Hall of Femmes

(1) What I love about my current job is...
...being confronted with new challenges every day, constantly learning new things, passing on my expertise to students and the knowledge that I can help people lead a healthier lifestyle through my work.

(2) My current job suits me perfectly because...
...it challenges me, offers me variety every day, allows me to work with students, researchers and numerous health promotion stakeholders, doesn’t just come with tasks to do but also certain privileges and freedoms and simply makes me happy 🙂

(3) One of the highlights of my career so far has been...
...when I had my first application for third-party funding approved – it was a great feeling to finally be noticed and taken seriously in the world of research.

(4) When I look back on my career to date, I’d say that what has particularly shaped me has been...
…changing university and moving house so many times. Even though they were exhausting, they were always enriching. Being involved in different fields of work has definitely helped me grow and had a positive impact on my development.

(5) A time when I doubted my decision to go to university or to pursue my current career path was...
...when I found out what friends from school were earning – some of them didn’t even have a degree.

The reason I didn’t give up was in particular down to the fact that...
...when talking to them more about their job, it became clear that I have something that can’t be compensated with money: fun at work! I love what I do and I wouldn’t trade it for any money in the world. The only thing that would be nice to have would be the prospect of a permanent contract – that’s certainly something else that always gives rise to doubts...

(6) I’d advise any young women wishing to pursue a career similar to mine to...
...find out as much information as they can about it in advance. Of course, I think it's great and I’d encourage them, but this job also entails a lot of sacrifice, which many young female researchers are often not aware of when they start their doctoral studies. Many struggle – and give up after a few years, because they didn’t have enough or any information about it.

(7) I associate my time at Paderborn University with...
...three information-packed years up to the completion of my doctoral degree; successfully earning my doctorate, followed by a party; a family-like institution with a great employee culture; probably the only university or college with a golf course next to it; spending free time on the tennis court to clear my head, and lovely colleagues, some of whom I’m still in close contact with today.

(8) For the next 50 years, I wish Paderborn University...
...to stay as it is: not too small, yet still friendly and easy to navigate, with fantastic opportunities for interdisciplinary exchange and little red tape, as well as being attractive for students in numerous disciplines.

(9) As a positive effect of the “Hall of Femmes” for readers, I hope that...
...they will gain an overview of the wide variety of opportunities that a degree, doctorate or other affiliation with Paderborn University can bring.