Take the time to figure out what you really want to do, even if that means taking detours.
If you’re not sure you can do something, try anyway. Never believe those who tell you that you are not good enough. Fight for your interests, and if necessary, find others to fight with you!
Make mistakes: it may feel humiliating in the moment, but most likely your mistakes won’t kill you, and you’ll develop a resilience that will serve you throughout your life.
Physics and mathematics were always my favorite subjects in school. Since my parents’ house is close to a very good university with a renowned department of physics and mathematics, I decided to study physics there. From the day I arrived, a whole new world opened up to me, awakening an urge to understand how things work and to use physics and mathematics to answer unsolved questions. I decided then that I wanted to do this for the rest of my life, and that hasn’t changed.
A university career as a physics professor was almost impossible for a woman in Germany at the time of my doctorate, and is probably still not easy to achieve. I decided to move to the US, work as a postdoc in scientific research, and pursue a scientific career there. In the process, however, I also came in contact with research and development in industry. After two years, I realized that I wanted to solve problems in “real” life and see how people used my developments. And so I moved into industry and took a job with a company that developed measuring equipment for the optical industry.
My current roles of head of engineering and member of the management board require me to use my skills beyond physics and math. I hold key conversations about development ideas, assemble ideal teams, ensure that proper resources are available, develop and implement strategy, monitor finances, and address unexpected challenges such as those presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. I must look beyond the science to the bigger picture of projects, developments, and the larger organization.
Iris Erichsen
Head of Engineering and Special Projects and Member of Management Board, TRIOPTICS GmbH, Germany
Born in Germany / Resides in Germany
Educational Background: Diploma in Physics, PhD in Natural Sciences
