1. What is your role as a current Mathematician?
I am a Master’s student in Mathematics at the University of Göttingen and I have currently a mandate as Speaker of the Council of International Students (ASR), free of charge.
A part from that, I am a very creative person and it is hard to categorise me, even only for the scientific sector, but I confess: I have a crush in category theory, algebraic topology and homological algebra. If you want, I can say I love crossover: When I find out an open problem I just run into my house, the library of the Mathematical Institute, and I keep reading books until I come up with a solution. Therefore, my fantasy and capacity of problem solving is completely unbounded, it also happens that I get an idea at 4/5 AM, and usually it is the good one!
And yes, I am very interdisciplinary, I often take a cue from behavioural science and business administration to solve issues in other areas, like physics or my personal life, and sometimes I end up speaking Latin and Greek too.
2. What has inspired your love of the maths community?
Actually, I had a classical background, so I studied Philosophy, Art, Greek, Latin and Italian Literature and Grammar mostly and then I was so attracted from Maths, that I decided to follow my heart and embrace this as a profession. The early days were not so easy, I was not used even to mathematical symbols, but during these years I discovered my background is uncommon in the mathematical community and allows me a flexibility that is rare to find.
3. What do you most enjoy about your role?
I think that a mathematician alone can do a great job, but networking with other people in different areas today makes the difference. I am very active in this sense, I use to ask collegues and discuss all together new theories and I have recently opened a study group “Introduction to Category Theory”. Mostly I work in mathematical physics, where I want to significantly make the difference by helping to develop new great theories. Have you seen Fringe?
4. What are the common misconceptions in Mathematics that you believe need to be overcome?
As a woman and a mathematician, I think there are still serious adjustements to be done across the world to ensure us the same visibility and consideration our male colleagues enjoy, but initiatives like this are really helpful. Having a platform to share experiences, to speak, to grow together are nowadays fundamental. This is the way to change things radically.
5. What defines you other than maths?
In my free time? As you can imagine, I have tones of hobbies: I am a judoka and a singer, I love enigmatography, meditation and Yoga, I read a lot, above all poetry, psychology, linguistics and behavioural science, and I learn other languages.
6. Any inspirational role models for you.
I get inspired by everything essentially. There is no role model, no limit, no closed box for me, but I dedicate all this to the person who first showed me the way to become the mathematician I am: the Prof. Anna Tozzi, University of L’Aquila. Without her guidance, nothing of this amazing career would have existed.