Eric Zimmermann studied mathematics and physics at the Free University of Berlin and completed his doctorate there in 2024. Since the summer of 2024, he has been working as a research assistant at the Visual Analytics Institute for Visual and Analytic Computing at the University of Rostock.

Did you get a doctorate? Why? Why not?

I earned my doctorate. During my studies and even towards the end, a doctorate was not the course I wanted to take.

I had been aiming for that. However, I was open to the possibility and was given the chance to do so after my master's thesis.

to earn a doctorate in an exciting field. My openness was based on my interest in scientific work and my desire to continue participating in university life.

If so, in retrospect, did it make sense for you to pursue a doctorate?

Yes, it made sense to get a doctorate. In doing so, I had less in mind the possibilities on the job market and an academic career, but rather the field of work of a scientific assistant with research, teaching, etc. The qualification goals are also a part of this to a certain degree, as they also mark milestones and give incentive to acquire and expand certain skills and to gain (new) insights. And of course, they provide new opportunities in academic careers.

What knowledge or skills did you acquire in your studies that you didn't think you'd ever need?

Generally, I identify acquired skills only in retrospect. Here, parallels to school time can also be drawn, since it's not always (just) about the knowledge being conveyed, but the skills of acquiring, applying, and reproducing this knowledge through various methods. Other skills include self-organization, discipline, task and time management, and self-awareness, to name a few, which were fostered during the course of the studies. Knowing that tasks can also be put on hold and gaining distance from the solution path of the Tasks this contribution is both relieving and strategically valuable.

Over the last two years of my doctoral studies, I was able to gain additional teaching experience, which I consider extremely valuable and did not think I would enjoy teaching and at the same time deepen my knowledge in a different way.

What would you have liked to do or learn during your studies?

I worked as a student assistant during my studies, but not in teaching at the Institute of Mathematics. I always had a certain fear of standing in front of students with insufficient knowledge and possibly not being able to answer questions. During my doctoral studies, my experience as a teaching assistant (2 years) showed me that this fear was unfounded. I was even allowed to learn that with good preparation, teaching is really fun and it's not a bad thing if you don't know the answers. It can thus be a way to find answers (possibly with the students). Looking back, I wish I had made this experience as a student assistant in mathematics during my studies. Not least because it deepens the content of the studies in a different way and trains soft skills as competencies.

Why did you decide on your current career?

The main activities of research and teaching as a research assistant bring me a lot of joy despite some challenges. Additionally, I experienced flexibility in task and time management and a high degree of compatibility between family and work, both during my doctoral studies and now in my current position.

What recommendations do you have for students who want to complete their studies in a timely manner?

I had no clear idea of what I wanted to do when I finished my studies (and my doctorate). There was merely the openness on my part that I can imagine the subsequent positions because I am generally interested in the activities and topics. However, in regards to my current work, I can say that I am grateful to have found topics that I am very interested in. This makes intrinsic motivation the driving force, and for me, qualifications or goals are less important than thinking and solving (research) questions themselves. Therefore, I recommend being open to new things and working on topics that really interest you to use intrinsic motivation.