Dr. Sibylle Schlegel-Kachel

Dr. Schlegel-Kachel studied Bioengineering in Karlsruhe and received her doctorate in 2017 on the subject of "Sorption equilibrium and material transport of water in polymer-protein layers". After many years of work in product development, she now works in the Quality Management for silanes at Evonik.

Motto:Seize the opportunities that are presented to you!

Career

Education:	2002-2008	Degree in Bioengineering at the University of Karlsruhe (KIT)
Doctorate:	2017	on the subject of "Sorption equilibrium and mass transfer of water in polymer-protein layers"
Work:
	2005 – 2006	Internship at the Ifremer Research Institute in France on the subject of microalgae biotechnology
	2008 – 2013	Research assistant at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) at the Institute for Thermal Process Engineering in the Thin Film Technology working group
	2014 – 2018	Process and product development in the field of Particle Technology at Evonik
	since 2019	Quality Management for silanes at Evonik

Even as a child I was interested in scientific issues. What attracted me to Bioengineering was the interdisciplinary orientation with the mixture of Biology, Chemistry and Process Engineering.

I now work in Quality Management. The work I do there is also interdisciplinary; my engineering background helps me solve technical issues presented to me.

Motivation

During my PhD I studied the absorption and transport of water in polymer-protein mixtures. It is something that is used in biosensor test strips for blood sugar management. The topic was an industrial cooperation and the aim was to improve the storage stability of the sensors. In the project I dealt with film drying and diffusion in thin layers.

In my current area of work, I work in Quality Management systems. I coordinate the introduction of new tools, help in Change Management and attend audits or carry them out myself. I also oversee Quality Management processes in SAP for my area.

I like the contact with people and that I can get to the bottom of problems and solve them.

For me personally, switching into the industry was a good step. I was able to work on a variety of projects there and learn a lot.

Requirements

In my field, analytical skills and persistence are extremely important. But a certain amount of self-confidence and being able to present yourself also can't hurt. This applies to both the academic and industrial world.

Advice

Keep going, don't let setbacks get you down and make the best of it.

Challenges

I never made my decisions about my studies or career with the background of being a woman. I also didn't have the feeling that there were any obstacles in my way because of the fact I’m female.

There are still fewer women in science. In order to change something about that, it is important to promote self-confidence in women and show them that they can master this career path. Role models have always inspired me.

In order to be able to employ more women in management positions. I think it’s important to enable working part-time in these higher-level jobs in order to promote the compatibility of work and family. For me, the fact that more men are taking parental leave is part of the equal opportunities process.