Dr. Patricia Jovičević-Klug

My history with science began at a very young age when I was in kindergarten. I was fascinated by the night sky constellations and of course dinosaurs, like every child probably. When I went to primary school, my interest in science, technology, engineering, medicine and mathematics became even stronger. I was even in the astronomy club and the genetics club. When it came time to enrol in the Gymnasium, I chose the Linguistic Gymnasium because I had always been fascinated by ancient languages such as Latin. When I look back now, I can already see the signs that my path will take me across many disciplines. As I continued to develop my career, I was interested in studying Medicine (Genetics), Astrophysics and Chemistry. I finished my Bachelor's in Geology (University of Ljubljana) with a module in Geochemistry, where I found my true love in science - isotopes. Isotopes have shaped my life decisions where to continue my studies, so I chose to do two Masters, one in Marine Geosciences (University of Kiel and GEOMAR), where I had the opportunity to be part of scientific cruises, which was an unforgettable experience, and I did student work on the snow and ice samples of Arctica, in correlation to radiogenic isotopes. The second Masters I did was in Sustainability, Society and Environment (University of Kiel), where I had the opportunity to combine stable isotopes and genetics in the same research. For my PhD, I have chosen to work in the field of Cryogenics and Materials Science within the Nanoscience and Nanotechnology module. This decision was the one which made me stop and think about the position of women in STEM. I have seen and experienced a lot of different behaviour towards women, especially with my interdisciplinary/cross-disciplinary background. And I have to say that some disciplines are more advanced than others when it comes to behaviour towards women. My experience as a PhD student has empowered me to make a difference for my fellow women in science and for future generations of women in science. One of the steps to make a difference is to organise Women in Science Week, which will be the first and only event of its kind at the institute where I am doing my postdoctoral research.  

I would like to finish with my main motivation that "One’s scientific soul (essence) is not determined by their scientific field nor their research interest but by their capability to connect different aspects and views into a combined harmony of scientific results and ideas.”