March 28, 2024

Asparn, Geneva - Your dream job in science

Asparn, Geneva – Your dream job in science

“On the first day I felt like a kid at the same time as Christmas and Easter,” Jacqueline Kentzel says in an interview with NÖN.

After graduating from BORG Mistelbach University, Asparner went to Vienna University of Technology to study technical physics. She later came to Geneva for her master’s degree, where she is now a Senior Research Fellow in radiographic optics.

Every now and then she forgets where she’s allowed to work: “Especially when my family or friends come to visit me, I realize again where I actually work: in the world’s largest science lab,” Kentzel says happily.

In her work as a physicist, Keintzel has important assignments at CERN: “We make sure that the particle beams rotate and maintain their trajectory. I work specifically in the field of radial optics, and among other things, I perform calculations in this field,” explains the scientist. However, their work at the LHC, the Large Hadron Collider, is not enough.

It also works on future accelerometer design concepts and performs particle accelerator measurements and analyzes in Japan. The young woman from Asparn has a lot of positive things to say about her work at CERN. Especially regarding a job as a woman in science: “There are fewer women in physics than there are men, but in the hierarchy, with my superiors and colleagues, it never made any difference. Gender, skin colour, religion or origin play no role here. If I heard a comment intended only to say that I am a woman, it is more likely to come from my colleagues.”

See also  Science - Poaching is more widespread than thought - Knowledge

Motivation and curiosity are important

Keintzel has just one piece of advice for young women who want to pursue a career in the natural sciences: “Just do it! It’s important to bring enthusiasm. Motivation and curiosity are key. Then nothing stands in the way of that.”

In her opinion, only a small part of luck is part of it: “As in all situations in life. Above all, you have to be brave enough and simply try to get a foothold where your own interests lie.”