I have a really nice PhD student who works in this area also. They are very lucky to have you. How does a young, talented woman become a manager of a group of 20 people? How did that happen? Certainly, I don’t know. You grow in that role. At some point, you realize your group is that big! [Sandy laughs] I would not call it a miracle, but sometimes, it feels like that to me. For me, I find it really cool to lead a team, instill a team spirit, and support young people. The biggest joy I have is when I see how much they grow, how much they learn, and how much they are eager to learn. Did you know from the start that your main task would be to instill that in the group, or is it something you learned on the job? Working in different groups myself, I realized how important it is. You can do science on an individual level, somehow, maybe have your own topic and not deal with your colleagues much, but I think that is not really enjoyable. Getting support from your colleagues during a PhD is a very important step. It is a very important thing to have. Otherwise, you perhaps will not succeed. Even more than getting support from your supervisors? No, I think it is equally important. There are no hierarchies in our group. I try to be available as best as possible to the members of my group, and I think what I realized is that the most important thing is communication. When you are a team leader, of course, you have to make the decisions at some point. I try to make them democratic in some sense, asking, what is your opinion on that? But in the end, you are the one that is making the decision. You bear the responsibility for the result. I have the responsibility, exactly! Sometimes, you just do not think of all the consequences. Single people in your group can be set back because you made a decision. In that case, I want that they come to me and talk to me about it if it is really something where they feel not good about it. I am happy to say 26 DAILY MICCAI Monday Women in Science
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