What’s your field of research and what do you work on? 

„My research field is circular economy and I focus on sustainable manufacturing. I develop digital tools to support sustainable production. All my projects deal with industry and are very applied.”

In which country or countries and institutions have you been doing research?

„I was born in Germany. During my studies I did practical training (necessary for my study) in Australia (for a company in Sydney), China (University in Beijing), and South Africa (University of Cape Town). After my phD I received a scholarship and went abroad to Canada for two years to work for Natural Resources Canada, which was the best time ever. One of my three kids was actually born there and is now a Canadian Citizen.”

What made you want to go to science? Did you have any role models or otherwise inspiring persons who influenced your career? 

„Actually, I wanted to go to industry, but as a young mother with three kids it was really depressing on the job market 20 years ago. In Science, they did not care. I must admit that I like my work now, even it wasn’t my first goal.  There wasn’t THE role model, but I am still connected with other “working mom’s” which was very helpful.”

What is the achievement you are most proud of?

„I won the Raw Material Efficiency Award of the BMWK in 2018 for my digital tool “RAUPE” which supports the reuse of car components and saves therefore resources.”

Did you meet any barriers – social, structural, personal or other- during your career as a scientific researcher? 

„Definitely YES. Discrimination against me as a young mother were quite usual. Also, my male colleagues got “promoted” earlier (e.g. as team leader). Men get higher salary in industry because they have to care for the family. Women have a “partner” and their salary is a nice to have. Bargaining for more money was out of scope for the men I was dealing with (in industry). From the structural side , it was very hard having contracts lasting for only 6 months. Family planning becomes a jeopardy. And also, the new version of the Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz won’t solve the problem, it will become even worse.”

 What is your advice for those who are interested in working in science?

 „Have a plan why you want to work in Science and have a good mentor. Good mentoring is the key. Make yourself familiar with the “Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz” as you can’t stay forever at university (unless you become a professor). Be focused on your phD and finish it. ”

Finally: what is your agenda for the coming months? 

„Keep my team happy at the moment. I have a fantastic team and my research topic is a hot topic right now. A perfect combination.”

What’s your field of research and what do you work on? 

„ I am a plant ecologist. I am fascinated by why certain plants grow where they do and how are these patterns affected by environment, other co-occurring plants and also by the surrounding landscape. I am currently working as a postdoc in the DynaCom project where I am looking into different ecological processes that drive the dynamics in salt marsh plant communities. ”

In which country or countries and institutions have you been doing research?

„ I studied at the University of Tartu in Estonia where I also did my PhD. I am most certainly also affected by short stays in France and Czech Republic. For the past eight years I have been working in Oldenburg. ”

What made you want to go to science? Did you have any role models or otherwise inspiring persons who influenced your career? 

„I have had the fortune to be surrounded by so many inspiring people. I had the best biology and chemistry teachers who managed to spark my interest in the field of natural sciences. During my studies I was first leaning into more technical fields as I studied environmental technology, but Tartu is home of some really inspiring ecology professors. Attending their lectures and seeing their dedication to the field convinced me to choose plant ecology. I am also forever grateful to my BSc and MSc supervisor – I was able to attend a lot of field sampling that gave me an invaluable sense of Estonian nature. My PhD supervisor inspired me to learn how to stand for myself and actively look for research opportunities.”

What is the achievement you are most proud of?

„I am proud that I have dared to take the opportunities that have come my way. Having coordination tasks in a large project as DynaCom wasn’t something that I would have always been comfortable with, but I feel that I have grown so much with the project. Supporting others, specially early career researchers is such a rewarding task. ”

Did you meet any barriers – social, structural, personal or other- during your career as a scientific researcher? 

„I’ve had times, where I was told, that as a female student I am less capable of independent research than my male colleagues. That took me some courage and also stubbornness to show that I am just as worthy. I am lucky to not have been part of abuse complaints, but as a trusted person it has left me powerless to see the complaints from students not to be taken seriously. I am therefore even more grateful for all the support that I have received during recent years in balancing work and family life.”

What is your advice for those who are interested in working in science?

„I think being curious and persistent is useful for someone interested in science. There are always things not working out as planned, so maintaining positive and curious attitude while keeping at it has been helpful for me. Communication is also absolutely essential at all levels – developing ideas, solving problems, handling setbacks, finding collaborators. ”

Finally: what is your agenda for the coming months? 

„We are in the last sampling season for the DynaCom project, so collecting the last data and clearing the experimental area on Spiekeroog. Then its back to the desk – we have collected ten years’ worth of data and I am really buzzing to finally analyze it. ”

„Hi, I work as a scientific coordinator in the Marine Governance group at the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity at the University of Oldenburg. Our research focuses on how institutions, organizations, communities, and individuals govern the seas and oceans. My role is to support the group in science-related and organizational activities. One of my projects is to organize the Marine Social Science Lecture here in Oldenburg.”

In which country or countries and institutions have you been doing research? 

„As a “homegrown”, I have spent the majority of my time at the University of Oldenburg. During my bachelor’s program, I received funding for an internship at the University of Iceland (where I helped to sample and sort small marine critters). During my master’s program, I was fortunate enough to participate in an exchange program with James Cook University in Queensland, Australia. Besides my study programs, I also completed my Ph.D. and did my postdoc at UOL. Since 2020, I work at the HIFMB.”

What made you want to go into science? Did you have any role models or otherwise inspiring persons who influenced your career?

"I have a very enthusiastic family who let me spend every free minute of my childhood in the forest or on the mudflats (mudflat hiking was and is my mother's favorite hobby—not mine though...). This shaped my attachment to and sense of responsibility for our environment and led me to become a biologist.

My motivation to become a scientific coordinator was, frankly speaking, a mixture of the precarious job conditions for scientists and my wish to stay in Oldenburg. But quite soon, I realized that working with people makes me happy and that science management is a multifaceted, exciting, and rewarding profession."

What is the achievement you are most proud of?

"I was very touched when my colleagues put the doctoral hat on my head after some years of quite hard work. So yes, I think I can say that I’m proud to call myself “Doktorin.” 
But I also truly hope that my work has been valuable for both the scientific and social experiences of all PhD candidates in the research training group (a shout-out to them!)."

Did you meet any barriers—social, structural, personal, or other—during your career as a scientific researcher?

„Yes. But for a long time, I was not aware of them. Coming from a non-academic family, I didn't realize how important academic networks and mentors can be. Also, one needs not only good grades but also financial support to gain necessary international experiences. And sometimes family responsibilities and care work can limit your publication output. The list of barriers can be quite long.”

What is your advice for those who are interested in working in science?

„Find a topic that drives you, make friends, and most importantly, take care of yourself.”

What is your agenda for the coming months?

„I am looking forward to the autumn when the first Marine Social Science Lecture with the theme of “Belonging” will take place at HIFMB. In addition to the lecture, there will be a workshop, and visitors will be able to experience art-science contributions. There is still a lot on my agenda for this event.”

What’s your field of research and what do you work on?

„I specialize in the field of animal navigation and magnetoreception. My research focuses on understanding how birds sense and use the Earth's magnetic field to navigate during migration. Specifically, I investigate the biochemical and molecular mechanisms underlying magnetoreception, with a particular emphasis on the role of cryptochromes—light-sensitive proteins in the eyes of birds.”

In which country or countries and institutions have you been doing research?

„I had the privilege of doing research in three countries so far. I did my Master thesis at the Cambridge Institute of Medical Research in the UK, after which I returned to Germany to the University of Osnabrück, where I completed my PhD. Post-PhD, I worked at the Cancer Research Center of Toulouse in France as a DFG research fellowship holder. Currently, I am a postdoctoral researcher at Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, working within the ERC Synergy Grant Quantum Birds project.”

What made you want to go to science? Did you have any role models or otherwise inspiring persons who influenced your career?

„When I was a child, we used to have a lot of magazines at home. I loved reading “Geo”, and later “Gehirn & Geist”. However, I never considered a scientific career until my final years at school, maybe because I had no idea what that meant. But I remember learning about neurons and action potentials for the first time at school in biology class, and this was like a revelation to me. I wanted to learn more and just followed my curiosity. I never thought about what I would do with that knowledge later or that it involved so much lab work. I’m glad I didn’t, because I never enjoyed the experiments we had to do at school very much. The experiments I can do today are of course far more exciting and I love being in the lab.”

What is the achievement you are most proud of?

„Honestly, that is raising two kids, especially, as I was doing it alone most of the time and still survived in science. Scientifically, I’m proud to have proven in my PhD that mammals have sucrose transporters – outdating textbook knowledge that they don’t. I love challenging existing knowledge.”

Did you meet any barriers – social, structural, personal or other- during your career as a scientific researcher?

„Yes, like many researchers, I have encountered various barriers throughout my career. Balancing my professional responsibilities with my role as a single parent has been particularly challenging. However, these challenges have also taught me resilience and to not give up. Some people may turn you down for being pregnant or having a baby or being a single parent. But there are always people who give you a chance in spite of that, and I’m incredibly grateful to those.”

 What is your advice for those who are interested in working in science?

„My advice is to stay curious and persistent. Science can be demanding and sometimes discouraging, but also incredibly rewarding. Follow your passion. You will only be able to go through tough times, if you are really motivated.”

Finally: what is your agenda for the coming months?

„In the coming months, I have some manuscripts to write and I also plan to apply for independent research fellowships. So my time in the lab will be limited. Additionally, I will start with some teaching in the next semester, which is exciting.”

What’s your field of research and what do you work on?

„My research is about the effects of acute physical exercise on brain activity, measured with mobile EEG, and cognitive performance. Even though it is no secret that sport is good for your physical health, there is also emerging evidence that is also benefits your mental health and cognition and, in the long run, may even prevent cognitive decline. However, the underlying brain mechanisms are not fully understood yet. So, in my current project I investigate the pre to post change in brain activity and memory performance after an acute bout of exercise (swimming, cycling, or control), as well as potential changes in brain activity during the interventions.”

In which country or countries and institutions have you been doing research?

„During my Bachelor’s at the University of Hildesheim, I worked as a student assistant in various projects in the neurodidactics group (e.g., data collection in a project about the improvement of mathematical abilities in kindergarten children). During my Master’s at the University of Oldenburg, I was a student assistant in the Psychological Methods and Statistics group. There I worked in the CoScience project, which investigated neural correlates of personality using EEG, where I recorded 40 EEG data sets. I also gave the machine learning tutorial in the summer semester 2022 and was a tutor for the EEG recording course in 2023.

Additionally, I did an internship at the University of Braunschweig in the field of human machine interaction, and an internship at the Aix-Marseille Université, France, where I worked in a project about the role of the glycol-protein Reelin in the brain development in the mouse model.”

What made you want to go to science? Did you have any role models or otherwise inspiring persons who influenced your career?

„I first had the idea of going to science during my last two years at school. One class was about writing something like a little thesis and my topic was the genetic influence on schizophrenia. This actually made me want to be a scientist in the field of biopsychology and do research about this condition. During my studies, my interests shifted a bit but I’m still very happy to work in science.”

What is the achievement you are most proud of?

„I have to say I’m quite proud that I can call myself the first person to have measured mobile EEG during swimming. It took a lot of effort to make it work (for my first study I had twice as many pilot measurements as actual measurements that I analyzed later), and of course the data don’t look as nice as EEG data acquired during sitting. But I found meaningful brain activity in this rather hostile environment for EEG, which I am already happy with and which also motivated me to further look into this.”

Did you meet any barriers – social, structural, personal or other- during your career as a scientific researcher?

„To be honest, it has gone quite smoothly for me so far. Even though I’m the first one in my family who went to university, I always got along and had great people around me who I could ask everything and who supported me. I was also very lucky to get a contract for my PhD in the same lab where I did my master’s thesis right after I finished it.”

 What is your advice for those who are interested in working in science?

„As simple as it might sound, but: Do what you really want to do. Find a topic that suits your interests and go for it! From my experience, you have to invest a lot of your time and energy into your research. But when you’re having fun doing your research (at least most of the time) and great colleagues, it can ease things a lot.”

Finally: what is your agenda for the coming months?

„I finally want to publish the study I performed for my master’s thesis. I’m still working on some additional analyses and the manuscript, but it’s advancing. And then I will analyze and publish the data I acquired during the last six months, and of course take care of my teaching.”

