Anja Ulrich: “If you are brave and are something of a pioneer, it can be an incredible journey.”

When you were a kid, what did you want to be?

Before I got to secondary school, I wanted to become President of the Swiss Confederation (she laughs). I was disillusioned to learn that it would “only” be an honorary position, a “prima inter pares”. I still find politics fascinating and stood as a candidate for the most recent National Council election. Unfortunately, I did not get elected but I am not sad; it was a good experience and lots of fun.

So how did wanting to become President of the Swiss Confederation bring you to ETH?

I changed my mind because I wanted to do something else first. With this other background, I can still move into politics later on. It is harder to make the switch the other way.
My favourite subjects at school were maths and physics. So I decided to study engineering and looked at both ETH and EPFL in more detail. I really liked EPFL but the bachelor’s course is in French. I did not want the added complication of the language barrier on top of what was already a challenging course; so I opted for Zurich.

You have a Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology. You are currently one of the first cohort to study for the Master's in Quantum Engineering. What does it feel like to be amongst the first to do this?

ETH is the first university in the world to offer this interdisciplinary master’s course and is a leading university in the field of quantum technologies. Although the course is primarily intended for both physics and electrical engineering students, we are based in the Electrical Engineering Department. One of the main goals of this master’s course is to tackle the technical challenges that currently exist in quantum technologies. The biggest barrier in this field today is not the fundamental physics, but technical implementation. There is a lot of hype surrounding the issue at present; a lot of money is flooding into research as well as the young industry. Expectations are high and money is being invested.

This is fantastic news for us master’s students: not all the low-hanging fruit has been picked yet. We have the opportunity to help shape the field and decide the direction in which we want to take things. There are plenty of interesting career prospects awaiting us. I like engineering and am looking for a practical job. The established engineering disciplines tend to focus on optimisation. But I would rather help shape matters and implement new things. If you are brave and are something of a pioneer, it can be an incredible journey.

You are president of the recently founded Quantum Engineering Alumni affiliate organisation. What are the aims of this group?

There are still only very few people on this course. Given the small group size, we bonded and communicated well during the course. The leading lights of the future in quantum engineering study at ETH. I think it is important that we try to maintain our bonds to one another.
Many of the students have an international background. When we graduate, our paths will take us in different directions, both in terms of subject area and geography. So the idea is to maintain that dialogue on a personal and professional level. We also want to consciously drag alumnae and alumni out of their various specialist “bubbles” on a regular basis. Together, we can shed light on the challenges of quantum technologies and find solutions. Working together makes us better and more efficient and we can shape the field.

Of course, through the new affiliate organisation we also want to maintain links with ETH and the student association. This will keep us in touch with potential future colleagues too. We want to support the student association, by offering work placements, for example.
We are currently considering organising a conference-like gathering every two years. We will meet and run seminars – by members for members.

Who can join the group?

All graduates of the master’s course can join us. We also hope to appeal to people who may not have completed this course but have studied similar fields.

What do you plan to do once you have obtained your master’s?

The experts currently working in this field haven't followed a linear form of progression; because no such progression exists. There is huge demand for trained experts. Some graduates go into industry and others take up a PhD position.

At the moment, I am looking at a PhD. I know that slightly contradicts what I said about wanting a practical job but I think that academia has more to offer at the moment; both in the form of expertise but also infrastructure. The industry is still relatively young and I still hope to make the move into it after my PhD. However, an interesting professor could potentially tempt me to stay in academia (she laughs).

Do you have any tips for students considering doing the master's?

Everyone is talking about it at the moment, which may put some people off. But do not let yourself be disheartened. The support structures at ETH are fantastic. If you can get through the bachelor’s course at ETH, you can handle the Master's in Quantum Engineering. It is important that you are interested in the subject matter. We are at the forefront of a technology revolution and there are risks associated with this. If this does not put you off but actually spurs you on, then the master's course is for you.

Generally speaking, I would like to encourage women in particular to have faith in their abilities, study technical disciplines and be part of these technology revolutions.