For this feature, we ask our female PIs three questions – about the SFB, their career, their balancing of work and private life, gender issues in general etc.
Were you ever hampered because you are a woman?
Interestingly, I never felt held back because I am a woman. I always received a lot of support by my supervisors, my husband, my entire family. I grew up in East Berlin, and it was completely normal in my peer group, family and among friends to believe that women should be able to do whatever men do.
If you are not in the lab or the office or on a conference you, where can you be found?
You will find me hiking, biking, at the gym, spending time with friends or with my grandchild.
What do you consider the best time in a scientific career to raise a family?
There is no such thing as the perfect time – do not wait for the “right” moment. My son was born during my Post-Doc time and it worked out fine. For my career, it might have been a bit easier if I had already led a small research group capable of working independently for a limited time with little input from me.
Annegret Wilde studied Microbiology in St. Petersburg, Russia before relocating to Berlin, where she pursued her PhD and stayed on for postdoctoral research, supported by a fellowship from “Hochschulsonderprogramm III” aimed at promoting women in science. Following a professorship in Giessen, she joined the University of Freiburg in 2012 as a W3 Professor of Molecular Genetics. Her research centers on cyanobacteria, with particular emphasis on cyanobacterial behavior, the role of RNA metabolism, and the circadian clock. Within our SFB, she leads Project A02.
Photo: Patrick Seeger