Was ist ihr Forschungsgebiet und woran arbeiten sie? 

„Mein Forschungsgebiet ist die Retina-Forschung. Ich untersuche, wie Signale in der Netzhaut verarbeitet werden. Ich habe zwei Forschungslinien: 1) die Verarbeitung von Licht- und magnetischen Signalen bei Vögeln, da sie mit Hilfe ihrer Netzhaut das Magnetfeld der Erde wahrnehmen und für ihre Langstreckenflüge als „Kompass“ nutzen können, und 2) die Verarbeitung von Lichtsignalen in der Netzhaut von Mäusen.”

Wo haben Sie studiert und geforscht? 

„Ich habe in Oldenburg Biologie studiert und am Zentrum für Molekulare Neurobiologie in Hamburg promoviert. Dort habe ich an Ionenkanälen und Erkrankungen gearbeitet. Außerdem habe ich in Hamburg einen Aufbaustudiengang in Molekularer Neurobiologie absolviert. Ich bin dann zurück nach Oldenburg gekommen, habe zwischendurch jedoch einen Postdoc-Aufenthalt an der Cornell Universität in New York absolviert.”

Was hat sie dazu motiviert, in die Naturwissenschaft zu gehen und gab es bestimmte Personen oder Vorbilder, die sie inspiriert haben? 

„Mein Biologielehrer am Gymnasium war großartig und sehr motivierend. Er gestaltete den Unterricht experimentell und wir konnten viel ausprobieren. Wir haben viel gelernt und ich fand es faszinierend, eine Hypothese zu haben und diese zu testen. Das hat mich dazu motiviert, Biologie zu studieren. Während meiner Schulzeit bekam ich ein Stipendium vom Lions Club in Iserlohn, um für 3 Wochen in einer Forschungseinrichtung zu arbeiten. Das hat mich in meiner Entscheidung bestärkt.”

Auf welche Leistungen sind Sie besonders stolz? 

„Während meiner Promotionszeit haben wir eine Maus analysiert, die ein Mausmodell für eine menschliche Erkrankung war und progredient ertaubte. Wir haben genau die Mutation in die Maus eingebaut, die die Menschen auch trugen, und zeigen können, dass diese Mutation dafür sorgt, dass ein bestimmter Kaliumstrom in den Haarzellen der Maus nicht mehr vorhanden war. Eine weitere interessante Frage war die Rolle von Horizontalzellen in der Mausretina, wo wir eine Methode entwickelt haben, um sie stillzulegen und spannende Ergebnisse erzielt haben.”

Sind sie während ihrer Karriere in der Wissenschaft auf bestimmte Barrieren gestoßen?

„Eine Barriere für meine Karriere war, dass ich kein großes Paper hatte, das mir den Weg öffnete. Aber ich hatte das Glück, mit vielen tollen Menschen zusammenzuarbeiten. Es gibt viele andere Barrieren, insbesondere für Menschen aus nicht-akademischen Hintergründen, die die Spielregeln des akademischen Lebens nicht kennen und nicht wissen: Was sind Stipendien? Könnte ich mich darauf bewerben? Wie muss ich das überhaupt angehen, eine gute Stelle jetzt nach dem Studium zu finden? Zum Glück wird das jetzt mehr thematisiert. Die Unis und die DFG sehen, dass hier mehr getan werden muss.”

Welchen Rat würden sie denjenigen geben, die sich für eine Tätigkeit in der Wissenschaft interessieren? 

„Go for it! Ich glaube, einer der wichtigsten Ratschläge ist, dass es auf jeden Fall Spaß machen muss. Und man muss „es“ wissen wollen, die wissenschaftliche Frage muss einen antreiben und faszinieren. Aber wenn man diese Faszination hat, dann wird man auch seinen Weg irgendwie finden. „

Was haben sie sich für die kommenden Monate vorgenommen?  

„Wir stellen gerade einen Cluster-of-Excellence-Antrag im Rahmen der Exzellenzinitiative des Bundes. Ich beteilige mich an diesem Clusterantrag und freue mich, dass unser SFB zur Magnetrezeption und Navigation bei Vertebraten verlängert wurde. Dadurch können wir intensiver am Magnetsinn von Vögeln arbeiten. Ab dem 1.04. übernehme ich zusammen mit Herrn Heiko Schmaljohann die Verantwortung für das integrierte Graduiertenkolleg des SFBs. Das wird sicherlich eine spannende neue Aufgabe, auf die ich mich sehr freue.”

What’s your field of research and what do you work on?

„I am working in the Ambulatory Assessment in Psychology Lab. My field of research is cognition in older people and in clinical populations, e.g. people with Alzheimer's dementia. Especially, I am interested in Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD), which is a condition where individuals report cognitive decline and are concerned about a progression, even though the impairment is not yet detectable by neuropsychological screenings. Our aim is to record and understand cognition and behaviour in the everyday life of people, to establish and optimize neuropsychological diagnostics in the ambulatory setting.”

In which country or countries and institutions have you been doing research?

„I studied psychology with a focus on neuropsychology in Bremen and Lübeck (Germany). During my studies I have worked in some neuropsychological clinics and practices, e.g. in Munich and Hamburg and did a research period in Berlin.”

What made you want to go to science? Did you have any role models or otherwise inspiring persons who influenced your career?

„I studied neuropsychology because I am interested in how people experience and behave and what processes take place in the brain. I wanted to go into research to contribute to understanding things that we don't know yet. My colleagues and lab head inspire me with their passion for research and understanding things thoroughly.”

What is the achievement you are most proud of?

„I am proud when patients feel that we can help them with our research and when test persons are happy to take part in our research projects.”

Did you meet any barriers – social, structural, personal or other- during your career as a scientific researcher?

„It was difficult for me at first to understand the academic system and to get used to it. Also, I have the feeling that young researchers are sometimes confronted with prejudices when coming up with new ideas or perspectives.”

 What is your advice for those who are interested in working in science?

„I think it's important to find a field of research that you are really interested in and where you feel an intrinsic motivation to understand things thoroughly. It is very helpful, if you are willing to learn a lot of new things.”

Finally: what is your agenda for the coming months?

„Currently, I am writing my first paper. I would also like to start developing an ambulatory assessment method, to measure cognitive abilities in older people and clinical populations in the everyday life.”

What’s your field of research and what do you work on?

"I am interested in hearing abilities in everyday situations and how they relate to psychological factors such as personality and emotions. To investigate this, I utilize Ecological Momentary Assessment and Experience Sampling techniques, enabled by mobile applications and the collection of psychophysiological data like electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor data. Currently, my focus lies in the development of a profiling module in a mobile app for mHealth assessment of hearing loss and self-fitting options for hearing aid users. We aim at creating a concise assessment battery to predict hearing help-seeking behavior to promote faster adoption of hearing aids."

In which country or countries and institutions have you been doing research?

"I obtained my bachelor's degree in Speech and Language Therapy in Italy, with a thesis on the psycholinguistic development of bilingual children and the acquisition of Italian as a second language. During this time, I also gained valuable experience in clinical practice and worked for several years with children and adults. After that, I pursued my master's degree in Neurocognitive Psychology here in Oldenburg, and I chose to continue my academic journey by staying for my PhD."

What made you want to go to science? Did you have any role models or otherwise inspiring persons who influenced your career?

"My interest in science was sparked during my clinical practice when I encountered questions within my field that I couldn't fully address. This curiosity led me to pursue research, drawn by the prospect of conducting experiments and finding answers to the questions that intrigued me. I'm inspired daily by my lab team, whose passion for research motivates me to strive for excellence in my own endeavors."

What is the achievement you are most proud of?

"I'm most proud of my successful integration into German culture and academia, which marks a significant transformation from my career's beginnings. Feeling comfortable and confident in my current role is incredibly rewarding. Additionally, I take pride in my ability to continuously learn and apply new skills, such as programming. Starting from scratch, I've not only incorporated programming into my research but also lead seminars on machine learning."

Did you meet any barriers – social, structural, personal or other- during your career as a scientific researcher?

 "I encountered more opportunities for growth and empowerment rather than significant barriers during my journey as a scientific researcher. One of the initial challenges was adapting to the German culture and lifestyle. To overcome this, I put considerable effort to learning the language, building friendships, and integrating into the community. Familiarizing myself with the German academic system was also crucial, given its differences from what I was accustomed to. Thankfully, Oldenburg provided a welcoming environment that facilitated integration and networking, making the transition smoother."

 What is your advice for those who are interested in working in science?

“If you're interested in science, my advice is to keep learning new things and don't be afraid of big ideas. Being curious and open-minded is key, especially in academia where you're a constant learner. It's also helpful to mix with people from different fields, as it gives you fresh perspectives. Planning ahead is important too, especially if you want a career in academia. And don't forget to build good relationships with other researchers – networking can open up lots of opportunities for collaboration and learning. Overall, stay curious, plan ahead, and connect with others – that's the recipe for success in science!“

What is your agenda for the coming months?

"At the moment my primary focus is on finalizing the revision of my first paper, with hopes for its publication soon. In the coming months, I'll be diving into the writing phase of my second paper. Additionally, I'm excited about attending several conferences in different countries, including Italy and Austria, which I'm eagerly anticipating. Lastly, I'll be preparing for teaching in the upcoming semesters."

What’s your field of research and what do you work on? 

„My field of research is movement ecology with a main focus on migration of long-distance migratory birds. Currently, I am tracking a locally endangered long-distance migratory seabird, the common tern, with light-level geolocators, to investigate the causes and consequences of variation in its migratory phenotype.”

In which country or countries and institutions have you been doing research?

„My academic career started in Düsseldorf, where I did my bachelor`s degree in biology. I then moved to Oldenburg, and had the opportunity to do my master`s degree and PhD in cooperation with the Institute of Avian Research. Ever since I started working at the IAR, I have known that I don`t want to move elsewhere, so I am super happy that I got the opportunity to continue with my research within the SFB.”

What made you want to go to science? Did you have any role models or otherwise inspiring persons who influenced your career?

„My biology teacher inspired me to study biology. Throughout my studies, I realised how much I love doing research, but there was still this fear of not being good enough to start a career in science. Luckily, I was surrounded by two strong women (one in science, one in private life), who made me believe in my dreams and turned me into the strong young scientist I am today. I am utterly grateful for that.”

What is the achievement you are most proud of?

„I am most proud of two things: First, the PhD grant I got from the DBU. I put so much blood, sweat and tears in the grant application knowing that the chances are pretty low. It was a wonderful moment, when I got it. Second, that my PhD work is part of a new museum, we built in Wilhelmshaven. It is incredible to see that your research gets attention beyond science, and helps educating kids.”

Did you meet any barriers – social, structural, personal or other- during your career as a scientific researcher?

„To say it scientifically: statistically, I should not be where I am today. I am the oldest daughter of a single mom that raised three kids with hardly any money. Entering academia with such a social background is difficult. Only 1% of the kids (1 out of 100) with non-academic parents make it to a PhD. Even less with a background like mine. „

 What is your advice for those who are interested in working in science?

„Science is awesome, but at the same time pretty hard. You need to “burn” for your research. If you do that, you can handle the rest.”

What is your agenda for the coming months?

„I have some urgent deadlines I need to meet, such as finishing the evaluation of our new tern museum in January. Afterwards, I have to analyse geolocator data from common, black and whiskered terns, re-work a manuscript, and prepare the coming breeding season.”

What's your field of research and what are you working on?

”I study variation in the life histories of birds: (i) what individual birds do when during their lives, (ii) how we can explain (the timing of) their 'decisions', and (iii) how successful their strategies are and lead to micro-evolution. At the moment, I use a long-term, individual-based study on common terns breeding at the Banter See in Wilhelmshaven (Germany) to do so. Main topics include: ageing, migratory behaviour, adaptation to climate change, and effects of pollution." 

What made you want to go to science? 

”I started out studying medical biology because of losing loved ones to cancer and wanting to contribute to more effective treatments. The first year of my study included courses on ecology and evolutionary biology, which captivated me. I moved to the University of Groningen, where Rudi Drent, Joost Tinbergen and Christiaan Both inspired me to study life history evolution in birds and to pursue an academic career. Whereas it did not seem like much of a proper career to some, my mum always motivated me to do something that made me feel excited and alive.

