Exploring the human brain

Her career is closely interwoven with the ‘Human Brain Project’: Prof. Dr. Lena Oden worked for several years as a postdoc at the Jülich Research Centre's (Forschungszentrum Jülich) JSC to use computer technology to understand the human brain. The computer scientist has since been appointed to a professorship at the University of Hagen and now works only as a guest scientist at the Forschungszentrum.

Ms Oden, what exactly was your role at Forschungszentrum Jülich?

I worked as a postdoc in the Human Brain Project – a major European research project scheduled to last ten years. The aim was to gain a better understanding of the human brain with the help of computer technologies. My main task was to find out how new, faster storage technologies could be integrated into the project's processes.

Is there something that distinguishes the Jülich Research Centre from other research institutions?

Due to its size, the research centre is extremely interdisciplinary: at JSC, I dealt with a wide variety of people from different departments, which was very pleasant and enriching. In particular, I liked the fact that the people's skills counted for more than their titles. Another thing I liked about Jülich was that you have a much better chance of getting a permanent contract than at universities. Overall, I always felt extremely comfortable and supported in Jülich.

Where did your career take you after your time in Jülich?

I received an offer from the University of Hagen. The decision to change was not an easy one for me, as it was initially only a temporary junior professorship. However, this was converted into a full professorship before the two-and-a-half-year deadline when I received an offer from another university. Funnily enough, I am now sitting on the other side as a member of the tenure track commission and making recommendations on whether or not junior professorships should be made permanent.

But you have remained loyal to the Jülich JSC to some extent?

Yes, I work there as a guest scientist in the follow-up project to the Human Brain Project, the EBRAINS 2.0 project. There I lead a work package, which is primarily a coordinative task – I am responsible for the organisation of the content of the work package.

Women are few and far between in computer science. Did you experience difficulties as a woman in this field?

Until I came to Forschungszentrum Jülich, I had operated in a very male-dominated world, which also included some unpleasant experiences. At JSC, however, I joined a group in which many extremely good women were doing research – that was one of my most positive experiences at Jülich. In my opinion, it was the intersection of neuroscience and computer science that increasingly attracted women. However, the further I move away from neuroscience, the smaller the proportion of women becomes. Another positive experience was that I got to know some very interesting women through special networks during my postdoc period – contacts that I still benefit from today. The mentoring programme for postdocs, which the research centre set up together with RWTH Aachen University, also helped me a great deal on my way: my mentor at the time gave me a lot of support in applying for a full professorship, which then enabled me to take advantage of the early evaluation in Hagen – like many women, I probably wouldn't have dared to do it myself. I was completely surprised to actually get the professorship.
Since your time in Hagen, you have been combining children and career.

How well is that possible?

It is still extremely difficult; I suffer a lot from the daycare crisis. Without a partner who supports it, it would not be possible. At the beginning, I often took my children with me when I travelled: for example, I went to the last summit of the Human Brain Project with my three-month-old son – Forschungszentrum Jülich, where I continued to work on the project, provides special funding for taking children on business trips. What is particularly helpful is the flexibility in terms of time: since my husband also works in science, we can coordinate our schedules.