#NCCRWomen - Rahel Baumgartner (UNIGE, J. Sonner's Group)

31/1/23

Rahel Baumgartner

Interviewed people :

Rahel Baumgartner is a PhD student in theoretical physics at the University of Geneva in J. Sonner’s Group. While studying for her Master's degree also at the University of Geneva under the supervision of J. Sonner, she spent a year at the University of Padova in Italy. Her research interests are Quantum Chaos and Quantum Gravity. Currently she’s studying a theoretical many-body system, the SYK model, trying to describe it in the framework of quantum chaos and eventually find a protocol on how to implement it in a laboratory.

Why did you choose a scientific career?

Mostly out of curiosity. I always liked math in school and then in high school I had amazing physics teachers. At this point, I began seriously considering a scientific direction. I liked that physics can be applied to everyday situations to explain a lot of phenomena. However, at the same time, being very challenging, it often leaves you wondering. I enjoy particularly the theoretical side of it. For example, I find surprising how far you can go in understanding something that you can’t even visualise. Sometimes the more abstract something is, the more fascinating it can be.

When you said your teachers influenced your choice, was there a specific moment that you remember, or something that they said that really sparked it all?

I remember that one teacher made us read a book by Simon Singh called “The Big Bang”. I really enjoyed it, because it was about abstract things I knew nothing about, which for me were very difficult to imagine, like black holes for example. This was one of the moments where I realized how much I liked physics.

Similarly, another teacher inspired me, but from the perspective of what a scientific career can provide. He was always speaking so passionately about his studies and about physics in general. It was a way to continue learning new things, to continue studying your whole life, to travel and meet interesting people. Once we visited CERN with him and he also encouraged us to attend public physics lectures at University. This for sure influenced me too.

If you weren't a scientist, what would you be?

There is a good chance I would have taken the entrance examination for classical music. I used to play the flute a lot and I considered it for a short while as a career. I actually chose music as my main option in high school and I loved it. My interest in physics came only towards the end of high school, and in the end, I found it was easier to keep music as a hobby and pursue physics rather than the other way around. Nevertheless, if I had listened to my brother, I would have become a veterinarian, because he thought it would be beneficial for our farm. Unfortunately I can’t stand needles and blood very well… ;)

My most exciting scientific discovery so far is...

Well, that is still to be revealed. The most exciting moments so far are, when I suddenly understand something better or have this aha-moment about something I studied months ago, but had not fully understood at the time.

Currently, these moments arrive mostly with regard to my master thesis, where I studied a certain limit of a model that is made out of interacting particles and which is quantum chaotic. I didn’t quite manage to push the project during my Master’s as far as I wanted, but recently it has taken up again, and I am experiencing a lot of these small moments of enlightenment.

Is the research you are doing now something you knew you wanted to do from the start?

Yes, but I took some detours to get to it. I spoke with several professors when looking for a master's thesis, and only at the end with my current supervisor. Initially, I hesitated, as the project he offered sounded more condensed matter-related, and at the time I was more interested in quantum gravity. However, the proposal sounded very interesting, and I had a good impression of him and his group, so I went for it. Now I am working on Quantum Chaos and I really like it. I quickly realised that the topic is very much related to all the things that sparked my interest in physics at the very beginning.

Do you think you will continue with research?

I am a year into my PhD, so it’s still early to say whether I want to continue with research or not. However I often think about it and discuss it with my colleagues. I feel it’s often expected that people in research continue with the academic career. On the other hand, I don’t want to pressure myself to think that I have to stay in the field. So I’ve decided that at the end of the PhD, if I still like it, and an opportunity presents itself, then I'll gladly continue.

What is your favourite thing about research/science?

My favourite thing is that you learn something new every day. You read papers, lecture notes, watch other people’s talks, discuss and just try to gain a deeper understanding of your topic. Moreover, you get to meet a lot of amazing people with fascinating personalities along the road. I recently participated in a first year Doctoral School, and the exchanges and conversations I had there were very fruitful and interesting. In general, I like discussing with other people, because it leads to new ways to look at some problems, both on a scientific and personal level.

What's your least favourite thing about research, how do you improve it/make it easier to deal with?

I don’t enjoy the competition and pressure that you must always be good, or even the best, and constantly having to prove yourself. It is stressful and you start comparing yourself to others too much. In my case it leads sometimes to the feeling of not belonging in academia, because I don’t achieve as much as others do, or because I think I am not good enough to do research. I think that many experience an “impostor syndrome”, which for example, in my case, it even led to blockades. In the beginning, I didn’t want to talk about these things with my advisor and seniors, because I thought it would seem very small and stupid compared to other problems people face. But it helped a lot to open-up to them. They told me it was okay to have these feeling, and that it was not uncommon. So, you need to find your own way of dealing with the pressure and comparison, but it definitely helps a lot to talk about it with others and share experiences. Knowing that you’re not the only one dealing with these kinds of problems helped me a lot.

What would you like to say to your younger self about a scientific career?

I would just say, go for it. If you want to do science, try it out and see if you like it. And hang in there because sometimes it takes some time until you get to the really interesting stuff. In the beginning you learn a lot of basic tools you’ll need for later and you don’t always enjoy all the parts, but the further you go, the more you can choose what you want to study and it gets more interesting.

Have you ever encountered discrimination because of your gender?

Only very recently when I started my PhD. In particular, a colleague that was struggling to get a job implied that I got mine partly thanks to my gender. Prior to this I had never encountered it, or at least I never noticed it. Of course, I was aware that the field is outnumbered by men. For example, during my bachelor’s there were not many women, on average there were five to twenty-five men.

Do you think it makes it worse when people talk about these women-only related things?

I watched the previous SwissMAP NCCR Women campaign, and I really enjoyed it. Just the fact, that there are female role models in the field is encouraging. It helps me to feel more belonging to physics. For this reason I think it is good, especially for younger generations, to talk about women-only related things. And my hope is that my interview may inspire somebody else.

At the same time, I don’t feel comfortable talking about these topics, and I fear that this kind of projects could be used against women in the field. For example, that somebody could think that through an interview a woman gets more publicity and gains an advantage. However, the fact itself that I don’t feel comfortable makes me think that there is an issue to talk about.

What do you like to do outside work?

A lot of things, where to start? You could say I am quite Swiss regarding my hobbies. I love the mountains in all their aspects, I’m a member of the CAS (Club Alpin Suisse) and in winter I ski a lot, I do ski touring and I teaching children to ski as an instructor at the Ski Club of Geneva. In the summer it’s more hiking and cycling. Apart from sports, I have a big passion for music, I still like to play the flute either for myself or in orchestras and go to concerts.

About the bike, you impressed us all at the last SwissMAP Annual General Meeting in Les Diablerets when you cycled from Geneva… !

Thank you. The whole thing started actually more as a joke during the 2021 SwissMAP Annual General Meeting, when my friends and I began saying that Les Diablerets was not too far from Geneva.

And as we were registering for the 2022 Meeting, the idea came back up. It wasn’t serious, but I thought that this could indeed be possible, and that we should do it. It took about 6-7 hours: the first part was flat, 100km just along the lake until Aigle. From there, it goes up for about 20km and that was the difficult part, where you are tired, and your legs really hurt. But it was an amazing experience and I hope to do it again next year with more people from Geneva and Lausanne.

What is your wish for anyone studying science in school today?

I wish science could lose its reputation for being difficult. I dislike hearing people say, that they could never do it because I don’t think that’s true. It depends a lot on how committed you are, but I think everybody can do science. If they are interested and are willing to put in the effort, then everybody can do it.

Research project(s)

String Theory

Program(s)

Equal Opportunities

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