I did my PhD with Ben Sheldon, Simon Verhulst and Marcel Visser - a dreamteam with each their own role in guiding me. Anne Charmantier, Virpi Lummaa and Loeske Kruuk crossed my path at various stages and showed me that combining an academic career with fun and a family life can be done by both men and women. That too was crucial for me to stick with it even when things took a bit more patience than comes natural to me. ”

Where have you been doing research?

“I started my career with a PhD at the Universities of Groningen (the Netherlands) and Oxford (UK), then did postdocs or held a fellowship at the Universities of Sheffield and Oxford (UK), before moving to the Institute of Avian Research in Wilhelmshaven (Germany). I've been here since 2013, starting as a postdoc, then in 2016 becoming one of the two directors of the institute.”

What is the achievement you are most proud of?

”I feel proud of having grasped every opportunity that presented itself, even if scary sometimes, and to have shared doing exciting work in exciting places with the people that mean most to me: my family and my group members (who also feel like family).”

Did you meet any barriers during your career?

“I know the imposter syndrome very well, and have definitely felt like the underdog in many a situation. I (have) also struggle(d) at times to combine caring for my kids or my dying mum with keeping up academic productivity, and find it hard to say 'no'. But the older I get, the thicker my skin grows and it gets a little easier to accept that I can only try my best, and that this will have to do.”

What's good advice?

“Follow your curiosity, prioritise working with nice people, and realise that rejection is the norm (not your personal failure) and that progress often comes with insecurity, blood, sweat and tears. Also don't forget to celebrate the successes every now and again. Looking back, they often do exist.”

What is your agenda for the coming months? 

“I need to write a license application for continuing my group's work on the common terns breeding at the Banter See, and have seven manuscripts on my desk to work on. I'll also do some teaching on life history evolution and have planned to give a talk at a conference. Student supervision and managing my group and the institute always take up some of my time as well. Other than that, I hope to play board games with my kids and take my dog for some nice walks. In April, the breeding season of the terns will start and I hope to do lots of fieldwork this year.”

What's your field of research and what are you working on? 

"I am a marine social scientist, focusing on the socio-cultural, political, and economic aspects of our seas and oceans. Understanding people's actions and their impact on the environment is vital as they play a role in both the problems and solutions related to climate change and biodiversity. My research spans various areas, including offshore radio piracy, prison transportation, deep-sea mining politics, ship routing, and the establishment of Marine Protected Areas."

What made you want to go to science?

"I was the first person in my family to attend university. Growing up in what might be called a poor area outside of London, I didn't have ambitions of becoming a scientist. After school, my primary goal was to find any job. I worked in a shop and later as a trainee filing clerk for the government's tax department. It was my manager, who encouraged me to pursue further qualifications and consider going to university. She made me realise I was relatively smart and could do things: I didn’t have to file paper for a living!"

Where have you been doing research?

"I began my academic career in the UK and have worked in quite a few UK institutions: Royal Holloway, University of London, the University of Sheffield, Aberystwyth University, and the University of Liverpool. I have also spent 2 research sabbaticals in Aotearoa New Zealand at the University of Waikato and the University of Auckland. I have worked in Oldenburg since 2020."

What is the achievement you are most proud of?

"It is hard to say. I could say ‘becoming a professor’, or ‘writing a lot of books’. But I am most proud not of things I have done, but of the people I work with. My team are an incredible group of people who think in interesting ways, who are passionate about their research, who are active in their commitment to making better worlds, and who are collegiate, kind and help one another. They are building a model for academia that is not about productivity and outputs but about slowing down to think about the work we do with care, so we can better change the future. I am very privileged to work with them."

Did you meet any barriers during your career?

"Many people claim science works on merit – if you are ‘good’, you succeed. But this is simply not true. Research has revealed unconscious biases in interview panels, affecting access to scientific careers, particularly for women and scholars from the Global South. Institutions should conduct mandatory equality and diversity training for staff to address these biases.

As an LGBTQ+ woman, I have faced challenges in my career. I had to turn down opportunities in countries with anti-LGBTQ+ laws, which affected my CV and grant attainment. This shows the importance of promoting equal opportunities in research. I believe supporting gender diversity and creating inclusive environments, like gender-neutral toilets and preferred name options, is essential for fostering a great research environment here in Oldenburg."

What's good advice?

"Working in science today is hard: there are few permanent positions and a lot of precarities. People often make trade-offs in their personal life. It's not my place to give advice in their shoes, as their experiences may differ from mine. However, I want to address senior people already in the field. We shouldn't accept the broken system as it is but actively work for change. It's disheartening to hear some senior staff claim the system cannot be changed. Systems are socially constructed and can be transformed. Senior staff have a responsibility to advocate for change, considering hiring criteria, contract lengths, and providing better support and mentorship for the next generation. Luckily, I meet many like-minded staff so I hope change can happen."

What is your agenda for the coming months?

"I will have a holiday in August. Rest is very important. Academia is a strange job in that we make our own work! We decide to do a new project, write a bid or a paper, present at a conference. Oftentimes it is hard to fit the work into a week. I will be slowing down so that I have energy for the autumn and winter semester!"

What's your field of research and what are you working on? 

"On the smallest scale, I investigate how migratory birds can sense the Earth’s magnetic field: I use computer simulations of the magnetic sensing protein to simulate the thermal motion of the protein in the living bird. The magnetic sensing ability relies on a chemical reaction which depends on the relative orientation and movement of parts of the sensing protein. I calculate how the motion is influencing some quantum interactions between the parts of the protein and how that is changing the outcome of the chemical reaction."

What made you want to go to science?

"Since I was a child, I always tried to find out why things work in a certain way. At school I realized that physics was the subject that would help me find the most answers to my questions. My teacher of those first years of physics and my primary school natural science teacher inspired me a lot. Both presented science as an interesting game of using logic to solve riddles. Also, my father inspires me as a person who stayed curious his whole life."

What are you most proud of?

"I am very proud of the first paper I was part of. It was written based on the research I did when I was in Chile, and on ideas that I came up with on my own. Thinking back, I am also quite proud of a presentation about the findings in that paper that I gave in Spanish. And, much less tangible, I am also proud of all the moments I decided some piece of writing was “good enough” and hit send – be it an email I mused about for hours or the bachelor and master thesis."

Where have you been doing research?

"During my physics bachelor in Heidelberg, I did a research internship with the RISE worldwide program of DAAD in Chile. For three months, I worked on quantum teleportation at the Universidad de Concepcion. Later during my masters in Heidelberg, I did two research internships in Australia at the University of New South Wales. At that time, I was more into astrophysics. In the internships, I looked into black holes and weird stellar spectra. I enjoyed my time at that University so much that I am now trying to go back there as a postdoc. Currently in my PhD, I work in the SFB 1372 whose members are quite international. This June, I visited my secondary supervisor at the University of Oxford and some other collaborators from the SFB for two weeks and learned about the experiments related to animals’ magnetic sensitivity performed there."

Did you meet any barriers during your career?

"I often met people who had the prejudice that women are not as good in physics, math, or logical thinking as men. I find it especially frustrating that managing to win a grant or get a position in science will not suffice to prove that you are capable. Instead, they say you only achieved this because you were a woman and not despite it. In my free time, I like to do karate which is also more male-dominated. Sometimes I wish academia would be more like martial arts because there, if someone doubts your ability, you can just fight it out and obtain a result which can’t be explained away easily."

What's good advice?

"Choose a topic that you are passionate about. Additionally, use a notebook for yourself. Note down parameters you won’t remember later, questions you had at that time or interesting small insights. I have different projects and sometimes one of them has to rest for several months. If all the small details are noted down, I don’t have to discover them a second time.

Lastly, for me, the research internships in other countries have been super valuable to get insights into different research areas, make connections with different research groups and remember why I wanted to go into science after two years of bachelor studies that were mostly learning for exams."

What is your agenda for the coming months?

"I plan to submit my cumulative PhD thesis in spring of next year. Currently, I am working on several paper manuscripts which I want to have submitted until then. Furthermore, I applied for a postdoc fellowship from the Human Frontiers Science Program which would lead me back to the Australian University where I spent some time during my master. I already passed the most competitive selection round for this fellowship and submitted a full grant proposal for the final round. March next year, I will know if I get the fellowship. I am thrilled that my favorite path for the future might be reachable."

What's your field of research and what are you working on? 

I am a hydrogeologist which means that I study groundwater. In our group, we’re looking into the interaction between water and rocks, biogeochemical processes that occur during groundwater flow as well as groundwater pollution. We are also interested in ecohydrological topics.

Where have you been doing research?

I studied in Bremen and Edinburgh (Scotland) and then I spent 10 years in Berlin where I did my PhD and habilitation. I also visited Adelaide in Australia during several research stays at various research institutions. 

What made you want to go to science? 

It was probably not something that I planned from the beginning, but it turned out that there are so many interesting questions and topics to do research on that I just continued to work at the university because of curiosity for my subject. 

What is the achievement you are most proud of? 

Probably the approval of the DFG research unit ´DynaDeep´ that I am the spokesperson of. It is a big cooperative project looking into processes in the subsurface of beaches, also called ‘subterranean estuary’ and I really enjoy working together as a team on Spiekeroog beach.

Did you meet any barriers?

I didn’t really encounter any active barriers. However, when I studied geology, there were hardly any women in science, not a single female teacher or professor which was not very encouraging. Also, having three children at the same time as starting a scientific carrier was quite challenging.

Your advice for those who want to get into science?

I would always advise to pursue a scientific carrier if you are really passionate about your subject, despite the difficulties that may be encountered. I think the most important thing is that you really enjoy what you are doing.

What is your agenda for the upcoming months? 

After all the covid years this year is a travelling year! Having been in South Africa for sampling around Easter, I am going to the USA and Israel to conferences next. I will also start preparations to make contacts and write the proposal for the second project phase of DynaDeep in order to get four more years of funding for our research.

What’s your field of research and what do you work on?

„My field of research is environmental microbiology. I work as a PhD student in the DynaDeep project (https://uol.de/en/icbm/dynadeep). In this project, I study the microbial communities that are living in the groundwater and in the sediment of the beach of the East Friesian Island Spiekeroog. My aim is to find out which microorganisms are living there and which role they play in this ecosystem.”

In which country or countries and institutions have you been doing research?

„My academic career started in Oldenburg and there I stayed until now. As a mother of a son and a daughter I did not want to move to another place, and I feel very comfortable at the ICBM.”

What made you want to go to science? Did you have any role models or otherwise inspiring persons who influenced your career?

„My biology teacher inspired me to study environmental sciences. She was very passionate about her work.”

What is the achievement you are most proud of?

„When my kids came to school, I started a school for adult education and got my Abitur there. After that I studied at the University of Oldenburg where I now do my PhD. Being a mother and a student at the same time is often challenging and I am proud that it worked out so well.”

Did you meet any barriers – social, structural, personal or other- during your career as a scientific researcher?

„Childcare was an issue, but my family was very supportive.”

 What is your advice for those who are interested in working in science?

„Stay persevering and curious. When things do not work out as planned, consider it as a challenge and not as a problem.”

Finally: what is your agenda for the coming months?

„I will continue taking samples from the beach, which is done every six weeks to get a time series. A lot of samples already accumulated in the freezer that have to be processed in the lab. After that, I will analyze the data and start writing.”

What’s your field of research?

"My field of research is neuroscience, specifically the field of hearing and auditory processing. I'm not a medic, but a biologist by training, and that's where the interest in the fields comes from. I have a particular interest in evolutionary aspects and similarities and differences across species."

Where have you been doing research?

"Mostly in Germany and primarily in Munich where I pursued my education and launched my scientific career. I also spent three years working as a faculty member in Sydney, Australia. Additionally, like most scientists, I have had the opportunity to visit research labs in the United States for shorter periods. So it's a not a very diverse CV, but geographically widespread – especially the move from Germany to Australia and back was a big one."

What made you want to go to science? 

"A lot of chance actually. I was drawn to biology and chemistry during my school years, which ignited my passion for science. I don't have a family background in academia, I was the first person in my family to go to university. The opportunity to conduct research, ask my own questions, and discover new knowledge through experiments fascinated me and I got caught up. The experimental nature of biology was particularly appealing, and it continues to drive my enthusiasm for the field."

Did you meet any barriers?

