Women in Science: Lena John

The blog series “Women in Science” introduces women from the TIB who give insights into their careers and personal experiences in science. Lena John studied Computer Science at Leibniz University Hannover and is now working as a PhD Student in Data Science & Digital Libraries at TIB. There she works on the curation of research knowledge graphs and the evolution of knowledge representation.

In this interview, she talks about the fascinating mix of her work as a PhD student, about allies, and the shared responsibility of everyone working in science for achieving equality.

What fascinates you about working in science?

Every day can be different. New opportunities or approaches are constantly emerging and I want to make the most of them or give them a go. My work ranges from publishing scientific articles, to supervising students to working in a team or developing a software service.

I like the fact that all these areas are about solving problems, whilst also having the freedom to test unconventional methods. Soft skills are also relevant here, for example when presenting research findings or guiding students. I particularly enjoy this mix of domain-specific depth, collaboration and the opportunity to learn new things, both academically and personally.

As a woman in science, what would you have liked to have known earlier?

Women are still under-represented in computer science in particular, and existing structures continue to contribute to this imbalance. I have heard from female colleagues who have been confronted with sexist comments at conferences and I have also had negative experiences during my own studies at university. I think there is still a lot that needs to be done to bring about change, and this requires everyone’s contribution.

There are many allies out there; we just need to find them. I am lucky enough to work in a very open, progressive team where sexism has no place. It is a very pleasant environment when men also actively participate in promoting equality. This shows me that things can be different and how important it is for everyone to take joint responsibility for creating such spaces.

What advice would you give to girls and young women who are considering a career in science?

Have confidence in yourselves. Unfortunately, women are often socialised to hold back. That’s why my advice is to have more confidence in yourselves and trust in your own abilities. “The academic world” can seem intimidating at first, but much of it is just a façade, as it’s very much about presenting yourself and your research in the best light.

I would also highly recommend building a network of like-minded people early on. This makes many things easier and allows for honest dialogue in challenging situations. It can also be very helpful to seek out role models or find mentors who can guide and encourage you on your journey.

A wish for the future of women and girls in science …

Essentially, what I hope for science is what I hope for society as a whole: equality, a better reconciliation of work and family life, and the elimination of prejudice.

At the same time, I would hope that, in the long term, we will no longer need to make such a strong distinction between “women in science” and others, but will instead see people as a natural part of the scientific community, regardless of their gender. Particularly in fields such as computer science, this would also mean that being a woman is no longer something exceptional, but simply the norm.

Women in science – a blog series

The blog series “Women in Science” introduces women at TIB who provide insights into their scientific careers, role models and experiences from their everyday working lives. They all share their perspectives and wishes for the future of science and encourage other women to take their place with confidence.

Girls’ Day 2026 at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin 👭✨

Great to welcome a group of curious students to our workshop! Together with our ccolleagues from #HMC Hub Matter , they explored how #metadata makes science understandable and reusable — this time through interactive games.

So inspiring to see how quickly they engaged with a topic many hadn’t encountered before 😊

#HZB #GirlsDay #STEM #WomenInScience #FAIRdata
@helmholtz

Getting ready for Girl's Day 2026 👩‍🔬✨

We’re excited to once again take part in #GirlsDay at #HZB welcoming students to explore data, research & the role of metadata in science.

Final preparations are in full swing — involving dinosaurs, #LEGO & a very busy desk 🦖

We loved hosting last year’s workshop: so many great questions & so much enthusiasm! This year, we’ve made a few changes we’re excited to try out — and hopefully show the power of #metadata in action.

#GirlsDay #STEM #WomenInScience

The Matilda Effect: the suppression of women's contribution to science:

https://www.acsh.org/news/2026/04/20/great-women-science-go-missing-matilda-effect-50069

#Science #SexDiscrimination #WomenInScience

🏆 The European Physical Society is pleased to announce that Aleksandra Radenovic and Jana Kalbáčová Vejpravová have been awarded the EPS Emmy Noether Distinction 2025.

