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Now you see me - Ulrike Schneider
1. When did you discover your passion for applied mathematics?
Like most mathematicians, I have always found the clarity of mathematics appealing. Still, I only chose it as my field of study shortly before starting university, without knowing what university-level mathematics could look like. I realized very quickly how much I enjoyed learning things from the ground up and I also liked the idea that such abstract concepts could be connected to real-world questions. From there, I chose research topics, as most do, based on curiosity and opportunity. Even though my current research is mostly theoretical in nature, I enjoy working in a field where applications are always close at hand.
2. How would you explain your research to a non-specialist audience?
What are the questions you are currently investigating?
A lot of my research revolves around the question of how to perform "inference after model selection": In statistics, we often look at data, choose a model that seems to fit well, and then draw conclusions from it. The uncertainty involved in choosing the model is often ignored, leading to overconfidence. This is also true for very modern statistical methods. My work focuses on how to make reliable -- or "valid" – conclusions that properly account for that selection step.
3. Have there been people who have supported you on your journey to becoming a professor? How significant were they?
My PhD advisor was generally very encouraging and engaging, and I learned a lot from my postdoc advisor -- who was very generous with his time and knowledge -- on how to approach and delve into research questions. These were the most significant ones, but I continue to learn from collaborators and colleagues, seeing how they think through research questions and handle other challenges in their work life.
4. During your career, you moved around quite a bit. First, you moved to the USA to earn your PhD, then you came back to Vienna.After three years, you got a junior professorship in Germany and finally you returned to Vienna. Could you share some insights into how these moves were important for your research?
Each move was motivated by a combination of factors, including curiosity and seeking an adventure, personal considerations, and attractive academic opportunities. Overall, I would say that I benefited from experiencing different academic systems and cultures, building a network, and generally widening my horizon as a researcher.
5.What achievement are you most proud of? Do you remember any particularly challenging aspects of working on that project and how did you overcome them?
The strongest sense of achievement I felt was when I finished my PhD as it is such a clearly marked milestone. Aside from writing a thesis, it involved moving to the US, adapting to a different university system, and getting through coursework and qualifying exams. It was a lot of work, but the camaraderie among the students in my cohort made it a great experience -- we worked on homework problems together, discussed our research questions and also had a lot of fun.
6. Despite many efforts in recent years, women in science remain under- represented. Based on your experience, how important is it for female students to have a female role model? Did you have one?
I had a female PhD advisor. Looking back, I believe that this indeed made a big difference in my considering an academic career. I had only seen male professors up to that point -- but identification matters. In my experience, such representation can very much influence whether young women see academia as a place for them.
7. What advice would you give to young students who are keen to
pursue a career in academia?
I think a career in academia offers many different facets: digging deep into research questions, working independently and with others - locally and internationally, teaching, mentoring, communicating and presenting your work, traveling, and more. All these aspects come step by step, and it is certainly never boring. So if that strikes a chord with you, go for it! :-)
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Further Links to interviews with Leila Taghizadeh
Her own webpage:
https://www.tuwien.at/en/mg/eos/team/ulrike-schneider, opens in new window
An interview from 2024:"SPME: A modern and attractive course of study at TU Wien":
https://www.tuwien.at/en/all-news/news/spme-ein-modernes-und-attraktives-studium-an-der-tu-wien
Associate Prof. Mag.a rer.nat.Ulrike SchneiderPhD
Who is Ulrike Schneider?
Ulrike Schneider is a professor at the Institute of Stochastics and Mathematical Methods in Economics at TU Wien (Vienna University of Technology) in Austria. She studied mathematics at the University of Vienna and graduated in 1999. After that, she moved to the United States, where she completed her PhD in Applied Mathematics at the University of Colorado Boulder. She then continued working in the U.S. as a postdoctoral researcher at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Colorado.
Later, she returned to Europe. She worked as an assistant professor at the University of Vienna in Austria and as a junior professor at the University of Göttingen in Germany. Since 2011 she has been at TU Wien, where she has been an associate professor since 2015.
Her research focuses on statistics and econometrics, especially on model selection and on how to draw reliable conclusions from data after selecting a model. One of her main research areas involves Lasso methods. She also serves as Editor-in-Chief of the journal Statistical Papers.
Associate Prof. Mag.a rer.nat.Ulrike SchneiderPhD
Who is Ulrike Schneider?
Ulrike Schneider is a professor at the Institute of Stochastics and Mathematical Methods in Economics at TU Wien (Vienna University of Technology) in Austria. She studied mathematics at the University of Vienna and graduated in 1999. After that, she moved to the United States, where she completed her PhD in Applied Mathematics at the University of Colorado Boulder. She then continued working in the U.S. as a postdoctoral researcher at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Colorado.
Later, she returned to Europe. She worked as an assistant professor at the University of Vienna in Austria and as a junior professor at the University of Göttingen in Germany. Since 2011 she has been at TU Wien, where she has been an associate professor since 2015.
Her research focuses on statistics and econometrics, especially on model selection and on how to draw reliable conclusions from data after selecting a model. One of her main research areas involves Lasso methods. She also serves as Editor-in-Chief of the journal Statistical Papers.