"While not necessarily barriers, I have encountered challenges in my scientific career. One such challenge is the gender disparity, often referred to as the "glass ceiling" effect. There have been instances where I realized I was the only woman around the table, which sometimes made me feel isolated. There wasn’t  anything in particular that actively kept me from doing something, but it's this feeling of not being part of it. However, it got better over the time that I have witnessed, as progress has been made in improving gender representation in science."

What's a good advice?

"Do what you're really interested in doing. It’s very common advice, but it is a very basic truth that you can only be good and excel at something that you enjoy doing. To try and try and pursue what you're really interested in." 

What's the achievement you are most proud of?

"I don't know if this is a difficult question for many women, as we tend to have a problem with bragging. I would say I’m proud of the diversity of questions we pursue in our lab. Our research spans from age-related hearing loss in animal models with biomedical connections to fundamental questions about the evolution of hearing. Maintaining this broadness of questions and approaches within our group is challenging yet rewarding, and it's something I greatly enjoy and take pride in."

What is your agenda for the coming months? 

"In the immediate future, I look forward to dedicating more time to hands-on research in the lab - which naturally gets less and less as you get older and more senior and take on more roles. As the current summer term is busy, I plan to take a sabbatical during the winter to immerse myself in research once again. I never aimed to head many committees or become Dean or a similarly senior executive. I like to do science. I value the opportunity to engage in scientific exploration and aim to make the most of it in the coming months."

What’s your field of research?

„My field of research is biological psychology. I try to find links between brain processes and behavior. For example, I want to know how attention is implemented in the brain,  how that can be modulated by drugs and whether it may benefit patients that have certain disorders."

In which country or countries and institutions have you been doing research? 

„I started my training in Germany. During my studies I went to the UK, because my English was too bad, and I thought that I have to improve on that. Then I actually really liked the English system. So, after finishing my PhD, I went to the UK for another two years. And when I came back, I went to the research Center Jülich. Then, quite early, I got my call to the University of Oldenburg and now I'm here." 

What made you want to go to science? 

„It was never really an explicit decision. When I started studying psychology, I did not have science in mind at all. I aimed more for educational psychology, but then, during the course of my studies, I got fascinated by the topics in biological psychology and made the decision to continue on that research path. I never regretted it."

What's the achievement you're most proud of? 

„That’s a recently made achievement: we just got money for a research training group on neuromodulation where we have funding for 13 PhD studentships, and they all work on one goal to use and understand all the different techniques we have to change brain functions, in order to improve cognitive and motor deficits in patients." 

What's your advice for those who are interested in working in science? 

„I never did actually any strategic planning. Not sure whether that is a bad or a good thing. Probably it is wise to do certain things to increase your chances to get a job later on. But I've always done the things I liked and this would still be at least an additional advice.. You need to have fun with the things you do. If you do all sorts of strategic planning and then it doesn't work out, you’ll end up completely demotivated. Instead, follow your heart, your interest in science. One thing you should do, which I like to tell people: have a Plan B in case it doesn't work out for science."

What is your agenda for the coming months?

„My agenda is pretty busy given that I am currently vice president for research. There’s not that much time for own research. Beyond that, I want to get this graduate research training group that we just started on a good way. In addition we are in, the preparation for the next round of the cluster of excellence “Hearing4all”."

What’s your field of research and what do you work on?

„I work on the photocatalytic conversion of biomass to value-added chemicals using metal organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs) as heterogeneous photocatalysts. This is a sustainable approach that can be conducted at ambient temperature and pressure."

In which country or countries and institutions have you been doing research?

„I received my PhD at the University of Mohaghegh-Ardabili, Iran, and did postdoc research at Sharif University of Technology, Iran. During my PhD, I visited the University of Palermo, Italy, for a six-month research program.”

What made you want to go to science? 

„My father was a natural science teacher, and he took me to a laboratory when I was a child where he showed me the reaction of sodium with water, which sparked my interest in science. I was directed towards chemistry with the help of my high school chemistry teacher, who was also a kind of role model to me."

What is the achievement you are most proud of?

„I am proud of synthesizing magnetically separable photocatalysts for water treatment during my PhD, which was the first time this was done in Iran. During my postdoc, I led a team that designed and constructed a fully remote-controllable photoreactor, which initiated a new field of research in the NEST group of the Physics Department. Recently, I was really excited about the Alexander von Humboldt postdoc fellowship that I have won. It's a competitive award and personally, winning it is something to be seriously proud of." 

Did you meet any barriers during your career as a scientific researcher? 

„As an immigrant, language is a barrier that limits the extent of relationships, and filling in the culture gap can be challenging. I have also worked with supervisors that failed to respect the life-work balance with different intentions. These days, however, being apart from my husband who works in another city imposes some pressure on me and him as well."

 What is your advice for those who are interested in working in science?

„Embrace new challenges and save some time for searching and finding the challenges of our time. Failing to get the desired result is also an achievement, so document your failures and respect them as much as your successes. Plan ahead for your future long-term career while you’re busy with temporary positions."

Finally: what is your agenda for the coming months?

„I am currently trying to complete the set of results with complementary experiments for my program and preparing a report of my findings. A manuscript should be prepared, and a conference presentation is planned for August. In the middle of my busy schedule, I also need to plan for my next position."

What’s your field of research and what do you work on?

„I am a PhD student doing theoretical Physics under the supervision of Prof. Jutta Kunz. I study wormholes.”

In which country/countries and institutions have you been doing research?

„I did my bachelor and master in Iran, in addition I participated in some researches in Turkey and Armenia. Also I have visited and participated in workshop and school at CERN in Switzerland.”

What made you want to go to science? Did you have any role models or otherwise inspiring persons who influenced your career choices?

„For doing physics I did not have a role modle but my interest in physics dates back to my childhood before going to school, when I looked at the sky trying to find and communicate with aliens. In high school, I learned that physics is the gateway to the discovery of the world, so for pursuing my education I chose physics to study at university. After receiving my bachelor’s degree in physics from Isfahan University of Technology (IUT), I was drawn to more fundamental questions, like where we are coming from, what the universe is made of, and how the end of the universe would be. To find answers to such fundamental questions, I chose to pursue physics for my master. The time I started my master wormholes were not a really hot topic. But I would like to learn about wormholes, so I did my master thesis on wormholes and now I am here in Oldenburg to learn more.”

What is the achievement you are most proud of?

„I am pursuing the field I enjoy! We live one time in the world and I am proud that I am doing what I really want.”

Did you meet any barriers during your career as a scientific researcher?

„I would prefer not to address them barriers, but challenges.  So in that meanings, I face with lots of challenges specially as a woman.

I would say specially in my country Iran, which the society expect you to put your “woman’s role” in priority.”

 What is your advice for those who are interested in working in science?

„Working in science needs having some dreams and questions from deep of heart. If you have it then you can handle the rest!”

Finally: what is your agenda for the coming months?

„Learning more and more, enjoying my research and have a healthy happy life!”

What’s your field of research and what do you work on?

„My field of research is materials physics. I am working on the development of new electron microscopy and x-ray based methodologies for studies of disordered materials. An example of where that is important is to elucidate the structure of disordered materials used in batteries. The materials used as anodes and cathodes often disorder in the cycling process of the battery. To improve the performance of future batteries, it is important to understand these disordering mechanisms. Therefore, some of the materials, which I am investigating with the methods I am developing, are different carbon materials used in batteries.”

In which country or countries and institutions have you been doing research?

„So far I have done research in three different research environments. I have done my Bachelor in materials science at the Georg-August-University Göttingen, Germany, where I wrote my Bachelor thesis in the group of Sarah Hoffmann-Urlaub. Afterwards, I did my Master in physics at the Carl-von-Ossietzky University Oldenburg. I wrote my master thesis in the group of Sascha Schäfer. Since around 1 year now, I am a PhD student in the group of Espen Draht Bøjesen at the Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Centre, University Aarhus, Denmark.”

What made you want to go to science? Did you have any role models or otherwise inspiring persons who influenced your career?

„Already in school I loved nature science, especially chemistry and physics. Inter alia, I was really fascinated that materials with the same composition can have different properties, if their atomic structure differs and that by using this relation new materials can be tailored. This fascination and the perspective of learning new things over my whole life/career led me to study materials science.

That was how it started, but later, my CV would have been different without my supervisor in my master, Vita Solovyeva, as she motivated me to applied for a PhD position.”

What is the achievement you are most proud of?

„I am proud of that I could work myself into three quite different topics in my bachelor thesis, master thesis and now in my PhD study, and that by my work I could/can contribute to a better understanding of the topics.”

Did you meet any barriers – social, structural, personal or other- during your career as a scientific researcher?

„I didn’t meet real barriers, but naturally there have been some difficult phases in my study. For example, it is quite frustrating if you have to stop experiments because parts of your set-up break and you can’t get new parts within the next months. Also online-studying while corona was not always easy, especially as I was quite new and due to the online courses I had struggled with connecting with the other students.”

What is your advice for those who are interested in working in science?

„Don’t hesitate to do research of the subjects you think is interesting just because you fear that you are not knowing enough about it. I have learned that if you burn for a subject, you will be able to work into it, even if that might will require time.”

Finally: what is your agenda for the coming months?

„A huge thing for me in the coming month will be to write my first paper and I am looking forward to see how this will work. Furthermore, as for the paper I am currently writing I worked mostly with simulated data and experimental data of activated carbon, I will investigate further carbon materials used in batteries with scanning electron nanobeam diffraction and total x-ray scattering. I am looking forward to apply the so far obtained knowledge to these materials.”

Was ist Ihr Forschungsgebiet und woran arbeiten Sie?

"Aktuell untersuchen wir an der Jade Hochschule u.a. in unserem Institut ITAS, wie man pflegerische Prozesse digital unterstützen kann. Langfristig gesehen möchte ich gern in Richtung digitaler Unterstützung in der Palliativpflege, wenn nicht sogar thanatosensitives (User Interface-) Design gehen, also quasi alles, was sich mit dem Thema Digitalisierung mit Fokus auf „Tod und Sterben“ befasst. Aber zunächst gilt es erst einmal, unseren Studiengang Angewandte Pflegewissenschaft weiter aufzubauen, das hat Priorität!"

In welchem Land/welchen Ländern und Institutionen haben Sie geforscht?

 "Ich bin leider nicht so weit rumgekommen. Ich habe in Oldenburg an der Uni für ein Jahr in einem Projekt in enger Kooperation mit dem OFFIS – Institut für IT gearbeitet und bin danach dann auch dorthin gewechselt, bis ich dann berufen wurde."

Was hat Sie dazu motiviert, in die Naturwissenschaften zu gehen? Gab es bestimmte Personen oder Vorbilder, die Sie inspiriert haben?

"Naja, Informatik war eigentlich nur ein Notfallplan, weil ich in Kunst nicht angenommen wurde. Dass sich der Plan B dann zur Leidenschaft entwickelt hat und ich diesen Weg der Informatik eingeschlagen habe, habe ich dann tatsächlich meiner ehemaligen Professorin und Doktormutter Susanne Boll zu verdanken. Nach wie vor ein Vorbild für mich!"

Auf welche Leistung sind Sie besonders stolz?

"Das mag komisch klingen, aber ich denke, es ist am ehesten das absolvierte Bachelorstudium in Informatik. Ich habe von 0, ohne Informatik- oder Programmierkenntnisse, angefangen und musste mich in vielen Modulen wirklich durchkämpfen und es war an mancher Stelle auch echt knapp. Ansonsten bin ich natürlich auch auf meine Doktorarbeit stolz." 

Sind Sie während Ihrer Karriere in der Wissenschaft auf bestimmte Barrieren gestoßen?

"In unserem Bereich arbeiten wir immer mit potenziellen Nutzern. Das heißt, wir führen bei der Entwicklung von Systemen u.a. Interviews, Umfragen oder Evaluationen mit der Zielgruppe durch. Wenn man dann am Anfang eines Projekts zu hören bekommt, dass das ganze ja „totaler Quatsch“ ist, ist das schon ziemlich demotivierend. Allgemein war meine größte Barriere ich selbst. Das OFFIS, insbesondere meine ehemaligen Kollegen, waren immer eine große Stütze, es wurde einem viel zugetraut und man wurde an vielen Stellen auch ermutigt, zu „wachsen“."

Welchen Rat würden Sie denjenigen geben, die sich für eine Tätigkeit in der Wissenschaft interessieren?