👏 Congratulations to both laureates!

Discover the laureates and their outstanding career and achievements: https://tinyurl.com/4c5wptj8

#physics #awards #EmmyNoether #nanomaterials #outreach #WomenInScience @EPFL

Women in Science: Dr Esther Tobschall

The blog series “Women in Science” introduces women from the TIB who give insights into their careers and personal experiences in science. Dr Esther Tobschall studied chemistry at the University of Hannover and conducted research for her PhD thesis on NMR, impedance and infrared spectroscopy of nanocrystalline and glassy lithium metaborate (LiBO₂) as part of a solid-state physics project. Today, she is the subject specialist for physics at the TIB, where she is primarily responsible for providing information to physicists. In this interview, she talks about the encouragement to ask questions, her own self-image and the joy of research.

What fascinates you about working in science?

What particularly appealed to me about academic work was that I was able to immerse myself in a subject in all its aspects and explore it in depth. When I was working on my PhD thesis on nanocrystalline substances, research on nanocrystals was a relatively new field, and we were able to experiment with which measurement methods were best suited for understanding and characterising the nature and properties of these substances.

I especially enjoyed evaluating and comparing the results from different measurement methods, which is why my colleagues then built me a universal spectrometer as a graduation gift (today, astronomers would call it multi-messenger approach.)

It was also during this time that I discovered my interest in profound literature reviews, researching and evaluating relevant papers, and synthesising the findings. That is why, quite early on during my PhD, I envisaged a career path as subject librarian.

As a woman in science, what would you have liked to have known earlier?

I would have needed more encouragement: the encouragement to realise that I am allowed to ask questions not only regarding the material or literature I am studying, but also to experienced researchers. At the time, I saw my reticence more as a personality trait and did not attribute it to role models. Today, however, I would say that the greater self-confidence of my predominantly male colleagues came from the fact that men have, for generations, naturally had a place in the academic world and communication generally took place amongst men, whilst we few young women in physical chemistry were, in a way, still seen as somewhat exotic. I must emphasise that there was no obvious or covert discrimination; the factor was simply that it was a given.

This assumption is still enshrined today in the German rules for subject heading cataloguing (RSWK): I get frustrated every time I have to assign the subject heading “Physiker” (meaning the masculine form of physicist) to works about male and female physicists. The subject heading “Physikerin” (standing for “female physicist”), on the other hand, is reserved for works that deal explicitly with women in physics, according to the rules. By the way: What about works that deal exclusively with men in physics? Whenever it is reasonably justifiable, I naturally assign both terms!

What advice would you give to girls and young women who are considering a career in science?

It is your inherent right to be part of the scientific community. Never question that, even in difficult circumstances. I am delighted that there are now infinitely more female professors in physics than there were during my active research career, and that they are setting an example through their work and as a role model. You are only truly good at what brings you joy, and if scientific work inspires you, you will – despite any potential adversity – excel and succeed in it. Follow your passion!

A wish for the future of women and girls in science …

I was the first pregnant researcher at our institute; I submitted my doctoral thesis shortly before the birth of our daughter and defended it a few months later. So, I hope that, in future, for female researchers, motherhood will not be associated with so much extra effort and the need for such strong assertiveness as is apparently still the case in academia today, and which can thus become a career killer. It is interesting to note that male researchers in senior positions are often fathers too, whereas, according to my observations, motherhood is still less common among female researchers. The fact that balancing work and family life is still far too often seen as a women’s issue rather than a parents’ issue is certainly a general societal problem, but our publicly funded academic structure in particular has the potential to shift the focus here from an “either-or” to a “both-and”. As I stated when I was asked about my daughter and my responsibilities as a mother in the course of a job interview: “The child has a father too!”

Women in science – a blog series

The blog series “Women in Science” introduces women at TIB who provide insights into their scientific careers, role models and experiences from their everyday working lives. They all share their perspectives and wishes for the future of science and encourage other women to take their place with confidence.