This month EPWS gives the floor to Prof. Dr. Katja Matthes, GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research in Kiel and Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Germany, and coordinator of the Baltic Gender project.
Last minute: on May 11th, 2020 Prof. Dr. Katja Matthes becomes the first Female Scientific Director of GEOMAR
Contact: kmatthes@geomar.de
www.geomar.de/en/mitarbeiter/fb1/me/kmatthes
EPWS: What made you want to go to science? How did you decide to choose your discipline and your particular field of research? Did you have an inspiring model (parent, relative, teacher, literature, etc.)?
I loved Mathematics, Physics and Geography in school and was always curious about Nature and how things work. During my last high school years, I once visited the Meteorological Institute of the Free University in Berlin and discovered my passion for meteorology. I knew from the beginning on that I wanted to work in research to understand the ongoing global warming and how the climate system works. This wish was further strengthened during my first study semesters. I was very much inspired by Karin Labitzke, a female professor at the institute, who became my PhD advisor. She was at that time the first and only female physics professor in Germany and had an internationally renowned working group that attracted a number of very successful female scientists. She supported my participation at international conferences early on (I attended my first EGU – European Geosciences Union- meeting with the results of my diploma thesis) and was always there to provide career guidance.
| Photo: Tebke Böschen, University of Kiel
EPWS: What do you work on? How important is your research topic for science development or society?
I work on understanding and quantifying natural climate variability and in particular the role of the Sun as one of the most important natural climate forcing agents beside volcanoes. Understanding natural climate variability is important to improve climate change predictions. Due to the periodicity of solar variability, in particular on a decadal scale, the Sun has the potential to improve decadal climate predictions. In times of global change and rapid changes to our environment, people are in particular interested in improved forecasts for the upcoming years on a regional scale. Therefore, my work on improving decadal climate predictions directly benefits society, which always has been and still is a big motivation for me.
EPWS: What is your greatest success as a researcher (and as a teacher if you teach), the one you are most proud of? Could you share the memory of a great personal satisfaction during your research career with us?
I was really proud to be asked to contribute to the upcoming 6th IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) assessment report in two ways. I was responsible for providing the solar forcing dataset for all the climate model simulations that have been conducted for the IPCC report and I am a contributing author to the chapter on natural forcings. It is personally very satisfactory if your own research is recognized in this way and you have the feeling that it is truly important for society.
As a teacher, I was very proud when my preferred course about Stratospheric Physics and Dynamics, that I do change and adapt with lots of efforts and motivation every time and in which I involve the students actively, got the best grade in the German system (1.0) from the students afterwards. Again, it is personally very satisfactory that efforts and passion are recognized.
EPWS:In which country/countries have you been doing research?
I have mostly worked in Germany. For my postdoc phase, I spent three years in the US, but I also spent some shorter time periods for research in Japan, France and the UK. I really enjoyed the intercultural exchange with colleagues in and from other countries and the work experience in other research systems. Something that we all miss during the current corona crisis! We try to overcome this with videoconference meetings, which works well for a while, but meeting in person at some point is also necessary.
EPWS: What is your agenda for the coming months?
I will prepare myself for the next step in my career and position myself for this new challenge.
| Photo: Stefan Kolbe
Did you meet any barriers (personal/social/structural) during your career as a scientific researcher? Did you benefit from mentoring?
After my PhD in a friendly and gender-balanced research group, I became aware of the gender-issue and unconscious bias at several points during my career. I always had the impression that I needed to work more and harder than my male colleagues in order to be recognized. And I do think that women have to struggle more with combining work with a family, as they are the ones that give birth.
I remember that I kept my first pregnancy secret until very late (I was almost 8 months pregnant and it was getting difficult to hide) because I was afraid that my new Postdoc working contract could fail. It was unfortunate but I still believe that this was the right decision at the time since my German host was very critical about it. This was in contrast to my US host who warmly welcomed and supported me. I was further inspired during my time in the US by women working in science and being able to combine work and family. I attended a couple of networking events of the Earth’s Science Women’s Network (ESWN) in Boulder/Colorado – and it was completely normal to attend with a little baby (our second child that was shortly born after our first one in the US). The Postdoc time in the US was very inspiring scientifically and personally. After I returned to Germany, I participated in two mentoring programs for women, which were key to my career. Without attending those programs and having two very supportive (male) mentors as well as a very supportive husband, I would not be there where I am now.
What is the situation of gender equality in your working field? In the countries where you have been working, were there gender equalities policies and did you experience their effects?
What do you suggest for a better implementation of gender equality in science?
There is still a lack of women in leadership positions in marine science and this is only changing slowly, although there are enough female early career scientists in the field. Even though there are gender equality plans and gender measures in Germany and many European countries, the key to reach gender-equality are structural changes in the institutions. This will lead to an increase in women’s participation in decision making and hence promote gender equality careers and finally also stimulate excellence in science and technology by integrating the gender dimension in research.
Working in the US as a young postdoc was inspiring because I got to know the “stop-the-clock” concept for female early career scientists on a career ladder track. For the time women scientists were having and raising little kids, the counting of scientific achievements was stopped – this is something that is also slowly recognized in Germany and Europe and I really try to push this in tenure committees etc. Funding agencies in Germany and Europe are for example giving a 1.5 to 2-year bonus per child when calculating publication indices.
To overcome the unconscious bias and really work on gender balance and structural changes in marine sciences, I founded first a grass-root network at GEOMAR, the Women’s Executive Board (WEB), in 2013 and then led in the past four years the EU project Baltic Gender.
I think we know the gender equality problem very well by now, it is time for implementation of what we have learned. It needs people that are ready to actively change the structures in the academic field as well as in the society!
| Photo: private
Did you experience networking between women scientists? Can you comment your answer and explain why yes or not?
Yes, I experienced this not only in the mentoring programs for women that I attended but also in the grass-root networks (ESWN, WEB, etc.). I think networking between women scientists is a real key if you want to stay in science, as it helps a lot to realize that there are other women with exactly the same challenges and feelings.
If you could start again your life, would you choose again to be a scientist? What would you change?
Yes, I would definitely choose to be a scientist again and wouldn’t change anything!
Could you leave a message to young European women scientists?
If you really love the science you are doing, keep on going, it’s worth it. We need more women scientists in leadership positions in Europe! You need a long breath, a supportive partner and family, a good network and a mentor!
Favourite Links
www.geomar.de/en/centre/structure/committees/web/