 "Dass man sich von kleinen Motivationstiefs, z.B. durch ein abgelehntes Paper oder auch einfach generell, nicht abschrecken lassen darf. Und dass man auch ab und zu mal eine Pause nehmen muss, Freunde treffen, ein Eis essen oder ein Spiel spielen, um den Kopf wieder frei zu kriegen."

Und schließlich: Was haben Sie sich für die kommenden Monate vorgenommen?

"Mein Schwerpunkt Digitalisierung und Technik ist vor kurzem gestartet. Fokus liegt also darin, die kommenden zwei Semester vorzubereiten und dazu noch ein Skills Lab mit coolen neuen Technologien für die Pflege auszustatten. Evtl. versuche ich nebenbei auch noch ein Paper auf der Clusterkonferenz Zukunft der Pflege einzureichen, aber das ist eher zweitrangig."

What’s your field of research and what do you work on?

"I am interested in the study of the basic mechanisms underlying the transport of energy and charges on the nanoscale on ultrafast timescales. For that I employ sequences of ultrashort light pulses in a technique called multidimensional coherent spectroscopy to investigate how matter interacts with light and possibly devise strategies to control the flow of energy and charges in matter. This understanding is essential towards the rationale design of efficient materials for specific applications such as, for example, in solar energy conversion."

What made you want to go to science? Did you have any role models or otherwise inspiring persons who influenced your career?

"Since an early age I have been very interested in scientific and technical subjects, but I did not think that I would do research until later. During my undergrad studies I was admitted to a two-months summer internship at a research institute. It was an amazing experience that played a decisive role in choosing to pursue a PhD afterwards."

What is the achievement you are most proud of?

"Every accepted paper is very rewarding. Every time I can present our new results in a scientific talk is very rewarding." 

Did you meet any barriers during your career as a scientific researcher?

"Yes, of course I met barriers, and there are for sure more out there still waiting. Everyone of us encounters barriers of different kind on the way, I guess."

What is your advice for those who are interested in working in science?

"Being passionate about what you do and work hard for it are important attitudes, but you also need clear goals, discipline, focus, regular external feedback, and good mentors. As in any other field I think, you need to be clear about what you really want to do and to achieve."

Was ist Ihr Forschungsgebiet und woran arbeiten Sie?

"Meine Forschung ist primär motiviert durch meine Faszination am Phänomen Vogelzug. Mit unserer Arbeit möchten wir dieses Verhalten auf molekularer Ebene verstehen. Besonders faszinieren mich Jungvögel auf ihrem ersten Langstreckenzug: Diese kleinen Vögel fliegen zielgenau tausende von Kilometern, oft über Kontinente hinweg, in ein Überwinterungsgebiet, in dem sie noch nie zuvor gewesen sind – und zwar nachts, alleine, und ohne die Hilfe ihrer Eltern, dafür aber mit bewundernswerter Genauigkeit! Wie schaffen sie das? Das ist im Prinzip die zentrale Frage, die unsere Forschung motiviert."

In welchem Land/welchen Ländern und Institutionen haben Sie geforscht?

"Ich hatte das große Glück in ganz verschiedenen internationalen Forschungsgruppen an unterschiedlichen Universitäten und Forschungseinrichtungen studieren und forschen zu dürfen, arbeite immer noch mit vielen wunderbaren Kooperationspartner*innen auf der ganzen Welt zusammen und habe einen Großteil meiner bisherigen Karriere in Großbritannien, Schweden und den USA gelebt, studiert und gearbeitet."

Was hat Sie dazu motiviert, in die Naturwissenschaften zu gehen?

"Alles, was krabbelt, kriecht und fliegt hat mich fasziniert - seit ich selbst krabbeln konnte. Aber neben den Naturwissenschaften hat mich immer auch die Kunst und die Musik sehr begeistert und geprägt und ich konnte mir auch in diesem Bereich eine berufliche Orientierung sehr gut vorstellen. Doch das eine schließt das andere nicht aus, und die Verknüpfung beider Welten funktioniert oft ganz hervorragend: Etwa beim graphischen Illustrieren komplexer Zusammenhänge um unsere Ergebnisse allgemeinverständlich vorstellen und erklären zu können.

Das Glücksgefühl - eine Mönchsgrasmücke in den Händen zu halten, die mit einem Geolokator ausgestattet erfolgreich ins Überwinterungsgebiet und wieder zurück in ihr Brutgebiet geflogen ist - war und ist unbeschreiblich schön."

Auf welche Leistung sind Sie besonders stolz?

"Stolz bin ich vor allem, wenn ich sehe wie Wissenschaftler*innen hier in der Gruppe wachsen und aufblühen. Wie sie eigene Ideen entwickeln, tüfteln, mit Herzblut versuchen auf den Grund einer Frage zu gelangen, neue Methoden ausprobieren, mit Ausdauer und Geduld auch über Durststrecken hinwegkommen. Aktuell arbeiten wir daran zu verstehen, wie die unterschiedlichen Zugrouten auf Ebene des Genoms variieren und gesteuert werden. Und, dass ich all das mit einem großartigen internationalen und interdisziplinären Team voller Herzblut und Begeisterung machen darf, darauf bin ich stolz und unendlich dankbar"

Sind Sie während Ihrer Karriere in der Wissenschaft auf bestimmte Barrieren gestoßen?

"Mühsam finde ich vor allem starre Barrieren in den Köpfen. Nicht ins ‚Schema F‘ zu passen kann sowas Tolles sein, kann so viel neuen Wind in die Wissenschaftslandschaft und die Gesellschaft insgesamt bringen, neue Ideen ermöglichen, zusätzliche Energien mobilisieren, bisher im Schatten stehendes neu beleuchten. Hierfür eine Akzeptanz zu aktivieren und Offenheit zu mobilisieren, das kostet häufig unendlich viel Kraft und Ausdauer – unnötig viel zusätzliche Energie wird so verpulvert, die so viel sinnvoller und konstruktiver in Neues, Spannendes, Unterstützendes investiert werden sollte." 

Welchen Rat würden Sie denjenigen geben, die sich für eine Tätigkeit in der Wissenschaft interessieren?

"Bleibt neugierig. Und hört neben eurem Herz auch auf euren Bauch. Ich bin überzeugt davon, dass es neben wissenschaftlicher Expertise mindestens genauso wichtig ist nach einem unterstützenden Umfeld zu suchen. Ein Umfeld, was Freiraum bietet zu forschen, auszuprobieren, auch mal ein Experiment in den Sand zu setzen, und was einem dann dennoch den Rückhalt bietet, den es zum Wachsen braucht."

Und schließlich: Was haben Sie sich für die kommenden Monate vorgenommen?

"Mit unserer Arbeit möchten wir unser Verständnis des Vogelzugs Stück für Stück um eine weitere Facette zu erweitern. Mönchsgrasmücken nutzen entlang ihres Verbreitungsgebietes ganz unterschiedliche Zugstrategien. Ganz konkret arbeiten wir im Moment an der Frage welche Gene die größten Stellschrauben im Zugverhalten regulieren und was die durch sie gesteuerten vielschichtigen Netzwerke sind, die diese faszinierende Vielfalt auf Ebene des Verhaltens ermöglichen können."

"My field of research is computational biophysics. I study physics of biology by simulating biological systems in a computer.  My topic of research is cryptochrome, a protein that is found in the bird's eyes, enabling the bird to see the magnetic field of the Earth. By seeing that field, the bird knows where to fly. A rOLe scientist that was interviewed earlier, Jingjing, was working with the cryptochrome protein in the lab, but I'm working with that protein inside the computer, as I have a 3D structure of it. I simulate it in different environments and try to predict not only what’s the role of the protein, but what role does each part of the protein have. Proteins in the cell are like small factories wih subdivision: different parts have different roles, and It Is easier to study this computationally because you can see every atom."

Where have you been doing research?

"I am from Croatia, where I finished my chemistry bachelor and masters at the University of Zagreb. During that time, I also did research on catalytic oxidation of olefins in Toulouse, France. After that, I continued my master, but I decided that I want to do more biochemistry. That's why for my master’s thesis I did a topic of biochemistry connected to cancer and combined an experimental and a computational approach. Then I applied for a PhD and now I'm in Oldenburg, so basically Croatia and France and Germany."

What made you want to go to science? Did you have any role models or otherwise inspiring persons who influenced your career?

"Science has always been interesting, but I would say this interest is somehow connected to science fiction, which I always really liked. Since a young age I like to watch it and read popular science books. That made me realize how sometimes the true story behind scientific concepts is more interesting than science fiction. Apart from that, it showed me how past discoveries are really some wonders and beautiful stories in the history of science, which inspired me to also try to do science, and study chemistry."

What is the achievement you are most proud of?

“I recently published a paper where I'm the first author and I was really proud when I managed to finish that successfully. It is about cryptochrome 4 and I studied the difference between migratory and non-migratory birds, connected to what Jingjing was doing.  It took a lot of time, effort, collaboration and learning how all these methods work. That is something I'm proud of. But there will be more papers in the future!

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c00878“

Did you meet any barriers during your career as a scientific researcher?

"Sometimes when you're applying for PhD, they're asking you if you have some published papers. I guess that would make complete sense to ask in some countries, but in Croatia, or at least at in some fields of my university, as an undergrad interested in chemistry and biology, there are not a lot of labs to join. They don't have space for a student to just come and work on their project because there's no money, basically. So, the barrier would be that they're asking me to have a paper, which I can’t have because the lab doesn't accept people, and they don’t accept people because there's no money, since they can’t get good grants. And why’s that? That's because they don't have money to hire people, so it's a cruel circle." 

 What is your advice for those who are interested in working in science?

"Chase your wildest dream of what you want to do! Working in science can be very difficult. Don't start a PhD in something that you’re half into, because no matter much you like it, you're going to start hating it at some point - but at least it's still going to be interesting to you! When you go into depth, you need to learn new methods, new ways of doing things. If you go into a topic not sure that it's really something that you are crazy about, then it's just going to be much worse. But if you’re sure, it will be much easier for you to motivate yourself every day, instead of thinking “Why am I learning this about the thing that I'm not even interested in, what am I doing here?"

What is your agenda for the coming months?

“Currently I'm at the stage where I'm finishing my PhD soon and then I have to think about my next job. Simultaneously, I work on finishing it, and that's difficult.”

"My field of research is mathematics education, so the teaching and learning of mathematics. I am working on different projects concerning for example argumentation in mathematics, algebraic thinking, professional language in mathematics education, BNE in maths education."

In which country/countries and institutions have you been doing research?

"In Germany and in cooperation with UK, Australia, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Japan, Korea, United States."

What made you want to go to science?

"Early I was fascinated by learning, by gaining knowledge, by research. My father was also a researcher, which certainly helped me to follow this path."

Did you meet any barriers during your career as a scientific researcher?

"Yes, several, but also to some extent difficult to grasp, fuzzy. In any case, the compatibility of family and career was not always easy."

 Advice from you to those interested into working in science:

"Go your own way, follow your interests, discuss your ideas with others, be confident, look for people who are good for you and give you expert advice. Don't listen to people who tell you that others are better or that you are a career women."

What is your agenda for the coming months?

"We revise a research article, collect data for another project, discuss a new project, I have to review bachelor and master theses, prepare and give lectures and seminars, do organizational things like planning the following semester."

"Ich erforsche, wie Wüstenameisen navigieren. Einzelne Arbeiterinnen gehen alleine auf Futtersuche, um ihre Kolonie zu versorgen. Dabei müssen sie so schnell wie möglich zum Nest zurückkehren und berechnen dafür einen sogenannten Heimvektor. Dafür kombinieren sie Distanzinformationen mit Richtungsinformationen. Zudem lernen sie Landmarken. In meiner Doktorarbeit habe ich mich damit beschäftigt, wie Wüstenameisen lernen zu navigieren und ihre Kompasssysteme kalibrieren. Am Ende des Projekts haben wir herausgefunden, dass sie sogar das Erdmagnetfeld nutzen. Seitdem ist mein Ziel zu verstehen, wie der Magnetsinn der Wüstenameisen funktioniert und wie Magnetinformationen im Gehirn verarbeitet und zur Navigation genutzt werden."

Wo haben Sie studiert und geforscht?

