After I completed my chemistry studies, I knew I was going for a doctorate straight away. The question for me was: Do I do the doctorate, like most people, at the university, or is it possible to do it working in a company? For my future career, it was important to me to gain an insight into the working environment of a chemist and, above all, to carry out application-related research. The opportunity to undertake a voluntary internship in the Project House Composites at Evonik Creavis was a great help to me in deciding to do my doctorate at the company. The internship gave me a comprehensive insight into the working world of the chemical industry. I was then offered a doctoral position within Evonik Creavis in the Science & Technology unit in the “Direct Manufacturing” innovation field. As part of my doctorate, I am now working on material optimization for 3D printing.
I have already gained lots of experience on a professional and personal level, and every day I’m learning how to deal with new challenges. During my doctorate, I experienced both successes and failures. These setbacks initially seem very difficult to deal with but, in hindsight, they are the key moments when I was forced to rethink, find new approaches to solutions, and they contribute to the success of the project. In the search for new approaches to solutions, both the collaboration within my team and the network I had built up throughout the whole Group provided great support.
An especially interesting and exciting aspect of my current position is the interdisciplinary collaboration, where each colleague offers an individual expertise and perspective regarding our common problems.
For the future, I look forward to continuing my personal and professional development at Evonik, and gaining experience in other areas of the company.