Dr. Shizu Minami, Department of Experiment Electronics, GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH
"Staying curious and taking on challenges will pave a path to the future"
Dr. Shizu Minami studied at Osaka University’s School of Science and continued to the Graduate School of Science, where she obtained her PhD. In 2005, she started working as a postdoctoral researcher at GSI Helmholtszzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH (GSI) in Darmstadt, Germany. GSI operates a worldwide leading accelerator facility for research purposes, and a new international accelerator facility for research with antiprotons and ions called FAIR is being developed and constructed with international partners. Dr. Minami is responsible for data acquisition systems in physics experiments at GSI.
A career shaped by expertise and curiosity
During her graduate studies, the laboratory she was affiliated with conducted hypernuclear physics experiments. In these experiments, a particle accelerator was used to generate hypernuclei, and various particles produced in the process were measured using particle detectors. She acquired the knowledge of electronic circuits necessary for the experiments while she was a student at Osaka University, which enabled her to get the job she has today. Since she develops electronic circuits for nuclear experiments, she also makes use of the knowledge of physics that she acquired as a university undergraduate. After obtaining her PhD, she did not intend to make use of what she had learned in her career path, but instead chose a job which intrigued her.
Dr. Minami says, “I first went to GSI for a business trip when I was a postdoctoral fellow, but I found the work there so interesting that I am still working there.“ She continues, “I would like to continue to do things that I find interesting. I hope to find an opportunity where I can make use of my ideas.”
Journey in international co-working and life in Germany
Accelerator experiments require collaboration with many people. People in various roles come from all over the world, including students, and there are very few native English speakers. Dr. Minami herself thought that English was not her forte when she was a student and did not consider working abroad. However, as a graduate student, she had various opportunities to communicate in English, including presentations at international conferences and interactions with researchers around the world through research collaborations and short-term stays in overseas laboratories. By being put in a situation where she needed to use English, she was able to acquire English as a tool to communicate. Hence, she was not met with difficulties while working at GSI.
While she respects and enjoys cultural differences, language has been an issue for her in everyday life in Germany since the birth of her children. However, Germany has a good working environment for women. People respect individual circumstances, so taking leave is mostly stress-free. In Germany, the number of women physicists is increasing, yet there are fewer women in the field of electronics. Overall, she appreciates living and working in Germany.
A message to OU students to “Grow Globally"
“You can trust in the education you have gained in Japan. By the time you complete your studies at Osaka University, you will have a solid foundation to succeed in society, even on a global scale. By believing in yourself, and with a resilient and an optimistic mindset, you can succeed anywhere.”
Text: Saori Obayashi/Edit: Christopher Bubb