"Ich habe Philosophie und Biologie in Berlin und Trondheim (Norwegen) studiert. Während meiner Masterarbeit habe ich Entscheidungsfindung bei Fledermäusen untersucht und war für das Projekt auf der Forschungsstation La Selva im Regenwald in Costa Rica. Die Wüstenameisen habe ich als Studentische Hilfskraft in Tunesien kennengelernt. Auf dem Salzsee dort habe ich auch zu Beginn meiner Doktorarbeit meine Experimente durchgeführt, aber dann hat sich die politische Situation in Tunesien derart verschärft, dass wir nicht mehr hinreisen konnten. Seitdem führe ich meine Feldexperimente im Schinias Nationalpark in Marathon (Griechenland) durch."

Auf welche Leistung sind Sie besonders stolz?

"Die Entdeckung des Magnetsinns der Wüstenameisen war sicherlich die spannendste Erkenntnis meiner bisherigen Forschungskarriere. Ich bin sehr stolz darauf, dass ich es geschafft habe einen neuen Ort – den Nationalpark in Griechenland – für unsere Forschungen zu etablieren. Und, dass es mir gelingt Feldarbeiten mit meinem Familienleben zu vereinen, erfüllt mich auch mit Stolz – das ist aber mehr der Verdienst meiner Familie und ich bin sehr froh, dass mein Mann und unsere Kinder Freude daran haben an meinen Forschungsexkursionen teilzuhaben und mich somit unterstützen. Letztes Jahr habe ich den For Women in Science“-Preis von L’Oréal und UNESCO Deutschland in Zusammenarbeit mit der Christiane Nüsslein-Vollhard-Stiftung erhalten, was eine große Anerkennung meines Forscherinnen-Daseins ist und darauf bin ich sehr stolz."

Was hat Sie dazu motiviert, in die Naturwissenschaften zu gehen?

"In der neunten Klasse habe ich mein Schülerpraktikum am Alfred-Wegener-Institut (AWI) in Bremerhaven absolviert und damit erstmals Einblicke in eine Forschungseinrichtung und den Forschungsalltag bekommen. Ich durfte da ganz selbstverständlich an den Mikroskopen arbeiten. Das Highlight war eine Exkursion nach Helgoland, wo wir mit einem kleinen Schiff bei einem Wintersturm Proben aus dem Meer geholt haben. Schon da habe ich gedacht, dass mir solche abenteuerlichen Forschungsarbeiten Spaß machen könnten. Für mein Studium habe ich mich aber wie gesagt für die Kombination von Philosophie und Biologie entschieden. Mein Ziel war immer, diese Fachrichtungen zu kombinieren. Allerdings haben mich die Wüstenameisen dann so sehr fasziniert, dass ich mich für eine reine naturwissenschaftliche Doktorarbeit entschieden haben. Als wir dann entdeckt haben, dass die Wüstenameisen einen Magnetsinn haben, war für mich klar, dass ich das weiter erforschen muss."

Sind Sie während Ihrer Karriere in der Wissenschaft auf bestimmte Barrieren gestoßen?

"Natürlich! Ich glaube beinahe, eine Wissenschaftskarriere besteht vor allem darin Hindernisse zu überwinden, oder wenn man es positiver ausdrücken möchte: Herausforderungen anzunehmen. Zudem bemerke ich: Je weiter ich die Karriereleiter erklimme, desto deutlicher wird es, dass es noch einen Unterschied macht, welches Geschlecht man hat. Ich würde mir wünschen, dass solche zusätzlichen Barrieren verschwinden, denn der Forschungsalltag ist schon herausfordernd genug. Für mich war die kurzfristige Absage der Feldsaison 2015 und die Suche nach einem alternativen Versuchsort definitiv die größte bisherige Herausforderung. Aber der Feldforschungsalltag stellt einen immer wieder vor unerwartete Probleme. Letztes Jahr mussten wir beispielsweise ungeplant früher abreisen, weil die Waldbrände in Griechenland unsere Arbeit unmöglich gemacht haben."

Welchen Rat würden Sie denjenigen geben, die sich für eine Tätigkeit in der Wissenschaft interessieren?

"Mach es – aber nicht um jeden Preis! Ich denke, es ist sehr wichtig immer wieder neu abzuwägen, ob sich das was man leisten muss, auch auszahlt. Das Wissenschafts-system bringt sowohl Vorteile als Nachteile mit sich. Ich überprüfe immer wieder, ob das Gesamtpaket für mich noch stimmt. Außerdem ist es enorm wichtig, in einem Umfeld zu arbeiten, das einen unterstützt und wo man sich wohlfühlt, so dass man die eigenen Ideen und Forschungen weiterentwickeln kann."

Was haben Sie sich für die kommenden Monate vorgenommen?

"Ich bin gerade erst in Oldenburg angekommen, was heißt, dass ich in den nächsten Monaten vor allem viel Neues kennenlernen und organisieren muss. Zudem habe ich meine erste Doktorandenstelle ausgeschrieben und freue mich auf die damit einhergehende Herausforderung, ein geeignetes Teammitglied für mein Forschungsprojekt zu finden und einzuarbeiten."

"My field of research is the inorganic carbon cycle in the surface ocean, the exchange of carbon dioxide between the ocean and the atmosphere and the role of the sea surface microlayer on these processes."

What made you want to go to science?

"At the beginning I did not choose science, I chose ocean. Ocean is everything to me: I come from a fishermen family from an island, my hobbies were sailing and swimming. During my Marine Science studies I understood I could live studying the ocean and that was the perfect combination."

What is the achievement you are most proud of?

"I am most proud of the technology that has been developed to advance the knowledge of the SML (sea surface microlayer). From identifying the needs and writing the project, through the discussions in the wonderful ICBM workshop to the final instrument in the water. I am also very proud of my students (one even won a prize!) and the interactions with them."

What is your advice for those who are interested in working in science?

"Go for it! It won't always be easy, but it's worth it. And I would also recommend having a plan B, if the science career doesn't work out, or at some point gets stuck, what could I do that I would also like? In my case, it was always to be a science teacher in secondary school. It doesn't mean you give up, it just helps you not to get frustrated. One very helpful advice I got in my first postdoc is "learn to say no, without giving an explanation". Don't believe you need to work 60 h per week to be successful - this I learnt recently, while combining science and motherhood. It is amazing how efficient we can be on the time we got."

Did you meet any barriers during your career as a scientific researcher?

"In general, I can say that I have been quite fortunate in my career to work with people who have facilitated my progression as a scientist. I am well aware that many people, especially women, have not been as lucky as me. However, caring for my young son alone is now a barrier for me to embark on oceanographic cruises. Thanks to the research group I work with, this is not a problem: they go on board, and I deal with the data or cover the teaching. I know I will be able to go back to sea when my son grows up, but sometimes I miss working in the field."

In which country or countries and institutions have you been doing research?

"I did my PhD in Cádiz , Spain and after finishing it I moved to Southampton, UK. There I spent almost three years working as a postdoc at the National Oceanography Center. At the end of 2014 I moved to Wilhelmshaven, Germany and I am still here!

I started with a three-year postdoc until I got a permanent position as a scientist and teacher at the University of Oldenburg in 2019."

What is your agenda for the coming months?

"I have just started a huge DFG-funded project called "Biogeochemical processes and Air-sea exchange in the Sea-Surface microlayer (BASS)". We are in the process of selecting and recruiting the staff we need to get the project off the ground. In addition, although I am not actively involved in the campaign itself, we are preparing several oceanographic campaigns for the project "The North Sea from space: Using explainable artificial intelligence to improve satellite observations of climate change (NorthSat-X)”. The next one starts next week so all our labs are full of boxes! Furthermore, I want to finish my habilitation thesis and defend it before the end of the winter semester. Finally, teaching is also very important to me, so I am glad that the semester has started recently and I am able to teach the details of marine interfaces to the students enrolled this semester and to accompany the thesis students who are developing their theses with me."

Wie würden sie ihre Arbeit beschreiben, Frau Prof. Dr. Scheidler?

"Ich arbeite an zahlentheoretischen Problemen, die mathematisch und rechnerisch sehr schwer zu lösen sind. Diese Probleme verwendet man in kryptographischen Verfahren, also Verschlüsselungsverfahren, als Basis für deren Sicherheit. Dahinter steckt die Idee, dass eine angreifende Person, die so ein Verfahren knacken will, dafür auf irgendeine Weise das zugrundeliegende schwere Problem lösen muss. Dazu muss man insbesondere genau wissen, wie schwer diese Probleme sind, um abschätzen zu können, wie sicher diese kryptographischen Systeme tatsächlich sind."

Was hat sie motiviert, in die Naturwissenschaften zu gehen?

"Naturwissenschaften und das Verhalten der Welt haben mich immer fasziniert. Die Welt ist einfach ein interessanter und aufregender Ort. Aber mein Interesse galt niemals nur der Mathematik und den Naturwissenschaften, ich mochte auch Geschichte und Sprachen, habe immer viel gelesen und war auch in der Schule ganz gut. Es gibt Mathematiker, die einem erzählen: „Oh, ich wusste schon im Alter von 8 Jahren, dass ich Mathematiker werden möchte“. Aber das war bei mir gar nicht so. Ich habe immer Interesse an den Naturwissenschaften gehabt und wollte auch in der Richtung was machen, studienmäßig, aber meine Interessen schwankten viel. Ich sage gerne: Als es Zeit war, sich an Unis zu bewerben, da war ich an der Mathematik interessiert. Wäre das sechs Wochen früher gewesen, vielleicht wäre ich jetzt in der Biologie, vielleicht sogar in der Medizin. Ich hatte immer gute Noten und dann rät einem jeder zum Medizinstudium. Aber im Nachhinein war Mathematik und Informatik die richtige Wahl, ich bin da sehr glücklich."

Gibt es Vorbilder, die sie inspiriert haben?

"Nicht unbedingt direkt aus der Naturwissenschaft. Ich komme aus einem sehr gebildeten Haushalt, mein Vater hatte auch studiert, und ich bin mit ungefähr 2000 Büchern um mich herum aufgewachsen. Da war von Anfang an klar, dass meine Geschwister und ich studieren werden. Glücklicherweise hat mich später mein Doktorvater an der Universität Manitoba in Kanada sehr gefördert." 

Auf welche Leistung sind sie besonders stolz?

"2006 habe ich mit zwei anderen Mathematikprofessorinnen in den USA eine Initiative gestartet, die wir “Women in Numbers” genannt haben. Numbers ist eine Abkürzung für Number Theory, mein Fachgebiet. Es ist also ein englisches Wortspiel: Women in Numbers, also Frauen in (größeren) Zahlen bzw. Frauen in der Zahlentheorie. Das ist ein Netzwerk, das die akademischen Beiträge von Frauen mehr in den Vordergrund stellen soll, sich also an Zahlentheoretikerinnen im Forschungsleben richtet. Es gibt sehr wenige Frauen, die an Top-Universitäten arbeiten - dort sind wir kaum sichtbar und selten Entscheidungsträgerinnen. Also wollten wir mehr Frauen in diese Positionen bringen. Dazu machen wir auch Konferenzen, wo etablierte Forscherinnen mit jüngeren zusammenarbeiten, wo kreativ geforscht und veröffentlicht wird. Wir haben inzwischen fünf oder sechs solcher Konferenzen in Nordamerika gehabt, vier in Europa, einige auch in Asien. 
Auf diese Leistung bin ich stolzer als alles, was ich in Sachen Forschung oder Lehre gemacht habe. Ich glaube, diese Initiative erreicht und hilft viel mehr Menschen als zum Beispiel eine Vorlesung oder Veröffentlichung."  

Sind sie während Ihrer Karriere in der Wissenschaft auf bestimmte Barrieren gestoßen?

"Ja. Ich glaube, die gibt es immer, und zum Teil hatten die Barrieren auch mit Geschlecht zu tun. Ich denke, dass man als Frau allgemein nicht so ernst genommen wird, dass man größere Leistungen bringen muss, um dieselbe Anerkennung zu gewinnen wie Männer. Dass es schwieriger ist, seine Artikel veröffentlicht zu kriegen, Forschungsgelder zu bekommen, und so weiter. Es gibt natürlich Vorurteile, die mir begegnet sind. Ab und zu auch ganz, ganz gewaltige, wo einer gesagt hat, ach ja, du hast dieses Forschungsgeld nur bekommen, weil du 'ne Frau bist”. Doch was viel öfter passiert, sind Situationen, wo die Leute sich ihrer Vorurteile nicht bewusst sind. Es gab auch andere Barrieren, was Karriere angeht. Zum Beispiel sind Professuren in der Mathematik sehr dünn besäht. Die angewandten Fachgebiete sind da etwas einfacher und bieten mehr Beschäftigungsmöglichkeiten an. Aber in der reine Mathematik, womit ich angefangen hab, da ist es ziemlich schwierig, eine akademische Stelle zu bekommen."       

