
Meet Johnny Coxe , a methodical, detail-driven troubleshooter who takes pride ensuring each system is ready for research.
From end of line testing to recalibration of a customer’s unit, when something leaves Scribner working flawlessly, it’s likely Johnny had a hand in it. Johnny lives in the space between “it should work” and “it actually does.” His days are grounded in testing, calibration, and meticulous QA, but what really defines his work is a patience-driven approach to troubleshooting, slowing things down, digging past surface-level symptoms, and getting to the real root of a problem. It’s a mindset built on detail, intention, and experience, whether he’s tracking down a customer repair issue or making sure a system performs reliably long after it leaves the bench.
What’s the most interesting or challenging issue you’ve had to troubleshoot recently?
Johnny: We had a board issue that was acting strange and didn’t match anything obvious. It ended up being something I had seen before, but it’s not common. I was able to track it down and fix it for a coworker. Those are the ones I enjoy the most, when it’s not textbook and you actually have to think through it.
How do you approach diagnosing a problem when a system isn’t behaving the way it should?
Johnny: I try to slow everything down and not jump to conclusions. Start simple, check the basics, then work your way deeper. A lot of problems look complicated but come from something small. If you rush it, you miss that. I’d rather take a little more time and actually understand what’s happening than just swap parts and hope it works.
What does Scribner do to go the extra mile when building systems, that might never get noticed by the customer, but we do it anyway?
Johnny: We build everything like someone’s going to rely on it heavily, even if they never see the inside of it. Clean wiring, solid connections, making sure calibration is dead on. A lot of that stuff never gets noticed, but it’s the difference between something working and something being reliable long term.
How do you stay sharp technically—any habits, resources, or instincts you rely on?
Johnny: A lot of it is just hands-on experience and paying attention. You start to recognize patterns the more you do it. I also try to stay patient and not get frustrated when something doesn’t make sense right away. That’s usually when you learn the most.
Outside of Scribner, you spend time as a western photographer—what draws you to that style, and what do you look for behind the camera? Does that attention to detail carry over into your work here?
Johnny: I grew up watching old westerns and playing games like Red Dead Redemption, and that whole world stuck with me. I like capturing something that feels real and a little timeless. It’s more documentary for me than anything, just showing moments as they are. I’m always looking for small details that make the image feel real: light, texture, things people might overlook. That definitely carries over into my work with Scribner. It’s the same mindset of paying attention to things most people won’t notice but that make a big difference in the end.
