Katrin is currently co-leading the Simulation Working Group and most recently, has contributed to a paper on the detection of the kSZ effect.
We asked Katrin a few more questions — here’s what she had to say:
What is your favorite part about being a scientist?
Solving new and exciting problems, working together with great people and great problems, learning new things all the time.
When did you know you wanted to be a scientist?
Early on in life — I liked math and science very early on and in high school it became clear that I would move into this direction later as well.
What motivates / inspires you?
Great people to work with, interesting problems to solve that really push us to the next level.
Do you have any hobbies or play any sports?
Running, rock climbing.
What is your favorite book/movie/TV show?
I like lots of books and movies — if I would have to pick a book it would be probably Lord of the Rings, movies I can’t pick just one, and TV show would be Star Trek — Next Generation.
If you weren’t a scientist, what would your dream job be?
Architect — to create something that will be around for a while.
What do you think has been the most exciting advance in physics / astronomy in the last 10 years?
The discovery of the Higgs is clearly one of them, gravitational waves is the other one.
What do you think has been the most exciting advance in science / technology in the last 10 years?
Being heavily involved in computational science, breaking the petaflop barrier in May 2008 with IBM’s Roadrunner machine was very exciting. I am picking this one also because I had access to the machine at the time and was able to do some cosmology on it!
Any advice for aspiring scientists?
Make sure that you are excited about what you are doing — if you are excited and can convey this excitement to others, science will do well and you will also do well.