Welchen Rat würden Sie denjenigen geben, die sich für eine Tätigkeit in der Wissenschaft interessieren?

"Forschung allgemein ist oft langwierig und man stößt auf Barrieren. Dafür braucht man ein dickes Fell, um nicht aufzugeben und nicht total gefrustet zu werden. Mein erster Ratschlag ist: Halt die Ohren steif und gib nicht auf. Der Ratschlag geht an alle, aber vor allem an Frauen, die oft nicht das Selbstbewusstsein haben, das vielleicht ein Mann in diesen Fachgebieten hat. Und das zweite ist, dass ich glaube, dass man so eine Laufbahn nicht ohne Unterstützung machen kann, ohne Fürsprecher*innen. Dabei ist egal, welches Geschlecht die haben, und ob das Freund*innen oder Kolleg*innen sind. Sucht also solche Leute, sprecht mit denen, nehmt ihren Ratschlag an, stellt Fragen, und oft. Vor allem haben auch wieder Frauen öfters Angst, Fragen zu stellen, weil sie sich sorgen, dass sie dadurch womöglich dumm oder weniger kompetent erscheinen. Aber stellt diese Fragen, und hört auf die Antworten, nehmt Ratschläge an, und nutzt die Erfahrung dieser Leute. Ohne Unterstützung ist Karriere sehr schwer, egal, was die Laufbahn ist, egal, welches Geschlecht man ist, egal, wo man lebt. Also nehmt Hilfe an!"

Was haben Sie sich für die kommenden Monate vorgenommen?

"Ich bin hier auf einer Helene-Lange-Gastprofessur, die natürlich Forschung und Lehre beinhaltet. Aber ein weiterer wichtiger Aspekt dieser Stelle ist Gleichstellungsarbeit, insbesondere bezüglich Frauen. Dazu gibt’s hier diverse Initiativen, wo ich jetzt mitmache. Ich werde unter Umständen mit der Fachschaft in der Mathematik etwas machen, vielleicht ein Kaffeetrinken oder so, mit jüngeren Professorinnen und Doktorandinnen und Postdocs. Ich mache auch beim Uni-Mentoring-Programm mit. 
Persönlich habe ich einige Reisen vor. Ich bin in Deutschland aufgewachsen und hab hier noch Familie. Wir werden im August ein großes Familientreffen haben, wo viele Leute kommen, die ich schon lange nicht mehr gesehen habe. Mit meinem Mann reise ich gerne an diverse Stellen, wo ich Kinderurlaube verbracht habe, um das nochmal neu zu entdecken. Also nutze ich teilweise diese Möglichkeit, hier zu sein, um meine Vergangenheit wiederzuentdecken. 1988 bin ich aus Deutschland weg - das Land ist jetzt ganz anders! Ich bin noch bis Ende des Jahres hier. Das heißt, es ist schon Zeit, einiges zu machen. Und im Januar geh ich dann wieder zurück nach Kanada."  

Was ist Ihr Forschungsgebiet und woran arbeiten Sie?

“Mein Forschungsgebiet sind schwarze Löcher. In unserer Arbeitsgruppe untersuchen wir theoretische Modelle von schwarzen Löchern und ihre Eigenschaften. Insbesondere beschäftige ich mich mit den Bahnkurven von Sternen, die schwarze Löcher umkreisen.“

In welchem Land/welchen Ländern und Institutionen haben Sie geforscht?

„Ich habe in Deutschland in Oldenburg und in Dänemark am Niels Bohr Institut in Kopenhagen geforscht.“

Was hat Sie dazu motiviert, in die Naturwissenschaften zu gehen? Gab es bestimmte Personen oder Vorbilder, die Sie inspiriert haben?

„Der Nachthimmel und die Sterne haben mich schon immer fasziniert. Schon als Kind habe ich mit einem kleinen Teleskop Sterne und Planeten beobachtet und viele Bücher über Astrophysik gelesen.“

Auf welche Leistung sind Sie besonders stolz?

„Ich bin besonders stolz darauf, dass ich für meine Doktorarbeit „summa cum laude“ bekommen habe.“

Sind Sie während Ihrer Karriere in der Wissenschaft auf bestimmte Barrieren gestoßen?

„Als Wissenschaftlerin mit kleinen Kindern kann ich nicht ständig zu Konferenzen reisen und auch Auslandsaufenthalte sind schwierig. Außerdem gibt es in der Wissenschaft meist nur Zeitverträge und viele wechseln daher häufig den Arbeitsort. Mit Kindern und einem Partner der ebenfalls arbeitet, ist das eine große Hürde.“

Welchen Rat würden Sie denjenigen geben, die sich für eine Tätigkeit in der Wissenschaft interessieren?

 “Holt euch Unterstützung für eine Karriere in der Wissenschaft. Ein/e Mentor/in und Coachings können euch weiterbringen.“

Und schließlich: Was haben Sie sich für die kommenden Monate vorgenommen?

„Im Moment neigen sich einige Projekte dem Ende zu, aber ich freue mich schon auf neue Herausforderungen. Im Sommer werde ich bei einer ARTE-Dokumentation über Zeitreisen mitmachen. Das wird sicher spannend.“

What’s your field of research and what do you work on?

“My field of research is electrochemistry. I work with a setup called STREAM, which is an in-situ holder for Transmission Electron Microscopy. With this, I want to study electrode-electrolyte interface of electrochemically active materials.”

In which country or countries and institutions have you been doing research?

“I have only been in two countries. Previously, I was in a research institute in India and during that time, I came to DESY, Hamburg for some measurements. Then in 2019, I joined as a research assistant/ PhD student here in Oldenburg, Germany.”

What made you want to go to science?

 “Well, I think it is something I was always interested in. I grew up in a place where electricity power cuts were frequent. Though we got enough sunlight throughout the year, tapping into solar energy was unheard of in my neighbourhood. So, I realized at a very early age that energy is a currency of the word and that was something I really wanted to work with. To this extent, I have worked with electrochemistry and energy storage systems like battery materials.”

What is the achievement you are most proud of?

“Trying to refine in-situ XRD data with Rietveld refinements. It was a lot of contacting experienced scientists and various trial-and-errors but could finally use this technique to further understand the structure-property relationship of cathode materials and publish a paper.”

Did you meet any barriers during your career as a scientific researcher?

“Well, yes, maybe not too prominently. For example, as a woman, it’s expected of me to take care of organization in the lab. It is good here as everyone, regardless of gender, is expected to be organized.

And I would say sometimes when people talk to me, they don’t just talk to me, or if I did something wrong, they put my entire nation behind me saying that Indians do it this way. I did it wrong, but it’s just on me. Also, the same way it would be “Oh, Indians do this thing well, you should do it too”.

But I wouldn’t necessarily call them barriers. More often than not, it is a matter of knowing where to draw a line and say, “Hey, I’m not comfortable with this, could we change the line of talk or could you just talk to me differently”. The change in people’s behavior is almost instant. Sometimes, I think, we don’t realize when we are being insensitive to others.”

What is your advice for those who are interested in working in science?

“If you want to pursue a scientific career, you should have perseverance and patience. Things will not always go as planned. It’s necessary to have your task, objective, approach, and result in your mind, but of course, be flexible along the way, adapt according to how your results are at that moment. Research is also a lot about getting one thing right out of many. In a hundred experiments, 99 can go wrong, but if you get that one time right, repeat and reproduce it! Also, you have to love what your work on. This could, of course, be said about any profession.”

What is your agenda for the coming months?

“The system I’m working on has started problems again, so my first agenda is to get it in order and then try to wind up my work here because it’s almost the end of my contract. And then plan about my future, about what else do I want to research on, because despite all the problems, I still want to be in research.”

"I study the electronic structure of matter and I Investigate how materials Interact with light. To this end, I employ computer simulations based on quantum-mechanics."

What made you want to go to science?

"As a teenager, I was very much into languages, literature, poetry and communication. In fact, I attended a high school with specialisation in humanistic studies, where I learned ancient Greek and Latin. But when I was approaching the end of my studies, I felt the urge to learn something new. 
I knew that I would always be reading and writing, would love the literature, would read and speak foreign languages. At that point in my life, when I was 19, I decided to study physics. There were several aspects that inspired me: My father has a degree in chemistry, and we have family friends who are professors in chemistry and physics, so this was a part of my environment ever since I was a child."

What is the achievement you are most proud of?

"I lead a group of 24 people from 14 different nationalities and all levels of careers, starting at bachelor students up to senior postdocs. Naturally, there are the ups and downs that are typical for any working environment, but the idea of heading such a diverse group and that these people are able to work together - that is something I’m very proud of. I managed to create this environment in which my group members can be happy and productive, and successful on their own.   This is something I’m really proud of!"

Did you meet any barriers during your career as a scientific researcher?

"When I started working on my Master's thesis, I had the fortune to meet whom I still consider my mentor: Elisa Molinari. She is a professor of theoretical solid-state physics at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. At that time, she was also director of the "CNR - Istituto Nanoscienze" in Modena. I consider her my role model, especially in the way she is able to envision the future and create scientific collaborations. To this day, whenever I am making a big decision in my career, I turn to her for advice. We are still very much connected. Elisa is the person who had the most tangible impact on my scientific career."

Your advice to those who want to get Into science:

„The most important thing is to keep your goals in mind - and not to be drifted away. 
For many young scientists, science is primarily a passion. However, as soon as it becomes a job, it entails all the dynamics of a job. As in any profession, if you want to make a career, you should have goals and you should pursue them. There will be times in which your boss, supervisor or colleagues will try cut you short and want you to do something - and especially for people in early stages of their career, it is very difficult to say no. But it’s ok to say no, because in the end this will be your life and your career and not someone else’s. And I’m saying this also for the sake of science, because I believe good science needs people who have a positive attitude towards life in general, not just towards science. Stressed scientists do not produce good science.”

What is you’re agenda for the coming months?

"I have a few projects that are running and some new ones that I would like to establish. Moreover, I will engage myself even further in the promotion of young and female scientists. 
I am organising a summer school in June for female scientists only and I am involved in the establishment of a postdoc program in Berlin which, for the first time, will be gender neutral. I believe this is absolutely important, because especially in the German system, the postdoc phase is a very delicate phase in which scientists are most vulnerable.
I believe that if we manage to provide a support structure for postdocs, we will be able to grow a healthier and bigger generation of scientists for the future. This is what’s on my agenda: both advancement of science, but also advancement of scientists, especially young scientists."

„My research field is biochemistry. I work on a magnetically sensitive protein Cryptochrome 4 (Cry4), which could equip migratory birds with a quantum magnetic compass.“

What made you want to go to science?

„Born in a non-academic family, I have been very self-motivated to get well-educated and gain more knowledge since I was a kid. Science challenges me intellectually. To search for answers or make new discoveries is fascinating. As a human being who lives just for some decades on this planet, I feel proud of myself if I could  can look a bit deeper into natural mysteries.“

Did you meet any barriers during your career as a scientific researcher?

„Yes. As an international researcher, I have to apply for Visa to attend conferences abroad, which is time-consuming. Also, racism on Chinese people happens sometimes. And as a parent, limited time when daycare is open (8am-3pm) can be a barrier, too.“

Your advice to those who want to get into science:

„If you want to do science, do it with perseverance. The outcome is very rewarding in the end.“

What is the achievement you are most proud of?

„I am proud that I am a female scientist with a daughter and have found out how migratory birds may use cryptochrome4 protein to sense the Earth’s magnetic field for navigation. Specifically, I have developed an efficient system for bird cryptochrome4 protein expression and purification platform from scratch in our working group. Using this platform, we produced large amount of pure photoactive Cry4 protein and measure magnetic field effects on the protein for the first time in the world. Thus, we experimentally demonstrated that CRY4 from European robins is magnetically sensitive and could be the long-sought-after magnetic sensor molecule in night-migratory songbirds. This work has been published as a cover story of Nature Journal. See the YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SPD2r0xV8k“

„Zusammen mit meinen Mitarbeitenden untersuche Ich, wie ein Katalysator funktioniert. Ein solcher bewirkt, dass weniger Energie aufgewendet werden muss, um Bindungen in einem Molekül aufzubrechen und zu neuen Molekülen zu verknüpfen. Er verbessert somit die Energieökonomie. Wie genau er wirkt, ist meine große Forschungsfrage."

