Speaker
Description
Studying physics opens many more career opportunities than academic research alone. Beyond universities, physicists play a key role in applied research institutions and research and technology organizations (RTOs), where fundamental scientific results and concepts are translated into industrial innovation and real-world applications.
In this talk, I will share my personal career path from physics studies and a PhD in experimental semiconductor physics, through academic research and university teaching, to my current role as senior researcher in integrated photonics at Silicon Austria Labs, while maintaining relevant ties to and collaborations with academia. Using selected examples from photonics and semiconductor device research, I will illustrate how skills developed in physics—analytical thinking, problem solving, experimental methodology, and interdisciplinary collaboration—translate naturally into industrially relevant applied research.
Particular attention will also be given to the experience of working across Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, and to the value of collaborating with colleagues from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds. These experiences illustrate the international and interdisciplinary nature of modern research careers.
The talk aims to demonstrate that a physics education opens diverse and rewarding career paths beyond the classical academic track, where RTOs offer an attractive environment for physicists who wish to combine scientific excellence with technological impact and application-driven innovation.