WomenInMath

Born in Gmunden, Austria • Birth year 1994 • Studied International Business and Management and Technical Mathematics • PhD in Mathematics from Johannes Kepler University Linz in Austria • Postdoctoral Researcher at the French Geological Survey, Orléans, France

If someone would have asked me 15 years ago, what I wanted to do after graduating from school, I would have been proud to say that I just passed the entrance test to study “International Business and Management” in Kufstein, Tyrol. It is a University of Applied Sciences which means that on top of regular study subjects it included internships to gain practical experiences, which brought me to Munich and Vienna, and a designated year to study abroad. In my case I chose the University of Bloemfontein in South Africa. It was a chance to study and live in a country far away from home, where life is completely different compared to Europe and I thought I would seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  

After receiving the Bachelor of Arts three years later, my plan was to switch to a public university closer to my hometown and so I enrolled in the “Finance and Accounting” master at Johannes Kepler University (JKU) in Linz. However, due to organizational hurdles when changing institutions I would have had to redo some exams, which would have delayed the start of my Master studies for at least a semester.

Until this time around 10 years ago in 2015, I had never considered mathematics as a study track but I gave it a try and enrolled in “Technical Mathematics” at JKU. 

I was quite disappointed and started looking for jobs in industry. On a regular Sunday, I was, as so often, at my aunt’s place, when she said: “Why don’t you try studying mathematics for now? You can do the other exams in parallel and a mathematical background would surely help you with any economics master…”, she laughed: “..and you pretty much enjoyed it in school.” 

Until this time around 10 years ago in 2015, I had never considered mathematics as a study track but I gave it a try and enrolled in “Technical Mathematics” at JKU.  The start was rather tough, but it changed when I joined a learning group, who became close friends and still are. We worked through every exercise sheet and every exam together, week after week and then semester after semester. The plan of the economics master was soon off the table. 

As of today, after finishing the Bachelor and Master programme in mathematics and a PhD at the Institute of Stochastics at JKU, I am a Post-Doc at the Bureau de recherches géologiques et minières (BRGM, French Geological Survey) in France. Over my PhD and Post-Doc, I changed from mathematics to statistics. I did research on how rain patterns changed in Austria over the last 60 years, and how heat and humidity would affect different population groups mortality rates in Austria. At BRGM, I deal with different kinds of environmental data and help practitioners interpret spatial maps through uncertainty quantification. They need to know the error coming from either the data or the input parameters to understand the map’s reliability. So far, I do not know where my next position will be, but I know that I want to continue my academic career. 

Even though my way of becoming a mathematician was not straightforward, I learnt to really enjoy what I am doing.

In my thesis I used a saying of an Arnold Schwarzenegger motivational speech I very much agree with: “You cannot climb the ladder of success with your hands in the pocket.” Even though my way of becoming a mathematician was not straightforward, I learnt to really enjoy what I am doing. And the better I become, the more I embrace it: I am convinced that I can further climb the career ladder, if I keep my hands out of my pocket! 

As a FEM in TECH ambassador during my studies, I visited schools and fairs telling girls about what mathematics is at university, what to expect from it and where to find it in everyday life. Since 2021 I have been a member of the Austrian Association of Women in Mathematics (A2WiM). I carry this support to the next professional stage and help organise Career Advice Events for early-stage mathematicians, run our LinkedIn profile and collaborate with other members of the association on the Spotlight section, where we regularly interview Austrian related female mathematicians on different topics. Outreach and supporting networks are an essential part to fight the leaky pipeline, a phenomenon that describes the gradual loss of women at higher stages of the academic career path, particularly in STEM.

In hard phases of publication processes, interviews, grant proposals or extending the network, the association offers a weekly writing circle, a yearly Austrian Day of Women in Mathematics conference, or many more initiatives that support female and non-binary academics. It helped me to find new co-authors, but I also received advice on how to motivate myself when rejections are unavoidable. I am proud to be part of A2WiM and I hope together we can ease the academic way a bit.

Published on October 14, 2026
Photocredit: Matthias Heisler – TUForMath – TU Wien