Astrid Eichhorn was a postdoctoral researcher at Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. Now she is a professor of theoretical physics at Heidelberg University seeking to understand quantum gravity.
As a woman in theoretical physics, Astrid Eichhorn often felt like an outsider, but that feeling propelled her to explore unorthodox ideas in quantum gravity that form the backbone of her current work. We reached out to Astrid to learn more about her journey.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
What is your current role, and how are you trying to push boundaries in your field?
I am currently a professor of theoretical physics at Heidelberg University, leading a group of 13 postdoctoral researchers and students. Our goal is to understand the quantum structure of spacetime. To do so, we are pushing boundaries by connecting separate lines of research.
First, we connect distinct approaches to quantum gravity. I believe that we may understand quantum gravity, if we can harness insights from distinct – and currently largely siloed – approaches. To do so, my group works on several approaches and searches for connections and universal structures. I am also pursuing initiatives geared towards connecting the separate research communities pursuing distinct approaches to quantum gravity, e.g., through joint workshops.
Second, we connect quantum gravity to other research areas. We aim to confront quantum gravity with observations. To achieve this, we must overcome a challenge, namely that the Planck length – the scale of quantum gravity – is far below scales that can be probed directly. We develop lever arms that translate predictions of quantum gravity at the Planck scale into predictions at experimentally accessible scales. Such lever arms may exist in particle physics, black holes, and cosmology, and we are pushing the boundaries by developing them.
What brought you to where you are now?
Three contributions supported me in getting to where I am now:
The first is people: my mentors (including faculty members at Perimeter Institute during my time as a postdoctoral researcher), my collaborators, and my past and current group members. In my experience, the best ideas can be developed in a team.
The second is that as a woman I often felt as an outsider in the research community. While challenging, it was also useful, in particular during my time as a postdoctoral researcher. Feeling as an outsider, I felt justified in pursuing little known ideas or developing new ideas outside the mainstream in quantum gravity. Ultimately, this enabled me to develop ideas in directions others had not thought about deeply, and some of these ideas form the backbone of what my research group is pursuing now.
The third is that I enjoy making connections between seemingly disjointed ideas. In quantum gravity, research can be very siloed into distinct theoretical approaches, and also very disconnected from observations. To overcome both challenges, it is helpful to be passionate about discovering whether two insights can be connected. Several of the research directions my group is now pursuing grew out of this search for new connections.
What are you passionate about?
Outside my career I am a mom to a three-year-old, so I am passionate about the things he is passionate about. Currently, this includes tractors, animals and watering his strawberry and tomato plants.
Outside of being a researcher and a mom, there is very little time left. The time I have gets split up between books, photography and music.
How has your work impacted your industry and community?
Several of the ideas that I have developed in my research have been picked up by others and developed traction within the broader research community.
As an example, the research line I am probably best known for is in the interplay of quantum gravity with matter. In short, the idea is that the interplay with quantum gravity – more specifically with asymptotically safe gravity – could explain structures that we see in particle physics, including in the Standard Model of particle physics, as well as beyond, e.g., for dark matter. This idea has met with lots of interest within my field and beyond. By now, there are research groups both within the quantum gravity community as well as the particle physics community who are pursuing this idea.
How do you give back to your community?
Being a mentor for the members of my research group – both past and present – is a privilege. There is little that is more rewarding than to accompany enthusiastic and motivated students and postdoctoral researchers on their way to become independent researchers, or to find their calling outside of academic research.
I am enthusiastic about communicating about my research with the general public. I have given many interviews for popular science magazines and newspapers and have delivered public lectures in science museums, cinemas, planetariums and schools. I have also initiated and co-developed a children’s book about researchers in many different subject areas.
Inclusive leadership for me means to lead in such a way that everyone gets the opportunity to develop their full potential and nobody feels that they do not belong. This usually requires rather different types of support for different people, which I try to provide both in my research group and in my community.