You are Vice President for University Culture and Quality at the University of Marburg – would you have thought at the beginning of your research studies that you would wind up working like this?
Not at all, no. I had an interest in science, I wanted to research. But there were barely any good example for ladies and women – I noticed that at school currently, where I was one of the couple of ladies who had actually picked math and physics as sophisticated courses. Even Lise Meitner was not discussed in the physics textbooks at that time. Our physics instructor was a fantastic supporter and even composed a letter to book publishers with us due to the fact that of it. I studied Meitner’s work therefore this lady became a good example for me. That is why I always had the feeling that I wish to do science.
She is credited with saying that her life does not constantly have to be easy, if just it were amazing. That was an unbelievable incentive for me.
There was no role model for female teachers, that was a really remote concept. However if I had dared to formulate it inwardly like that, I would have currently said that being a scientist is a profession I wish to have. University management is, obviously, something you do not envision as a trainee.
Do you have any tips for students beginning college now?
Yes. Do not jeopardize with yourself, study what you feel like and do not be impressed by what others state – for example, that you can not discover a task with your degree. Listen inside yourself to what your enthusiasm is, do that. Likewise, think outside the box and do something crazy that does not fit your field.
We do not know how the task market is going to look like in 10 years. Those who are beginning to study today are now 18 or 19. This generation will probably work up until they are 70, which is still over 50 years. If we go back 50 years from today and take a look at IT: That is when people were dealing with punch cards or magnetic tapes – no one might have imagined Big Data.