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Prof. Dr. Marina Zimmermann
Professorship for Computational Pathology
What sparked your interest in a career in science resp. your professional field?
Already when I was a child I wanted to learn and understand everything. In school I was then interested in both natural sciences and social sciences/humanities. As a teenager I took part in several projects for high school students in the natural sciences and engineering and was directly interested in researching the world in university and beyond. In these projects I was particularly excited by how computers could be used the measure the world and thereby help in understanding it.
Did you always want to become a professor?
During school times I wanted to do 'something with books' for the longest time. At some point I did get the idea that I wanted to be a 'researcher'. However, back then I did not know how the research system is built. Looking back, I guess this is pretty close.
What still excites you as a professor?
I still find it very exciting to learn and discover new things – both in my own work and by reading and in particular through the exchange with others.
What do you like about working as a professor?
I particularly enjoy that the work is very diverse and that it allows me to work together with students and PhDs. In this work, I find it exciting to see their development both in terms of research and personally and how they grow with their projects.
Is there anything that you do not like much about working as a professor?
The work also always involves strategic and political aspects. These are necessary and partially interesting, but they sometimes make every-day work more difficult.
Were there critical phases in your career and how did you deal with them?
Of course there were critical phases in which work didn't go well, the consecutive temporary contracts would stress me and when I asked myself if I'm really doing the right thing. In these situations the exchange with others was always very helpful, as (almost) everyone in research knows such moments and then it is good to know that one isn't alone. In addition, I took part in e.g. courses and coaching programs – in Hamburg, the Hamburg research academy provides a great offer for these!
What are the main topics of your research?
In my research I analyse and quantify medical images, in particular microscopy images, with the help of image analysis, machine learning and artificial intelligence in order to better understand processes in our bodies and to support the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.
In your opinion, does a young researcher/physician need to decide to take the path towards a professorship already at a very early stage in her/his career?
There are many ways and qualifications that can lead to a professorship. Of course it can be helpful to already focus on the necessary skills and qualifications early on. Experiences gained in other areas can also be helpful though.
How would you rate the work-life and work-familiy balance while being a professor?
This always depends on the particular moment. Sometimes everything is happening at the same time and it is difficult to manage everything. And other times it can be useful that the job also provides some flexibility to work on certain tasks from home and at various time points.
Please state briefly about a very special moment in your career.
For me a special moment in my career was the public defence of my PhD thesis at EPFL where I needed to explain my work in a way that everyone would understand it and could also tell my family and friends in detail what I had been working on. And of course celebrate with everyone afterwards.
Which supporting structures and supporting activities were helpful for you on your way to professorship? Was there a special person who inspired you?
I always enjoyed taking part in courses that teach different types of qualifications (e.g. teaching, write grants, supervision of students/PhD students), but also allow to exchange with people in similar situations and stay in contact after that. In Hamburg, the Hamburg Research Academy also offers qualification programs for different career stages. In addition, I think the concept of 'Growing up in science' and similar meet-ups is very exciting, in which people talk about their actual career paths besides the official CV.
What are your future visions, what do you want to achieve in the future?
I will be very happy if some of my research makes it to the application in the clinics and our models support the diagnosis of patients.
Do you have any advice that you would like to give young scientists and students to take away with them?
In research experiments don't always work out – despite this one shouldn't loose hope but rather look for potential errors and even try things differently. Here it can be useful to have a plan B (and even C) to follow instead.
MILESTONES
2018
PhD, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL)
2023
First nomination as a professor, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
WORK AREA
Prof. Dr. Marina Zimmermann
- Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin