Manuela Geiß
A short interview with
Manuela Geiß
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I have a Master’s degree in mathematics (received in 2015) and a Bachelor’s degree in biology (received in 2016), both received from the University of Vienna, Austria. During my master studies, I also spent an ERASMUS outgoing semester at the Pierre and Marie Curie University in Paris, France. In 2019, I completed my PhD studies in bioinformatics at the Leipzig University in Germany. Since 2019, I am a (senior) researcher at the Software Competence Center Hagenberg (SCCH) where I work in application-oriented research projects in the field of articifial intelligence such as computer vision, human- robot collaboration, and medical applications. Besides, I am gender representative at SCCH and role model for women in science (e.g. public talks about AI, social media newsposts).
Can you tell us about your professional journey and how you got started in this field?
I studied mathematics and biology, followed by a PhD in bioinformatics which was mainly focused on mathematics and algorithm development for application on phylogenetic data. After my PhD, I decided to leave the university environment because of the uncertain future prospects in science, i.e. chain contracts for fixed-term employment and frequent changes of university. I got interested in the field of artificial intelligence, giving me the opportunity to combine my skills in mathematics and computer science and to work in an application-driven domain. I was mainly looking for jobs in the non- academic sector when I luckily found the Software Competence Center Hagenberg, a great chance to stay in research and shift my focus towards applied research.
Have you ever doubted your abilities and why?
Switching from basic to applied research in combination with also changing the research topic was a big step and I was initially unsure whether this would work well. Of course, this transition came with a lot of new topics and requirements, so I had to learn a lot of new things. But I was lucky to have interesting projects and helpful colleagues that made the transition rather smooth in the end.
Did you ever have the impression gender was an important factor on a raise, promotion, or key assignment?
No, with the only exception of being asked to become one of the two gender representatives at SCCH.
During your career, have you ever been mentored?
During my PhD, I had two great supervisors. These two professors and the lively discussions that we had together on our research motivated me a lot and gave a great push to my PhD work. After my PhD I did not have another mentor but I had experienced colleagues around me who supported me if needed.
If you could give some advice to your younger self or other girls, what would that be?
Trust in yourself and your abilities. Don't be intimidated by others and their supposed abilities - people who talk loudly and a lot are not necessarily the ones who are most capable.
