I did my PhD in France and completed my postdoctorate in England. At BASF I started in the amine synthesis group and was directly co-responsible for process development in a pilot plant. That was a jump in at the deep end because I came from natural product chemistry. After five years of research, I moved to Intermediates, first as a technology manager, afterwards into innovation management and was then in charge of the Asset Target Picture back in the technology department. At the beginning I sat in the open-plan office, which was great because there was a lot of exchange, and I was able to learn a lot from my colleagues. I never lost my connection to amines while I was at Intermediates; I only changed my perspective. When I switched back to research in 2021, I became leader of the team where I had started 10 years ago. The special thing about my position is that I share the job with a colleague – and this arrangement works extremely well for everyone involved. It has always been important for me to be able to be there for my family and they have always been part of my decisions about whether to take up a job. With the job-sharing position, I found the perfect balance between work and family.