Was hat Sie dazu motiviert, in die Naturwissenschaften zu gehen?

"Das fing in den ersten zwei Jahren im Gymnasium an. Ich ging in dieser Zeit auf ein sehr modernes Gymnasium. Dort hatte man schon in der fünften und sechsten Klasse Physikunterricht und machte viele Versuche. Es waren ganz einfache Sachen, aber es hat mich total begeistert. Im Fernsehen gab es noch keine naturwissenschaftlichen Sendungen für Kinder, sondern nur zwei bis drei Programme. Aber dann kam die Mondlandung und Fernsehsendungen zur Meeresforschung.  Das hat mich fasziniert. Aber ausschlaggebend war letztendlich der Lehrer, dass ich mich für Chemie entschieden habe."

Auf welche Leistung sind Sie besonders stolz?

"Ich bin immer stolz darauf, wenn eine neue Doktorarbeit fertig geworden ist. Wenn man sich anguckt, wie es am Anfang war und was nachher herausgekommen ist, wie sich die Mitarbeitenden entwickelt haben, da bin ich stolz, dass junge Menschen das eigenständige wissenschaftliche Arbeiten gelernt haben. Auflerdem bin ich stolz darauf, Mitglied der Leopoldina zu sein sowie im Board des Peace Instituts zusammen mit interessanten Persönlichkeiten aus der ganzen Welt."

Sind Sie während Ihrer Karriere in der Wissenschaft auf bestimmte Barrieren gestoßen?

"Ich habe zu einer Zeit in der physikalischen Chemie promoviert, da gab es pro Arbeitsgruppe nur eine Frau bei den Doktorand*innen, Professorinnen gab es so gut wie gar keine. Anfangs in meiner Karriere hatte ich das Gefühl, dass ich als Sidekick ganz prima war, auch als ich schon Professorin war. Aber als ich dann anfing, selbst mitzumischen, mitzuwirken und zu bestimmen, da war ich dann die ganz böse Konkurrenz. Mir fehlten zudem "Verbündete". Die Akzeptanz bei den männlichen Kollegen zu erreichen, das war eigentlich meine größte Barriere. Während der Promotion hatte mein Doktorvater nie die Idee, dass ich vielleicht für eine wissenschaftliche Karriere geeignet wäre, aber mein männlicher Kollege war nachher auf der Überholspur dank expliziter Förderung. Im Nachhinein bin ich ein Aushängeschild geworden, aber in der Anfangszeit war das noch nicht so. Ich musste das Selbstbewusstsein entwickeln, den Habitus, um sich in einer männerdominierten Umgebung durchzusetzen. Das hat bei mir ein paar Jahrzehnte gedauert."

Welchen Rat würden Sie denjenigen geben, die sich für eine Tätigkeit in der Wissenschaft interessieren?

"Jedes Coaching, das man bekommen kann, sollte man mitnehmen. Das hat mir auch als fortgeschrittene Professorin unheimlich geholfen, jedes Stimmtraining, auch wenn man das doppelt und dreifach macht. Als Naturwissenschaftlerin denkt man: Ach ja, es ist nicht so inhaltsvoll, wie man es gewohnt ist. Aber es bleibt eine ganze Menge hängen. Die Körpersprache ist wichtig oder zu verstehen, wie Diskussionen in unterschiedlichen Konstellationen geführt werden. Je nach Situation muss man anders agieren. Auch, wie Bias in Besetzungsverfahren funktioniert, habe ich erst vor kurzem gelernt, obwohl ich dachte, ich kenne doch alles. Diese Kurse bringen einen wirklich weiter, denn es geht eben nicht nur darum, dass man tolle Wissenschaft macht, sondern es geht auch darum, das zu vermitteln. Das kann man heute sehr früh lernen, und ich rate jedem, das zu nutzen. Wir haben ein ganz tolles Programm in der Graduiertenakademie an unserer Uni."

Was haben Sie sich für die kommenden Monate vorgenommen?

"Ich habe jetzt noch fünf Jahre vor mir. Deshalb habe ich keine großen Meilensteine, die ich noch erreichen muss. Ich habe genug erreicht und ausprobiert. Wenn ich so weiter mache, wie bisher, bin ich total happy. In einer der drei Fachgesellschaften, in denen ich Mitglied bin, hat man mir vor einem Jahr vorgeschlagen, das Bunsen-Magazin als Schriftführerin herauszugeben. Das ist ein Posten, den niemand haben will, und ich dachte: warum bietet man mir nicht an Präsidentin der Gesellschaft zu werden? Dann dachte ich aber, eigentlich ist das doch eine sehr coole Möglichkeit, genau die Themen in die Fachgesellschaft zu bringen, die mir wirklich wichtig sind. Ich habe die Zeitschrift total umgekrempelt und bringe in jedem Heft ein neues und anderes Schwerpunktthema heraus, z.B. ein "Africa special" zur Situation und zu Forschungsthemen in diversen afrikanischen Ländern oder "Zurück ins Jahr 2050", bei dem die Autor*innen sich vorstellen sollten, was ihre Forschung in 30 Jahren bewirkt haben wird. Das macht mich nicht nur sehr bekannt, sondern ist auch wichtig um die Nachwuchswissenschaftler*innen zu begeistern und andere Blickwinkel zu zeigen. Noch ein paar Ausgaben mit Wow-Effekt zu machen, das will ich in nächster Zeit noch erreichen."

"My field of research is magnetoreception and I work on the purification of cryptochrome 4 which could potentially help us to understand what effect the earth’s magnetic field has on that protein. Why is this important? It’s that we work with night migratory songbirds which travel thousands of kilometres every year or twice a year. And we want to find out how this functions!"

What made you want to go to science?

"My mum wanted to be a scientist herself, but she could not pursue that because she did not have enough money. She got married early and in the university, she worked in administration. She wasn't very happy with that. But she did two masters and as children, me and my sister saw her study through both. So, science was always in our lives, ever present because of her. When I was really young and the genetic technology was super new, she came home and she told me about it like “hey, there’s a concept called designer babies where you can really select and pick specific features” or stuff like “genes are like this pearl necklace where you can chose which pearl goes in” and that fascinated me a lot. I said: That’s something that I really want to learn and study. So my mum was the most important influence for me to go to science and to pursue a career in science.“

What is the achievement you are most proud of?

„I don’t really feel proud about anything that I’ve done and I always feel like I could be doing so much better. But I’d say that it’s my resilience. I had a major failed project before I started with this protein project: I wanted to study the behavior of the birds and I did not get a single result that was good enough for two years straight. And then I started from scratch again and at that point I was really contemplating, you know, it’s not for me, let it go. But then, I decided: You know what – no. We are not quitting. If we are in this, we have to finish this, and get the PhD and then it’s done. So I think I would be kind of proud of myself about that."

Did you meet any barriers during your career as a scientific researcher?

„A lot of them! One was the pressure of not getting any results, another was wanting to quit, but since then I thought if I’m one of the rare people who have the opportunity to go out and do research – and quit, then I’m wasting it. And then I saw that I really have to overcome this. Also, especially international students have to go through everything being new – the culture, the people, the language - and I say this after staying in Germany and knowing German really well. I’m relatively fluent in the language. But those are the hurdles that you have to overcome and still have this razor focus like – ok, all of this is happening in the background, but I have to do this and that can be a bit challenging every once in a while."

Your advice to those who want to get into science:

"Take enough good breaks so you can really go away and then you have an amazing clarity about everything. Just shut your brain off and go away, far away from your working environment. Don’t give up! It really works out in the end and it’s wonderful to do experiments, to find out new things every day and most of the time it feels like being a detective. You do an experiment and then something goes wrong. And then there’s one moment where it clicks: “Oh, this was wrong - and ok, I can change that and then I get a beautiful result." But that can only happen when your mind is really calm and when you are rested. I have made the mistake of not taking enough breaks, but then I went away for four weeks. I was in India with my parents and my family and did not think about the work at all and now that I have come back, it’s like all things suddenly work for some reason.“

What is your agenda for the coming months?

„... to finish my PhD project. I have two at the moment and I hope that I get to really work on them and finish them and get my PhD in the end and after that, the immediate agenda after that once it is done is taking a big, giant break for I don’t know two to three months and then spend some time with my family and friends."

"I‘m working on the impact of antibiotics on the bacteria community composition and function in the sea surface micro layers. I’m in two research groups, my primary group is 'processes and sensors of marine interfaces' and I'm also a part of the 'microbiology' group.“

What made you want to go to science?

Answer: "When I was young, my father died of tuberculosis. Back then in Nigeria, and even now, science isn’t really a major thing. So people thought he was poisoned. And although I was very small, I noticed that he was coughing and vomiting blood. I didn’t know what happened to him and I thought he died of poisoning. I set up to be a science student, because I also wanted to be a doctor to be able to help people. To be able to see, ok, was this person actually poisoned or was it something he had that killed him.“

What is the achievement you are most proud of?

„I’m proud of my Master’s certificate and I’m so proud that I’m on a scholarship now. I actually got my scholarship on the day that I defended my master thesis!”

The antibiotic susceptibility on bacterial isolates obtained from the Jade bay. This isolate was subjected to 16 different antibiotics and the clear parts you see are the zones of inhibition of the bacteria to the antibiotics. The areas where there are no zones of inhibition indicate that the bacteria was resistant to those antibiotics.”

Did you meet any barriers during your career as a scientific researcher?

"After my bachelor thesis I had to wait three years before I could start my master courses, that was a huge barrier. In Nigeria, we don’t really have a good educational structure, the unemployment rate there is quite high. So after my bachelor's, I knew I wanted to further my studies, but I didn’t have the money then. So I had to work. Unfortunately, I didn’t find a job in my discipline, so I had to work in a financial company. And I did that for three years before I could actually continue with my studies."

What is your agenda for the coming months?

"Now I want to finish writing the review on what I’m working on right now. I also have so many things to do in the lab, I need to sequence, I need to extract the genomes of some bacteria that I have, I also need to do some antibiotic tests on them."

Did you have any inspiring model that influenced your career?

"I think I had a role model when I went to university and that was my supervisor, who’s name is Adenike Ogunshe – we have the same name – and she really loves science, most especially microbiology. So I really looked up to her and I trusted her in everything she said. Although she made me walk extra miles to be able to accomplish what I wanted. I think she is partly my role model. But besides that, I’m also my own role model!“

Your advice to those who want to get into science?

„I think you should be aware that it’s not that easy, you have to dedicate a lot of work and time towards it. You need to have this view to actually be in science and you just need to follow your passion. If it’s your passion, just go for it!“

What’s your field of research and what do you work on?

“I am a paleoceanographer and marine geochemist. I am interested in biogeochemical cycles and processes in the modern ocean and use geochemical tracers to understand conditions and changes in the past ocean (mainly over glacial-interglacial cycles of the Late Quaternary).”

What made you want to go to science?

“Curiosity, love of adventure, ambition.

People that inspired me were my PhD and postdoc supervisors, that all were extremely passionate about science and supported me along my way.”

What is the achievement you are most proud of?

“I am proud of each piece of scientific work that leaves my desk or that of my students and postdocs in the form of a scientific peer-reviewed publication. I am proud of the great Bachelor, Master and PhD students and postdocs I had the pleasure to work with. And I am proud of our state of the art laboratories at the ICBM.”

Did you meet any barriers during your career as a scientific researcher?

“Getting a permanent position even though I had a tenure-track position (one of the first in Oldenburg or maybe even Germany) was not easy. Setting up the special lab facilities that I require for my research was also a big struggle. But it was all worth it!”

Advice from you to those interested into working in science:

“Be and remain curious, be adventurous, do not hesitate to take some personal and work related risks, don’t give up, believe in yourself! Stay true to yourself, connect to peers and make friends among your colleagues.”

Finally: what is your agenda for the coming months?

“Organizing and conducting my first research expedition on the research vessel SONNE in the Tasman Sea as a chief scientist (April-May 2022).”