Hall of Femmes

(1) What I love about my current job is...
...being able to work on and raise awareness of an issue that’s close to my heart through different roles: As a professor, I’m a researcher, a teacher, an entrepreneur and a representative. In all of these roles, I get to work with a wide variety of people and to contribute my own ideas to make a joint impact. And: I’m always learning!

(2) My current job suits me perfectly because...
…it’s so varied and challenges me every day. I never wanted to do just one thing. In my job, I enjoy both practical work with young people and precision work with researchers, as well as strategic work on projects with companies and foundations.

(3) One of the highlights of my career so far has been...
...being appointed a junior professor of social entrepreneurship with tenure track. A career in academia is not a very secure career. This position will enable me to stay in academia permanently, but also to work on an issue I strongly believe in and am always keen to learn more about.

(4) When I look back on my career to date, I’d say that what has particularly shaped me has been...
…the people I’ve been lucky enough to work with: co-authors, employees, students, doctorate students, international academics, entrepreneurs and founders as well as politicians.

(5) A time when I doubted my decision to go to university or to pursue my current career path was...
…when I took parental leave during my post-doc. As we slowly got used to being a family, I wasn’t sure how I was ever going to balance my role as a parent with a relentless, unstable job in academia.

The reason I didn’t give up was in particular down to the fact that...
…others encouraged me to continue, and others – albeit mainly men – showed me that you can establish yourself in academia even if you have a family.

(6) I’d advise any young women wishing to pursue a career similar to mine to...
…look for a mentor who can show you how the research system works and is the opposite to you in terms of character. I’m a perfectionist and have always found it difficult to believe I can do something I’m at first not 100% sure I can do. My mentor showed me how to just do it.

(7) I associate my time at Paderborn University with...
…many, many formative memories: It almost feels like this is where I grew up. During my degree, doctoral studies and post-doc, I met so many fantastic people at Paderborn University, and was always given great professional opportunities for experience both in and outside of Paderborn.

(8) One thing that has changed at Paderborn University that has particularly surprised me since I left is...
...how the university has become an impressive hub for start-ups and innovation in Germany. Students and employees now have a wealth of opportunities at their disposal to help them become active as entrepreneurs and receive the appropriate support.

(9) For the next 50 years, I wish Paderborn University...
...to continue to be a good “home base” for students and staff alike: a good place to learn from and with people, but also a good stepping stone from which to visit other places, whether through a semester abroad, an internship or a conference.