40 Years of Erwin Schrödinger Fellowships

What criteria did you apply when selecting your host research institution? What was different there than in Austria?

Being near the ocean and my postdoc supervisor were my main selection criteria. There were a lot of differences – one difference that has stayed with me was the very optimistic approach to writing research proposals.

What was your biggest highlight and what was the greatest challenge?

The good professional and personal contacts I had the opportunity to make were a real highlight for me, but the logistical hurdles (e.g., health insurance, filing tax returns) I had to face in the host country were a major challenge.

Were there experiences you benefited from immediately after your return and how did this impact your career?

I particularly benefited from learning new methods and approaches. This gave me the skills I needed to write a competitive project proposal shortly after my return, which funded the establishment of my own research group.

Why is international mobility, for example with a Schrödinger fellowship, important at the start of an academic career?

International mobility in the early stages of an academic career broadens a researcher’s institutional horizons. It makes us more aware of things we may take for granted at our home university. We can then appreciate the positive while questioning the negative aspects more critically,  allowing us to change them as far as possible, at least in our own field.

Were there experiences you benefited from immediately after your return and how did this impact your career?

Soon after my return from the UK, I was able to complete my post-doctoral thesis (habilitation) in Vienna. My British supervisor – well, previous supervisor by then – acted as the external reviewer for the thesis committee. This also allowed him to get to know my home university in Vienna, strengthening the ties between the two institutions.

What advice would you like to offer future Schrödinger fellows?

Learn from international experiences, but stay in touch with the scientific community in your home country!

What was your biggest highlight and what was the greatest challenge?

The highlight of my research stay was the opportunity to attend lectures by and interact with Ariel Rubinstein, a leading researcher in the field of non-cooperative negotiation theory. Another important highlight was gaining insights into a top international department in the early stages of the “empirical revolution” in economics. How do they teach? Who is teaching? What are the discipline’s fundamental unresolved questions? How are they trying to answer them?

What scientific perspectives did you gain during your research stay?

The key focus was addressing the fundamental unresolved questions of modern microeconomics and empirically testing the relevant theories.

What do we really know and what does the community think it knows? There are so many unquestioned conventions in science (things we think we know) – questioning these assumptions and edging ever closer to an answer in a productive way are constants in our work. My time abroad helped shape this perspective.

Were there experiences you benefited from immediately after your return and how did this impact your career?

As soon as I got back to Austria, I turned to experimental economic research, which allowed me to find answers that I could only have dreamed of before. I might never have taken this step if I hadn't gone abroad on a Schrödinger fellowship.

Why is international mobility, for example with a Schrödinger fellowship, important at the start of an academic career?

It’s an opportunity to broaden your knowledge, skills, and horizons.

What scientific perspectives did you gain during your research stay?

In very general terms: Through my work at Yale University, I gained a deeper insight into both one specific research field and the scientific process itself.

What advice would you like to offer future Schrödinger fellows?

Researchers are often defining their specific focus at this stage in their careers, and it’s important to take enough time to do so.

What criteria did you apply when selecting your host research institution? What was different there than in Austria?

I chose the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in Australia on the one hand because I had already had the opportunity to gain a first impression of the quality of research and the scientists there during a research stay in Australia before being awarded the Schrödinger fellowship. On the other hand, the university system in Australia is very different from the Austrian system: Universities are profit-oriented and are run like companies. This may not always seem like a good thing from an Austrian perspective, but it provides valuable impetus for the further development of a country's own higher education system.

What scientific perspectives did you gain during your research stay?

Compared to my research in Austria, the work of my colleagues in Australia was characterized more by working closely with companies. This practice significantly improved my ability to create the conditions needed for successful collaborations with the business community – an aspect that later benefited me greatly in my work supporting university spin-offs. In addition, I gained valuable insights into innovative approaches and interdisciplinary cooperation, which enriched my own research perspective and had a lasting influence on my professional career in the utilization of scientific results.

What advice would you like to offer future Schrödinger fellows?

Be courageous and curious and remember that the Schrödinger fellowship is a great privilege. Take the opportunity not only to advance your skills in your specialist area, but also to make contacts across disciplinary boundaries and learn about new approaches. Openness and flexibility are the key to making the most of your experience abroad and using it to benefit your career in the long term.

Why is international mobility, for example with a Schrödinger fellowship, important at the start of an academic career?

On the one hand, to see first-hand how research works in other countries and, on the other, to build up an international network.

What criteria did you apply when selecting your host research institution? What was different there than in Austria?

