Early in my studies, I was inspired by optics and lasers: it was a topic where it was easy to identify links between theory and experiments. Therefore, during my preparatory studies in France, I was drawn to the Institut d’Optique for further studies.

As a university professor, I lead a research group with scientists at different career levels, from student assistants and senior scientists, to postdoctoral and doctoral researchers. I am responsible for the research direction these scientists take, their supervision, and the acquisition of research funds to carry out our research. I am also responsible for giving lectures to undergraduate and graduate students. In addition, I am involved in many decision-making bodies and panels for research.

I consider my biggest accomplishment to be the graduation of my first PhD student, who continues to have a stellar career in industry.

The biggest obstacle in my career is balancing family and work in a healthy manner. I am the proud mom of three small children, and I consider my career to be as important for me as my family. However, both come with compromises that can be incredibly challenging to navigate. I believe academia still needs quite a few changes in its culture make this easier for women, and we all have our part in achieving this. I have an incredible partner who makes incredible compromises to support my career; I navigate the rest with physical exercise and lots of coffee!

Be very careful with the responsibilities you accept and learn to say “No.” Be patient. Do not question yourself. Be sure you are taking enough risks and are getting out of your comfort zone. And be yourself.

Clara Saraceno
Professor, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Ruhr University Bochum
Born in Argentina / Resides in Germany
Educational Background: Diploma and MS in Engineering, Institut d’Optique Graduate School, France; PhD in Physics, ETHZurich, Switzerland