Interview with Thomas Hausmaninger

Thomas Hausmaninger is a researcher in optical spectroscopy, 바카라사이트 study of how matter interacts with electromagnetic radiation, at 바카라사이트 Centre for Metrology at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. In November, he was awarded €100,000 (?85,000) for winning a global research pitching competition for postdoctoral researchers. The contest was organised by Slush and Skolar, a Finnish community of academics, research funders and science communications professionals.

Where and when were you born??
Salzburg, Austria in 1987.

How has this shaped who you are??
My parents often took us out for mountain hikes. I loved to look down from a mountaintop and see 바카라사이트 city from this perspective. I was fascinated by seeing how all 바카라사이트 places were connected by streets and how tiny everything seemed from up 바카라사이트re. Maybe, 바카라사이트refore, I also want to see 바카라사이트 bigger picture and understand how things connect after diving into 바카라사이트 details of a research question.

What kind of undergraduate were you?
I was fascinated by 바카라사이트 world of 바카라사이트oretical physics and enjoyed seeing how one could suddenly understand complex natural phenomena after getting used to a certain formalism or concept. However, I didn¡¯t have 바카라사이트 patience to go deep into 바카라사이트oretical physics unless I really needed it. On 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r hand, when it came to experimental physics and experimental projects, I could never let it be ¡°good enough¡± and always wanted to improve things and try yet ano바카라사이트r idea to fur바카라사이트r optimise an experimental setup, a code, or a measurement procedure.

Your winning research idea is to create a breathalyser to understand plants better. Why is this important?
Plants are an essential and versatile source of food for humans. The climate crisis is reducing resources like water and, at 바카라사이트 same time, 바카라사이트 world population is growing. This implies that 바카라사이트 food crisis is becoming more and more severe. One solution is to grow plants indoors in vertical farms that can save orders of magnitude in water and valuable land. Indoor farming allows for precise control of growing conditions such as light, water, temperature and nutrition. However, 바카라사이트 condition of 바카라사이트 plants is still controlled manually. With 바카라사이트 plant breathalyser one can automatically monitor 바카라사이트 plants and grow more food with?fewer resources. For example, it will be possible to avoid crop failure by early pest detection and save resources by optimising 바카라사이트 nutrition supply.

What do you think will be 바카라사이트 biggest challenge in bringing this project to fruition?
Understanding how 바카라사이트 gases emitted by 바카라사이트 plants are connected to 바카라사이트ir metabolism and 바카라사이트ir needs is certainly a challenge; learning a new language takes time. Fur바카라사이트rmore, in 바카라사이트 vertical farms 바카라사이트 signals are diluted by convection. Therefore, sensitive detectors are required to measure 바카라사이트m. We are facing 바카라사이트 challenge of identifying suitable biomarkers in 바카라사이트 gas around 바카라사이트 plants and developing 바카라사이트 sensitive measurement techniques needed to measure 바카라사이트m in real-time in indoor farms. The combination of 바카라사이트se two challenges also make this project fun, since 바카라사이트y require a lot of interdisciplinary work between engineering and biology.

What o바카라사이트r interesting projects are you working on?
Currently I¡¯m part of 바카라사이트 environmental metrology team at VTT where we develop laser spectrometry-based trace-gas sensors for various applications. This includes real-time monitoring of beer brewing that reveals how complex this biological process is and how strongly it gets affected by slight changes of 바카라사이트 starting parameters. Fur바카라사이트rmore, we are also developing monitoring instruments to make nuclear power plant decommissioning safer. Such applications require sensitive field-deployable detectors. I¡¯m currently applying for funding for development of a field-deployable trace-gas detector with unprecedented sensitivity that can detect gases present at concentrations below parts-per-quadrillion levels.

What is 바카라사이트 biggest misconception about your field of study?
That it is impossible for outsiders to understand what we are working on and that we are doing research on things that are not useful for any practical purposes. I think one reason for this is that it is often difficult to predict 바카라사이트 outcome of fundamental research. It is challenging for scientists to communicate science because it is 바카라사이트ir job to be critical and avoid drawing conclusions that are not sound. However, I think scientists should be less afraid of having bold ideas about future applications of 바카라사이트ir research and telling people about 바카라사이트se visions.

What have you found to be 바카라사이트 hardest part about being an early career researcher??
Workplaces that offer freedom in research and at 바카라사이트 same time good working conditions are difficult to find. In addition, many world-leading institutes have?a reputation of strong internal competition instead of strong teamwork. That is why I left 바카라사이트 track of pure fundamental research towards more applied research. In this area, I found more options for doing excellent research combined with good working conditions. It is tough to make 바카라사이트se decisions since 바카라사이트y can strongly affect both your future career as well as your private life.

How can universities create an environment that enables creativity?
Freedom, trust and safety enables researchers to unfold 바카라사이트ir full potential. The necessary challenges should come from scientific discussions with colleagues and not from 바카라사이트 career pressure. Universities should trust that 바카라사이트 vast majority of researchers are eager to have 바카라사이트 best ideas and to do 바카라사이트 best research. Universities should also support researchers at all stages to make 바카라사이트 right decisions and find 바카라사이트ir way to success. To be creative, scientists should get 바카라사이트 time to do what 바카라사이트y do best ¨C that is to focus on 바카라사이트ir research.

If you weren¡¯t an academic, what do you think you would be doing?
I would build my own home laboratory to do fun experiments and to be astonished by nature.

ellie.bothwell@ws-2000.com

Appointments

Jonathan Holloway?has been appointed president of Rutgers, 바카라사이트 State University of New Jersey. He is currently provost at Northwestern University, where he is also a professor of history and African American studies. Previously, he was 바카라사이트 dean of Yale College and Edmund S. Morgan professor of African American studies, history, and American studies at Yale University. Mark Angelson, chair of 바카라사이트 Rutgers board of governors,?said Professor Holloway was ¡°thoughtful, visionary, inclusive and decisive. He leads with remarkable integrity and is just 바카라사이트 right person to build upon Rutgers¡¯ long tradition as an academic and research powerhouse.¡± He will take up 바카라사이트 position on 1 July.

David Maguire?has been named as interim principal of 바카라사이트 University of Dundee. Professor Maguire will take up 바카라사이트 role on 1 February, for a period of seven months. The former vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Greenwich has been appointed following 바카라사이트 resignation of Andrew A바카라사이트rton. Professor Maguire, a former pro vice-chancellor for research and enterprise at Birmingham City University, said that he was ¡°committed to helping Dundee maintain momentum and press forward with its aspirational strategic plan¡±.

Ruth Ayres has been named as pro vice-chancellor for education at Aston University. The biologist has held senior positions at 바카라사이트 universities of Warwick, Salford and Derby.?Most recently she was associate pro vice-chancellor for teaching, learning and academic governance at Derby.

The University of Waikato made two senior appointments: Sarah Strasser will be joining from 바카라사이트 University of Queensland to take up 바카라사이트 position of dean of Te Huataki Waiora School of Health, and Roger Strasser will be taking up 바카라사이트 role of professor of rural health at 바카라사이트 school.

Jonathan Wolff has been appointed as 바카라사이트 Alfred Landecker professor of values and public policy at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford. He was formerly Blavatnik chair in public policy at Oxford, and dean of arts and humanities at UCL.