The university was more of a coincidence. I wanted to work on a specific topic in a specific research group. The fact that Uppsala University has a good international reputation was a bonus. One big difference was certainly Sweden’s flat hierarchy from doctoral students to professors, which makes it very easy for a newcomer to join the team.

What advice would you like to offer future Schrödinger fellows?

Make sure you take advantage of this great opportunity. Going abroad remains an important step for your own career. And even though I was in a long-distance relationship during my stay abroad, it was also a wonderful time in my private life. I made so many new friends and memories.

What criteria did you apply when selecting your host research institution? What was different there than in Austria?

My host supervisor and his team at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center were a perfect fit for my project. Tom Finger was familiar to me from conferences as a leading researcher in his field and, above all, as an open-minded, team-oriented scientist. With my Schrödinger funding, he offered me the opportunity to significantly improve my academic and methodological skills. Another key factor was that my host was interested in formally including me in his team as a visiting faculty member. In addition to the host’s professional qualities, you should always consider the academic and social environment.

What was your biggest highlight and what was the greatest challenge?

In addition to being embedded in an excellent academic environment, my highlights included learning relatively simple but insightful methods. And of course also Denver and the surrounding area, like the Rocky Mountains. One of the biggest challenges was coming to terms with the intricacies of a new work and communication culture and finding the right balance between independent work and being part of the team – but that’s hardly worth mentioning compared to the advantages.

Were there experiences you benefited from immediately after your return and how did this impact your career?

Towards the end of my Schrödinger year in Denver, the University of Vienna unexpectedly offered me an assistant professorship as head of the Konrad Lorenz Research Center for Behavior and Cognition (KLF) in Grünau/Almtal. As a result, I changed the focus of my research and teaching and couldn’t continue with my Schrödinger project. However, the direct result of my research stay was a series of publications with my colleagues in Denver. I also started behavioral experiments at the KLF on chemosensation in fish, which I discontinued after a few years (after completing a PhD project) due to various circumstances. However, the Schrödinger project has shaped my attitude towards best practice at universities and in research to this day.

Why is international mobility, for example with a Schrödinger fellowship, important at the start of an academic career?

An international research stay, especially early in your career, helps to broaden your own horizons, to see things from a different perspective, and to learn new methods. Above all, however, it helps you start building an international network, which is essential for researchers.

What criteria did you apply when selecting your host research institution? What was different there than in Austria?

I wanted to join one of the top five working groups in my field and ended up in the USA. The differences to Austria were huge. The people there were unbelievably enthusiastic about their work, basically working seven days a week, not because they had to, but because they wanted to. Hierarchies were flat and performance was rewarded relatively quickly.

What scientific perspectives did you gain during your research stay?

On the one hand, that we all put our pants on one leg at a time. On the other hand, that a positive attitude in your approach to things can really make a difference. And perhaps also how important it is to be able to present your own work well and to understand its value.

Why is international mobility, for example with a Schrödinger fellowship, important at the start of an academic career?

If, like me, you have earned all your degrees from a single university, you will unconsciously internalize the research preferences and teaching traditions prevalent at that particular institution. To learn to think outside the box, the opportunity to conduct research at another university with a Schrödinger fellowship is ideal. A Schrödinger fellowship also allows you to spend time at a leading university in a particular field and get to know the experts in that field personally – an invaluable advantage for your further academic development.

Were there experiences you benefited from immediately after your return and how did this impact your career?

My Schrödinger fellowship at Stanford University had a number of positive effects on my career. The most obvious and immediate effect, however, was that Stanford offered me a tenure-track position during my fellowship, which was followed by a counter offer for a permanent position as Reader at the University of Bristol. In the end, I went to Bristol, but without the Schrödinger fellowship, I probably wouldn't have gotten either offer.

What advice would you like to offer future Schrödinger fellows?

The most important advice would be to really make the most of your stay abroad. To do this, you may need to leave your comfort zone from time to time, especially if you tend to be shy and reserved. For example, it’s important to actively approach people, set up meetings on your own initiative, attend department celebrations, raise your hand and ask questions, and generally make your presence known, both academically and personally. It's no use having the chance to do research in a great place if you don't get to talk to the people who are relevant to your own work.

Why is international mobility, for example with a Schrödinger fellowship, important at the start of an academic career?

In our rapidly advancing and increasingly globalized world, international mobility offers young researchers countless professional and personal advantages. It not only helps junior researchers improve their professional and methodological skills through exposure to innovative ideas and new methods, but living in another country also encourages personal development and improves foreign language skills.

