Minerva's daughters and sons are versatile

Markus Kochius's job includes working with spectrometers, peaks, fire detectors and more...

Over the past two years, we have regularly introduced you to Minerva's daughters — the women at our institute. Now  it is time to offer a platform to Minerva's sons — the men at our institute, too. We will start with Markus Kochius from the Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (NMR) department. Markus lives in Mülheim and has worked at the institute for nearly half of his life. He spends his working day in the physics building with spectrometers, peaks and structure elucidation. In the „Minervas Söhne interview“, he explains why he loves analysing the structures of compounds, and how his work in the works council, the in-house fire brigade, and as a paramedic complement his job.

When you call Markus Kochius, the question is in which function you would like to speak to him. He has several functions that complement his job at NMR: He is involved in the works council and the in-house fire brigade, and also works as a paramedic. In the Minervas Söhne interview, he explains how these roles complement each other perfectly.

What brought you here? Tell us about your path to the Institute!
Markus Kochius: I was interested in physics and maths at school and was looking for a suitable career field for my school internship in grade 8. During my research, I came across the MPI für Kohlenforschung and completed an electron microscopy internship in 2004. I enjoyed the work placement so much that I did my next school internship at the MPI again. Having finished it, I applied for an apprenticeship straight away. I started my apprenticeship as a physics lab technician at 16, and I have now been at the institute for 17 years — almost half my life!

What are your responsibilities at the institute, and what does your typical workday look like?
Markus: After completing my training, a position in the NMR department became available, and that’s how I ended up joining Mr. Fares' team. My workday begins with referencing the data that was collected the previous day and making it available to the clients. In addition, we ensure that our magnets—which regularly need to be refilled with liquid nitrogen and/or liquid helium—are topped up. I usually do this together with our trainees. Then I move on to the computer to analyze the collected data. Depending on the molecule, this analysis can take many hours or even more than a day. For complex questions, we like to discuss our interpretations as a team. It’s important that our clients receive reliable feedback on their structural proposals so that their lab work can continue. Analyzing NMR data is sometimes like solving Sudoku—just without numbers, but with peaks, multiplets, and intensities.

What influenced your career choice? Were/are there any role models?
Markus: For me, the key moment was my school internship in eighth grade. I immediately enjoyed working in electron microscopy and being part of such a friendly team, and I knew right away that this was where I wanted to do my training. I’ve never regretted that decision—I’m very happy with my job. I enjoy analytical thinking and love the fact that every day is different because we constantly receive new questions from the researchers.

You’re also involved in the in-house fire brigade and work as a paramedic. What do you do in those roles?

Markus: Being part of the in-house fire brigade and working as a company paramedic at the MPI means a lot to me. As a paramedic, I’m there whenever first aid is needed—thankfully, that doesn’t happen too often. In the fire brigade, we’re on standby and regularly run emergency drills to stay prepared. It also ties in nicely with my volunteer work as deputy platoon leader with the volunteer fire department in Mülheim an der Ruhr. The experience I gain there is really helpful for what I do here at the institute. It’s a win-win for both sides. I genuinely enjoy stepping in and helping out where support is truly needed.

What’s the atmosphere like here at the Kohlenforschung? Do you think there’s still room to improve equality in the workplace?
Markus: In our department, there’s a good mix of men and women, and the atmosphere is really cooperative—everyone works together to support the research projects as best as they can. What I really like is that we’ve set up things in the analytics teams that help build a sense of community. We celebrate Christmas together every year and have a summer BBQ with everyone from the department. I think these kinds of get-togethers outside of everyday work are super important—they help people connect and make working together a lot smoother and more enjoyable.

Editor's note: Minerva is the goddess of wisdom, patron goddess of craftsmen, poets and teachers and was also regarded as the goddess of tactical warfare and battle. With her helmet, a downward-pointing spear and heraldic shield, the warlike daughter of Jupiter adorned publications and stationery of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society from as early as 1911. Since 1926, she has been used as the KWG's trademark, which has survived to this day. In mythology, the goddess Minerva was childless. At the Max Planck Institutes, she is the spiritual mother of the staff. More information on the history of Minerva can be found here.