Mrs. Stern, what are you currently working on?

I am currently writing a research article on the personalities and life satisfaction of people who have reached retirement age and have not yet entered into a committed romantic relationship in their lives. I am using data from a Europe-wide study with almost 80,000 participants. I am also working on an application for third-party funding to continue to pursue my main area of research and investigate how hormones, or hormonal changes, can explain individual differences between people, personality trait development or fluctuations in behavior within the same person. Having researched many natural hormonal changes in the female menstrual cycle and the associated fluctuations in experiences and behavior in the past, I can well imagine focusing more on adolescents and hormonal changes during puberty.

Why did you decide on a career path as a (senior) researcher / lecturer?

Because this career path combines many benefits. I enjoy the high level of independence in research and teaching that comes with this role and am happy to take on responsibility. At the same time, I am associated with a research group and have plenty of opportunities for exchange with colleagues who are conducting research in a similar field. In the German academic system, I find the move towards a departmental structure, as is common in other countries, very enriching and worthy of support. Of course, the job security in an early-career phase is also an important benefit of these positions. The shortened tenure track phase (compared to assistant professorships) with very transparent evaluation criteria makes the career path extremely attractive and still offers opportunities for further development and flexibility even after the position has been made permanent.

Would you choose this career path again, and if so, why?

Definitely. I am very pleased with this career path so far because of the aforementioned advantages and I also feel very much at home in Bremen.