What was your biggest highlight and what was the greatest challenge?

One highlight of my research stay at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, was the open cooperation between researchers in different fields, which helped me build up international networks, increase my scientific productivity, and publish more papers.

The biggest challenge was the differences between the academic systems in the USA and Austria. Unfortunately, my Austrian medical degree was not recognized in America, so I had to repeat both the state exams and my specialist training.

What advice would you like to offer future Schrödinger fellows?

I advise future Schrödinger fellows not to let the many crises in science, such as limited funding, fierce competition, misinformation, and anti-science sentiment in the media, keep them from achieving their goals. If you enter into your research career with passion and determination, you will also be successful. The future needs excellent researchers to help solve the problems of our time.

Why is international mobility, for example with a Schrödinger fellowship, important at the start of an academic career?

Encountering research and research culture from a different perspective and in different places is one of the most important experiences you can have. It also creates friendships that last a lifetime.

What criteria did you apply when selecting your host research institution? What was different there than in Austria?

Quite simply – I wanted a world class university, and that was then (and still is) the University of Toronto. And there’s no need to be shy about it: The fellowship was a huge help, because I came with my own money. Pretty much any lab will take you under those conditions – at least at the time I got my Schrödinger grant. Thanks again – my career would otherwise have played out very differently.

What scientific perspectives did you gain during your research stay?

Research is the key, not where you come from or what you believe in. The expectations and level of cooperation were also completely different.

What was the biggest highlight and what was the greatest challenge?

My boss! She taught me how to run a research laboratory. The biggest challenge was coming back, because in Vienna the tradition of the old German professors still prevailed, who did not want to allow their “assistants (!)” to be independent.

What scientific perspectives did you gain during your research stay?

I thought about my own field of research and put forward new theses because I didn't want my research to be in competition with my previous group. The question of RNA folding: How can RNA fold in order to bind small molecules?

Were there experiences you benefited from immediately after your return and how did this impact your career?

Seeing how research is positioned internationally. I learned from my supervisor that you have to fight, especially as a woman, and not be intimidated.

What was your biggest highlight and what was the greatest challenge?

As a female postdoc in the USA, it was inspiring for me to see how women balanced an academic career and a family. I had several female role models for this, which was a key experience and a highlight alongside all the exciting research findings and experiences.

What scientific perspectives did you gain during your research stay?

One key finding was that good research works in large teams and networks. It was also important to realize that everything can and must be questioned. There is nothing that should be taken for granted. This is how successful research works!

Were there experiences you benefited from immediately after your return and how did this impact your career?

The stay was groundbreaking and set my course for the future. It showed me how research is conducted internationally in my field. It opened up networks and gave me contacts and insights that have stayed with me throughout my life and career.

What was your biggest highlight and what was the greatest challenge?

To be rapidly integrated into an active research group and learn state-of-the-art research methods. To be able to work (and live) directly by the sea. One challenge was to fit all my research objectives into one year.

Were there experiences you benefited from immediately after your return and how did this impact your career?

I had the opportunity to implement new research methods at the University of Innsbruck after my return with a Hertha Firnberg postdoc grant, followed by an Elise Richter position, which led to an assistant professor position.

What advice would you like to offer future Schrödinger fellows?

To venture abroad, even with a family. My daughter, five years old at the time, integrated quickly and has spoken perfect English with an American accent ever since!

What criteria did you apply when selecting your host research institution? What was different there than in Austria?

I applied for a postdoc position at the University of Cambridge straight after completing my dissertation, was invited for an interview, and was shortlisted. Together with the director of the institute, we explored ways I could be included in their research and decided on the Schrödinger fellowship. Excellence, international reputation, and the opportunity to further develop my own research were the most important criteria for me.

What was your biggest highlight and what was the greatest challenge?

The flat hierarchies, the collegiality, a constructive feedback culture, and a critical view of my own scientific work created the perfect environment for my research. The whole two years and the many opportunities to exchange scientific ideas and develop further as a researcher were a highlight for me. What was particularly challenging at the beginning was the Anglo-Saxon publication culture, which was at the time not as prevalent in my field in Austria as it is today.

What scientific perspectives did you gain during your research stay?

Science needs to be understandable, relevant, self-critical, comprehensible, and empirically sound. I started critically reflecting on my own choice of methods and working with fellow researchers to further develop methods in my field. In Cambridge, I also began to engage more intensively with scientists and political decision-makers, which has shaped my work to this day.