‘The beauty of the bio-sketch is that you can make it very personal’

Since 2020, Maja Rücker has been researching porous materials at the department of Mechanical Engineering. In her biographical sketch, Rücker emphasized research, leadership, and diversity.

Focus on research

“I especially want to focus on research because that’s where my heart lies. I thrive on my research on porous materials. In my biographical sketch, I wrote how I aim to solve challenges in my field in the future. Such an outlook is difficult to convey in a curriculum vitae. The bio-sketch provides space for your ambitions and perspectives on your work and yourself. It goes beyond evaluating based on hard criteria such as the number of publications.”

Diversity

Rücker also wrote about her activities addressing diversity in her bio sketch. She started working at TU/e four years ago, thanks to the Irène Curie Fellowship program. In that program, female scientists are given priority when filling vacancies.

Thanks to this program, our university has attracted one hundred female scientists for various positions in the last five years. “The influx of women is significant, and everyone brings new perspectives and ideas, also on how we want to work with each other. That also means we need time and space to develop and adapt our working culture. It’s great to see that such contributions can now be considered in your evaluation.”

“In science and our society, we often think in perfect numbers or representative averages. That’s what the world is built on. However, as an experimentalist, I see distributions in my data. It is rarely perfect. We miss so much if we base everything we do on an average or a perfect assumption. In my research, I build upon the variability in my data. For the way I am working with my team and colleagues, I think it’s important to build upon the variability of people around us. It is so inspiring and ultimately, we jointly contribute to design a better world for all. That’s why I found it important to add a diversity as a topic to my bio sketch.”

Personal

The personal vision is what makes the bio-sketch valuable, says Rücker. “You can use it to showcase what you find important, what you see as your most significant successes, and where you want to go. It gives you a moment to reflect on whether you are on the right path. And to become aware of yourself among others, how you collaborate.”

The next BAC

“The next BAC is coming up for me in a year,” Rücker looks ahead. “I’m already thinking about it now. It’s a continuous process where I write down what I’m working on, which areas I want to develop, and what I want to achieve. I find that self-reflection very valuable.”

Recommendations

“I would recommend my peers to take full advantage of the possibility to express what was and is important to them and how it defines their current and future work at our institute.”

“At the end, in each career advancement, we are trusted with new tasks and responsibilities that we need to fulfill jointly with our colleagues. The new BAC gives room to discuss your expectations and ambitions with those you are working with beyond generalized schematics. It provides space to shape your own career, and ultimately, together, our decisions shape the future of TU Eindhoven.”