Auto industry instead of Alzheimer's research: "If I want safety, I have to get out of here"

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Ann-Christin Wendeln: "I didn't want to go to an elite university"

Photo: Timo Eninger

CVs don't have to be straightforward, biographies have breaks - that's what makes them so exciting.

In the series

"And now?"

People tell of turning points in their lives, of moments in which they made decisions and made something new.

This time: Ann-Christin Wendeln, 27, swapped the laboratory for a desk job - and Alzheimer's research for the automotive industry.

“When I started school, I was often bored, under-challenged and unhappy.

Tests then showed that I am gifted.

I skipped two grades and graduated from high school when I was 15.

›You can study at Harvard!‹ Said teachers and friends over and over again.

But for me it was never worth striving for.

I didn't want to go to an elite university, I wasn't tempted to earn endless amounts of money and pursue a blatant career.

My motivation is different: I want to feel a sense of purpose and be satisfied.

I initially found this sense in research.

I saw early on how important health is.

There are chronic diseases in my family that affect all of life.

After graduating from high school, I dreamed of researching diseases and developing drugs.

That's why I studied biomedicine - not at Harvard, but in Bonn.

Research on Alzheimer's

During my studies, I specialized in neuroscience, especially Alzheimer's.

It really grabbed me, the brain is the most exciting organ for me.

When I got a PhD position after completing my master's degree, the dream of doing research on diseases suddenly became real.

My topic: How does the immune system affect Alzheimer's?

In my research, I gave mice drugs that trigger immune responses.

I found out that there are immune cells in the brain that have some kind of memory.

Infections that one has in the course of life therefore influence the risk of developing Alzheimer's.

For these results, I even received a prize worth 10,000 euros.

“Now all doors in research are open to you,” said my colleagues.

But by then I had long since started to have doubts.

Working conditions in science

When I started studying, I didn't realize how uncertain the future as a scientist was.

But the more internships I did in laboratories and the more I talked to doctoral students and postdocs, the stronger the rumbling became.

Do I really want to lead the life of a scientist?

This is the question I thought about for months during my doctorate.

Anyone who wants to do research needs a high tolerance for frustration, perseverance and willingness to work overtime.

90 percent of my attempts were not meaningful, I always had to start over.

more on the subject

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• Fixed-term contracts in research: "You can only get to the top of the world if you have time" Recorded by Theresa Palm

In addition, after my doctorate, I would probably have slipped from one fixed-term contract to the next and would have had to move every two years.

I would have been constantly on the move, would have had to travel abroad for conferences and work in different laboratories.

This is not my model of life.

I want to be with my friend and family, I need security.

I realized: If I want this, I have to get out of here.

Lateral entry into the auto industry

I did my doctorate - and then started all over again.

Today I work for an engineering service provider; many of our customers build cars.

A research friend had raved about the company and the corporate culture.

She started there as a career changer after completing her doctoral thesis.

I wasn't particularly interested in cars.

But I thought, if my girlfriend likes it that much - maybe it's worth a try?

I applied as a test engineer in 2018 and was accepted straight away.

As a career changer, you have good chances in the company, as long as it is human and you are curious and open to familiarizing yourself with new topics.

Some people around me couldn't understand my decision.

My path was already mapped out for colleagues and friends, just as I did when I was a young girl.

They assumed that one day I would become a professor.

The restart was difficult for me as well.

As a test engineer, I tested infotainment systems in cars and documented errors.

I first had to acquire the necessary know-how; none of this had much to do with biomedicine.

It was exciting to learn and understand how such a test setup works.

But I wasn't interested in anything else.

I doubted, wondered if I should go back to research.

Happy as a team manager

More "And now?"

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• From PR studies to undertaker apprenticeship: "This is real life, not something on the Internet" Recorded by Julia Fietz

Back then, I got over it and said at the company that I was unhappy.

My bosses took it seriously and found solutions.

I am now a team manager and no longer need to understand vehicles, but people.

I really thrive in it.

What I learned at university also helps me as a team manager.

I can use my social and methodological skills, for example simply explaining complex things or speaking in front of many people.

I like helping my colleagues to solve problems and empowering them to make decisions.

That gives me a different kind of meaning.

Others are now continuing to work with my research results. It hurt for a long time, after all, it was my baby! But going back to research is no longer an option for me. My boyfriend and I started building a house. The cellar is already there. We're building on that now. "