I will be part of Munich Soapbox Science 2019! Soapbox Science is a platform for promoting science and especially women scientists. Following the historic format of Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park in London, speakers stand on a soapbox and talk to whoever passes by.

My motivation for joining Soapbox Science is two-fold: When I finished my PhD, people actually asked me “So then you’re getting a real job now?” I want to make people aware that being a scientist is an actual career, and not just going to school some more. The other question I constantly get asked is “So what exactly is your work good for?” It always makes me wanna roll my eyes. Our society is so focused on applied science that we tend to forget that applied research only exists because of basic research. Sure, I might not be Alexander Fleming, but every day science collects knowledge and the more knowledge we have the closer we get to more breakthroughs. And nobody knows when basic research on a topic will turn into applied research on that topic. So with stepping onto that soapbox I want to promote science as a serious career option, also and especially for women. And I want to open the public’s eye to the pivotal value of basic research.