At the age of only 34, Agnes Jocher is the new professor at the Faculty of Aviation, Space and Geodesy at the Technical University of Munich. We talked to her about space travel and sustainable mobility.
Did you want to be an astronaut as a child?
In fact, I would always have loved to see Earth from space.
When did you discover your passion for the aerospace industry?
That came relatively late, at the end of my doctoral phase. But I've always been fascinated when an airplane takes off and makes the dream of flying possible for people.
You studied mechanical engineering. How did you get there?
I've always been interested in the natural sciences, even when I was at school. I then wanted to gain practical experience in this area and thought engineering is a good way to do this.
What is it that particularly fascinates you about sustainable mobility?
Mobility is at the heart of our society. It gives us access to valuable social contacts, but also to goods, services, jobs, the health system and education. But at normal times - in the morning and in the evening around Munich - we see that our current mobility system is exhausted. And we don't necessarily do something good for ourselves or the environment. Changing that is a central concern of my research. For example, by investigating: How can you shift traffic, for example to Hyperloop technology, or improve traffic, for example through improved combustion processes that can better control or reduce emissions.
Do you have a vision of traffic in 20 years?
The first goal is to avoid traffic. Overall, we should try to make mobility as sustainable as possible. That means not only ecologically, but also economically and socially. Building a system that better serves people and the environment.
How sustainable are you yourself?
Having lived mostly in big cities like Paris, Montreal and Boston, I never owned a car. I was there in public and on foot. I also drive publicly here in Munich. First with the train to the Ostbahnhof and then with the express bus to the campus in Ottobrunn, that works very well.
As a woman, are you still something special in your research area?
You just have to look at the numbers: 35 percent of the students at the Technical University are women. In the case of professors, this is just under 20 percent. That means, you also lose women in your scientific career. This is a pity.
Why is that and how could more women be won over?
There are different approaches. For example, getting more girls interested in these topics at school. The TU has programs for this, such as the TUM Discoverers, two to four-day discovery courses for girls and young women in the MINT area. The other option is to create opportunities for identification. To show the students what options they have. And maybe then one or the other will think about study opportunities that they might not otherwise have considered. Unfortunately, there are still these stereotypes: If you imagine people in engineering professions, they are more men than women.
What are the first impressions of your new workplace?
It's a very interesting campus with lots of companies and opportunities. At the moment there are still relatively few professors here. I am looking forward to the fact that the Faculty of Aviation, Space and Geodesy is growing quickly and that there is a lively exchange with students, companies and scientists.
Is it something special to be involved in setting up a faculty?
It is definitely an exciting experience. I appreciate being able to contribute my ideas and ideas. It was a very good decision to promote research in the faculty. A clever research policy signal to bring top talent to Munich.
When you look back in 20 years, what do you want to have achieved?
To have supervised many motivated students and doctoral candidates who enjoy what they do and do it with high quality and reliability. And that they will later like to think back to their time at the TU.
