Dr. rer. nat Alexandra Lieb

Dr. Lieb acquired a teaching degree in Chemistry and Biology at the University of Bayreuth. Nowadays she teaches at the Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, where she is researching coating with microporous substances and their application.

Motto: Don't give up and don't let yourself be persuaded that you can't do something!

Career

Education:	1991 - 1998	Teaching degree in Biology and Chemistry for secondary education, University of Bayreuth
Doctorate:	1999 - 2006	Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich
Habilitation:	seit 2009	Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg
Work:	2006 - 2007	Postdoc, grant from the French Ministry of Education, Université de Versailles St-Quentin-en-Yvelines (France)
	2007 - 2008	Postdoc, grant from the German Research Foundation, University of Southampton (United Kingdoms)
	2008 - 2009	Postdoc, grant from the German Research Foundation, Christian Albrechts University Kiel
	2012 - 2013, 2015	parental leave
	since 2013	head of the BMBF junior research group NEOTHERM, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg

I studied Biology and Chemistry education for secondary schools at the University of Bayreuth. I had a lot of fun with Chemistry at school. It's a fascinating subject because it stinks and smokes and cracks and changes color and because it's so important for real life; everything is built from it. That's why it made sense for me to study Chemistry. After studying and doing my doctorate, I then had the choice between completing my traineeship to be a teacher or going abroad and doing research. Since I was still very interested in research, I decided to go abroad. Later working at the university, I had the opportunity to research and continue teaching at the same time. Now I am working on the coating of microporous substances onto macroporous substrates for applications in heat storage and refrigeration.

Motivation

Most of all, I love it when there is new research; no matter whether it comes to surprising findings or the confirmation of our assumptions. I also really enjoy looking after students who are motivated. Most of the time, this also leads to exciting new research results and, of course, exciting research results are always motivating. Success is fun. I also really enjoy giving lectures, especially when I notice that the students are interested.

Requirements

I can recommend my job to anyone who enjoys Chemistry. As long as you are interested in research and enjoy teaching, the job is suitable for you. A bit of persistence also helps, as experiments often don't go the way you'd like them to. You should also be able to communicate well and be able to sell yourself.

Advice

Don't give up and don't let yourself be persuaded that you can't do something! A successful career and family can also be accomplished at the same time.

Challenges

I solved the challenges I faced by never easing up. I have always looked for new solutions and perspectives. Plus, having a plan B is also great. My alternative was to become a teacher and I would have liked that very much.