"The Waste Management and Contaminated Site Treatment degree program offered exactly the variety that fascinated me. And on top of that, one thing was always important to me: I wanted to study something that addressed environmental protection issues. ."

(surveyed in 2025)

Why did you choose this degree program and why Dresden?

After my school days in Greifswald, it was clear to me that I would move to a larger city to study. I chose Dresden, partly because of family connections and partly because of the attraction of living in a lively city. The decision for my degree program was largely influenced by my interest in interdisciplinarity. The "Waste Management and Contaminated Site Treatment" degree program offered exactly the diversity that fascinated me. And on top of that, one thing was always important to me: I wanted to study something that addressed environmental protection issues. 
Looking back, it was a decision I have never regretted. The immense range of topics from different scientific disciplines, which still characterizes waste management studies today, was both challenging and impressive. This preference for thematic diversity has continued into my later professional life beyond university and still shapes my work today.

Where are you employed today and what is your job?

I have been working at VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH since 2013: initially in the "International Technology Cooperation and Clusters" department and since 2015 in the "Electronics and Microsystems" department. In addition to working in the cluster management of Energy Saxony e.V. in the first few years, I have mainly been active in numerous Saxon policy consulting projects (implementation of strategy projects in the context of industrial and research policy, preparation of studies, e.g. on the topic of Work 4.0 or the implementation of a series of dialogues in the context of social innovations). In the field of "Electronics and Microsystems", I have been involved since 2015 as a technical advisor in the BMBF project sponsorship "Electronics and Autonomous Driving; Supercomputing". In this context, I am mainly responsible for the topics of "Green ICT", "Skilled workers for microelectronics" and participation processes for the further development of the research policy agenda. The topic of "Green ICT" in particular is one that combines electronics development with ecological sustainability in an outstanding way and thus creates a connection to my studies.

What does a typical working day look like for you in three sentences?

There really is no typical working day for me. The diversity of my work ranges from technical examinations and supervising research projects to strategy consulting, event conception and management and activities in the field of science communication and science marketing. Of course, my day-to-day work is punctuated by numerous meetings, but the people I talk to, the content and the tasks change all the time, so I've been working in the same place for more than 12 years. I really appreciate that and wouldn't want to do without this variability and the necessary flexibility in my job.

How did your career start go for you? When did you know which area you wanted to work in?

Starting my career went extremely well for me, as I worked as a Research Associate at the Institute of Waste Management and Circular Economy after my studies and was able to work on extremely interesting research projects and write my doctoral thesis from 2006 to 2013.

How did you enjoy your studies and how does it help you in your professional life?

As already described, the variety of topics is a huge advantage of the degree course for me and this makes it easy to familiarize myself with different topics quickly and "fearlessly" in my subsequent professional life.

A degree course or professional career is rarely straightforward: what crises or hurdles have you faced and how did you overcome them?

I have not experienced any crises so far - and I am very grateful for that. There have certainly been hurdles from time to time. In particular, the times when young children need care are challenging - regardless of your chosen profession.

What advice would you give students of your subject from today's perspective?

Don't just use your studies to build up skills in the circular economy, but try to take in as much as possible to the left and right of it. Circular economy permeates all branches of industry, is a cross-cutting topic par excellence and graduates of the subject are very versatile.
My recommendation would also be to definitely consider spending time abroad. It broadens your horizons on all levels: professionally and personally.

What do you particularly remember about your time as a student?

I had the best moments with my fellow students. As the group was small, we had a very intense and wonderful time together.

Where was your favorite place at university? And why?

As our Institute is located in Pirna, this is of course my favorite place. I experienced many wonderful moments there.

You can't have studied in Dresden without...

...having fun!