“It is less glamorous than one would think”
Meet our doctoral candidate Jakob Schröder.
Science is a puzzle – and every researcher is only a small puzzle piece. Understanding this role as specialist within the broader scientific community has been the biggest takeaway for our IMPRS-APS student Jakob Schröder since the beginning of his PhD in 2023. In his doctoral studies in the group of Dr. Andreas Döpp, Jakob works on improving diagnostics for high power lasers. Read the interview to learn more about his work, his experiences as a young researcher and his life outside of research.
What is your research about, and what excites you most about it?
My group’s overall goal is to optimize experiments with high-power lasers. My research addresses a fundamental measurement challenge: characterizing laser fields completely in space and time, including phase and polarization. No sensor can capture this information all at once. We therefore develop clever devices and robust reconstruction methods to build the complete picture from limited measurements.
Our statistical modelling treats uncertainties rigorously, so we precisely know how confident we can be in our results. This is important when our diagnostics interface with laser optimization algorithms.
What excites me most is working at both ends – hands-on lab work and developing algorithms with applications beyond our specific field.
What is the goal of your research?
We try to make the most of existing setups. Efficiency is crucial since high-power laser shots are costly and we often need to capture data sequentially. On top of that, the methods we develop apply to other spectroscopy and imaging techniques as well. So, we want to achieve immediate efficiency improvements in our laser diagnostics and also further develop statistical modeling for physics experiments in general.
Why did you choose to pursue your PhD in this field?
I wanted to work in optics because I find light manipulation fascinating. I mean most of our tools of probing physical systems rely on electromagnetic radiation. Also, I have always been intrigued by measurement devices – how we discover things about systems we cannot observe directly. The computational side started as an add-on but turned out quite fruitful.
What is the biggest takeaway from your PhD studies up to this point?
Understanding my role as a specialist within a broader scientific context. Unfortunately, I have learned that meaningful contributions require substantial effort but still appear small against existing knowledge. It is less glamorous than one would think. And it is hard to stay on track with your project while not losing track of related fields. But this is paramount, as there can be unexpected ideas or discoveries along the way when you stay a bit open minded and creative.
Can you share a memorable experience or event that stood out during your time in the IMPRS-APS program?
The yearly Ringberg castle meetings stand out. It is not necessarily the research content that matters most, but seeing how others navigate their PhD and exchanging experiences. These glimpses into other people’s PhD journeys help with orientation and priorities.
How has the IMPRS-APS community shaped your academic and personal development?
IMPRS-APS supplements the PhD journey well. The workshops are valuable – I especially liked the presentation training. In addition, the credit system requires some coursework, which helps maintain some broader physics knowledge.
What is something you enjoy outside of your research?
I enjoy making music (e.g. playing piano) and going to cinema. I also like to do as much sports as possible. I play in a football team and recently started biking to work. One redeeming quality of commuting to Garching is that the cycling route from the city along the Isar is quite beautiful.